I may be slightly biased - Sam Roberts Band is one of my favourite musical acts. I sat fifth row for their Valentine's Day concert, only to realize why I love them so much. Roberts and his entourage reminded us that lyrics can be about something other than love - many of his songs discuss self-discovery, sociopolitical turmoil, and metaphysical characteristics - but that love is also an important part of the human condition.
The legendary venue provided the perfect backdrop to an impressive lights show and highlighted the exceptional musical capability from the Montreal band, whose 2001 track "Brother Down" catapulted them to fame. The Lo-Fantasy tour provided a pleasing mix of earlier tracks (like "Love at the End of The World" and "Fixed to Ruin") while promoting the 2014 album with singles like "Shapeshifters" and "We're All In This Together", and Roberts peppered in comments, anecdotes and thank-yous that spoke volumes of his amiable character. The guitar solos proved that rock music will never die, as each member showed off his skills in riffs that had the audience moving. After the show, Roberts stayed behind to greet fans who rushed the stage to meet him - thanking them for coming, wishing them well, asking about their thoughts of the show, and telling them to stay warm. The simple yet personal touch brought the show to a whole new level - the intimacy allows already awed concert-goers to connect to the musicians in a way that most concerts don't provide. Sam Roberts Band puts on one of the best shows I've ever seen, and spending the night with the talented musicians proved an experience that can't be forgotten. Last night, Arizona rockers The Maine released their first single from their upcoming album, American Candy. "English Girls" feels like a nod to their original sound, turning away from the dark undertones of their previous album and back toward upbeat melodies and light lyrics. Less emotional maybe, but the return to their roots is done well. The track makes me reminisce about summer, and will definitely make listeners want to dance. Check out the track below. How to even begin writing about a night I've anticipated for 10 years baffles me. I guess all I can really say is wow.
Last night, Toronto-based rock group Our Lady Peace took the stage at Echo Beach which, as I've already mentioned, is one of my favourite venues in the city. Returning home to promote their latest album, Curve (which was released in June), the band attracted a wide range of people to their audience. Because they have been playing music since 1992, the age range last night was about 18 - 65. Yes, 65. The opening act, Vancouver-born Said The Whale, surprised me. They combined an East-coast sound with a West-coast look and lyrics, and performed a solid amount of songs. They were nice, humble, and genuine when talking to the crowd, admitting they spoke less to get more music in. And, the music they played was good, and fit the mood perfectly. Needless to say, they gained at least one fan in me last night. A short while later, Mother Mother took the stage. Admittedly, I saw them perform already at Concordia's Frost week festivities, but was never really able to get into their music. I still maintain that attitude, and would also like to add that the lead singer came off as slightly pompous while choosing unnecessarily large and hipster-y words while describing his night. It felt a bit like the band as a whole thought they were better than they are. They had minutes of instrumental sound without lyrics and then lyrics that didn't really make sense, and left much of the crowd disinterested very quickly. But, just after the sun had fully set, the headliners took the stage. They played a good mix of songs from all of their albums (granted, they have a lot of songs to choose from), while at the same time appropriately promoting Curve. One of my favourite parts of the show, however, was the unique changes they made to some songs. Harmonizing the chorus of Monkey Brains, making Blister acoustic, and reworking some of the vocals added a nice touch you can only appreciate live. 42 year-old frontman Raine Maida still has his vocal chops. And his superior, electrifying stage presence. Our Lady Peace proved their experience y mixing in elements I rarely see at concerts anymore. For some songs, Maida used a megaphone to distort his voice, their light and graphic show was top-notch, and they used just the right amount of instrumentals through guitar solos and the like to prove their true talent. Oh, and they had a double encore. I can't remember the last concert I went to that had two, full-fledged, legitimate encores. The crowd went crazy. Leaving hits like 4am and Angels Losing Sleep to the encores, they also added a new song from Curve as the very last song, leaving it fresh in our minds as we left Echo Beach raving about what we had just witnessed. RATING: 9/10 I'm fully aware that Drake has been on tour with J Cole for about 6 months before last night (more on that later). But, every year he does a little something extra for his hometown. And by a little, I mean he invites some of the most prolific rappers of our time to share the stage with him.
Guests listed on the bill included A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz and The Weeknd, but the surprise guests, as usual, blew the crowd away. Meek Mill, French Montana, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Snoop Dogg/ Snoop Lion (sporting a Caribana shower cap/bucket hat crossover) also played a few songs with Canada's most famous rapper, and made the already excited crowd go wild. Each performer brought their uniqueness to the stage, and added to the clear excitement exuberating from Drake himself. Each sounded amazing live, and each thanked the crowd repeatedly. Humility sells big in my books. What wasn't humble, however, was the intense pyromania coming from the stage. Fireworks and big bursts of flames danced on stage and complimented an already intricate lights/picture show. But, it wasn't overdone to the point of cheesiness. Also refreshing was Drake's attitude. Though it has been reported that he can be occasionally difficult to deal with, he seemed the complete opposite. He prayed and thanked the Lord on stage, told his hometown crowd that he does what he does for us, gave a shoutout to almost every suburb in the Greater Toronto Area, called Nicki Minaj beautiful (wait, he always does that...) and individually gave each guest a toast of sorts. He even showed the crowd his tattoos, noting the 416 (Toronto's area code) over his heart. There were downsides, however. One, the Amphitheatre is WAY too small for a concert of that kaliber. It holds about 5,000 people. Tickets sold out in 7 minutes. To be fair, this will be fixed next year when he takes over the Rogers Centre, which holds over ten times that. Secondly, a lot of the crowd expected J Cole to make an appearance, because he toured with Drake. The fact that he didn't kind of upset a lot of people, myself included. Then again, Lil Wayne couldn't be there either. Finally, the build-up to Drake's actual set was slow. A$AP Rocky and 2 Chainz are relatively unknown and couldn't really get the crowd going, and The Weeknd, talented as he is, has a much more calm style of music, which in turn calmed the crowd down as well. And the wait after his set and before Drake's felt like forever. Negatives aside, the show itself was amazing. I danced, I rapped, I screamed, and I truly felt involved in the show. That is a difficult task, but I felt personally engaged despite being virtually at the back of the venue. And 24 hours later, I still don't have a voice from screaming so much. RATING: 8.5/10 Forgive me for taking a week to post about this, but I spent a week in Punta Cana where wi-fi is as rare as snow.
ANYWAY, if it isn't absolutely obvious by now, I'm a big fan of Sam Roberts. And, I had the pleasure of explaining his sheer talent to the British onlookers behind me, who reminded me that virtually nobody outside of Canada and potentially the States knows who he is. Anyway, after sitting through a mediocre opening act performed by Australian band The Jezubels, and a set by the Bombay Bicycle Club that exceeded my expectations, I let out a fangirlish shriek that would have made One Direction fans proud when The Sam Roberts Band finally took the stage. Admittedly, I panic a little when vocalists with a rather unique voice put on a show. They can either turn out to be very good and sound exactly the same, if not better, than their records, or brutalize their own name. And, I'm pleased to report that Sam Roberts did not disappoint. He sounded even better than his record, making the happiness in his voice evident and adding an element of liveliness to his raspy voice. The frontman's politeness and mannerisms on-stage were very refreshing as well. He thanked the opening acts, offered the crowd his blessings and his gratitude more than once, and clearly portrayed his happiness and comfort, without being too chatty. To put it simply, despite being from Montreal and currently residing in its wealthy Westmount borough, it looked as if he felt at home. I was also pleased with the choice of venue. Echo Beach provides a laid-back atmosphere where you can literally dig your toes in sand, sip on a beer, and enjoy the show. It is the much smaller stage at Ontario Place, and should be used on a much more frequent basis. I'd also like to point out how awesome Sam Roberts Band's latest single, Let It In, is (shameless product push). Give it a listen. The encore was a little long and the Englishmen I befriended consistently reminded me that what they were listening to had a sound similar to Oasis, and Noel Gallagher's other project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, but overall the concert was, in my eyes, a massive success. RATING: 8/10 At long last, here is the final 5 songs of my summer playlist. Might as well share when I'm halfway through the summer. 11: Five Colours in Her Hair - McFly McFly is a British band made famous by the movie Just My Luck, starring Chris Pine and Lindsay Lohan. This song was not played in the movie, but released in 2006 on their CD of the same name, after being originally released in 2004. The American version is more tame than the British, using the words "I'd like to phone her, 'cause she puts me in the mood," instead of a more suggestive rhyming word. But, the tone of the song screams summer, and I kind of like the British version better. But here's the American version, just in case: 12: Crazy Little Thing Called Love: Queen What is there to say about one of the best bands in history? British band Queen has become iconic throughout the generations, with the late Freddie Mercury's distinct voice and the sheer talent and effort evident in their songs. Crazy Little Thing Called Love may not be what catapulted them to fame, but the song was released in 1980 on Queen's album "The Game" and topped music charts worldwide in 1979. I'm sorry it's been a few days yet again. It's been a hectic little while. Nonetheless, part 2 of my summer 2012 playlist consists of another 5 songs that I feel encompass summer in terms of their upbeat compositions and their overall lightheartedness. I mix in some Top 40 songs here, but left out Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" because EVERYONE is calling that the song of summer and I refuse to copy everyone else. 6: Just in Love - Joe Jonas Ignore for just a second that the last name of the artist is Jonas. Ignore the teenage girl pandemonium that surrounds Joe Jonas, and just listen to the song. The second single off of Joe's first solo effort, Fastlife, was released in 2011, originally without the rap verse. But, Jonas later released a version that features Lil Wayne, turning even farther away from the usual Jonas Brother recipe for success, and even uses a curse word! See, Joe is all grown up! Not convinced yet? Listen to the song. And watch the video. And, the Lil Wayne version for your convenience: 7: La La - The Cab I was first drawn to The Cab when I saw them co-headline with The Summer Set in February. Their second studio album, Symphony Soldier, was released in 2011 and features an interesting medley of strings and standard indie rock music. La La is the second single from the album that featured contributions from Pete Wentz, John Feldmann and even Bruno Mars, and was called a "masterpiece" by AbsolutePunk. How do you NOT listen to such high praise? NOTE: Video features cameos by The Summer Set. Again, forgive my hiatus that lasted for what felt like forever. The world caught up to me lately. Nonetheless, today I have created something of a brainchild. A medley of my music taste, if you will, that perfectly express my emotion toward summer - a carefree, light and happy atmosphere that just makes you want to roll your windows down and feel the wind in your hair. I tried to use a combination of older songs and newer songs, infused a few Top 40 songs, and even used a rap song. Behold, the first 5 songs from my summer 2012 playlist, with a Youtube video and description of each song: 1: The Great Escape - Boys Like Girls Released in 2006, this was the song that gave Boys Like Girls their original rise to fame. Note how old the song actually is: Martin, the lead singer, is still relatively tattoo-free and is using brown contacts to, for a reason unbeknownst to me, hide his beautiful blue eyes. "The Great Escape" was the first song released off of their debut album, and could not be more perfect for summer. 2: Your Man - Down With Webster Back to my Canadian roots, homegrown talent Down With Webster released "Your Man" in 2009 after a remake of "Rich Girl". The video is absolutely hilarious, and the song just has a summer-party feel to it. Forgive my Easter hiatus, but on the long weekend I was busy filling my stomach with food and my brain with politics, so I had little time to fill my blog with music and opinion. Speaking of my politics exam, today I've decided to post a VERY old song (think 80s). Its title alone describes exactly how I'm feeling, and I guarantee I'm not alone on that one. I'm also feeling a bit nostalgic today after a family-filled Easter weekend, and this legendary British rock band was a huge part of my childhood which, today, seems way deeper into my past than it actually was. Anyway, the song was released in 1981, featured on a 1982 album called Hot Space, and combines two of Britain's rock powerhouses at the time. Its a work of musical genius, the lead vocals by one of my favourite rockers in history, Freddie Mercury, legitimately blow my mind, and everything about it is so dramatic, yet happy, yet calming...and just overwhelmingly amazing. |
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