Archive for the ‘Concert Reviews’ Category

Photos: Stone Temple Pilots at the Kool Haus

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Stone Temple Pilots have been one of the more successful recent bands on the reuniting train. After the dissolution of Velvet Revolver STP got together and realized it was worth setting aside their differences in order to get out there and keep playing.

photo: Mark Swierszcz

photo: Mark Swierszcz


Most fans of Stone Temple Pilots never really had a chance to see them live after Scott Wieland’s run in’s with the law, solo career and side projects. Last night’s show proved that the band still has a rabid fanbase that wants to see these songs played live. Check out this insane setlist and pix.

SETLIST

Silvergun Superman
Wicked Garden
Vasoline
Big Empty
Lounge Fly
Army Ants
Sour Girl
Creep
Crackerman
Plush
Interstate Love Song
Down
Sex Type Thing
Sin
Unglued

Encore:
Dead and Bloated
Trippin

Lights @ Commodore Ballroom

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

KEYTAR!!!!

LIGHTS was welcomed back into Canada with open arms at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on Saturday night.

Now, I don’t know much, but there are two things about Lights in which afterwards, I became certain: 1) Boys want her, and 2) Girls want to be her. I know, that sounds cliche, but I am not kidding. The dude in front of me was all, “Lights! You drive my soul!” and I actually counted eleven girls wearing neon headbands across their foreheads a la vintage Lights. With the release of her month and a half old debut album, The Listening, it isn’t really any surprise why. If you think about it, she’s easily one of the best new Canadian talents around. Shall I compile the facts? She was a Juno winner for Best New Artist before she even had a full length album out, has a pet tarantula, writes songs about video games, collects swords and is probably better than your little brother at World of Warcraft. I’ll stop there, it’s getting a bit wearisome championing all her accomplishments and interests, I’m beginning to suffer from low self esteem.
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Dan Deacon @ The Great Hall

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

dandeacon

Way back in May I had barely even heard of Dan Deacon before. It was that same month that a friend of mine went to a Dan Deacon concert at the DeLeon White Gallery in Toronto. She would not stop raving about how Dan got the whole crowd dancing, a feat I find very impressive. Curious, I went on Dan Deacon musical exploration adventure and was shocked that I hadn’t listened to him before. Not only was his music upbeat and fun, but he really did know how to make a crow move! From that moment on I swore that the next time he came to perform in Toronto I’d be there ready to party.

This guy is kinda the coolest. And his show last night was kinda the best.

Proudly from Baltimore Maryland, Dan Deacon has been creating electronic danc-ey splendor since the early 2000s. His first full length album Spiderman of the Rings came out in 2007 and quickly sparked a buzz, making many a top album of ‘07 list. Deacon has been churning out the goods since, the most recent being his latest album Bromst, which came out March of this year.

Dan is known for his inclusive shows. He sets up his gear on the floor with the audience, so he’s right there with you – not up on some stage. He’s all about audience participation and crowd games. He’s like a musical motivational speaker if you will (just not cheesy in a bad way). These are the things in life I love. Needless to say I was counting down the days to last night’s show and WOW it did not disappoint. WOW WOW WOW! Best show of 2009. Wanna know why?

Photos and more after the jump!
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Jay-Z @ ACC on Hovaween!

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Jay-Z by Wendy Heisler

I don’t know how many emcees could hold down the Air Canada Centre like Jiggaman, but then again, no other emcee can boast more number one albums than Elvis, can they?

Nope.

Combine endless swag, the Roc Boys band (possibly one of the best touring bands in the biz), a beat-thirsty Halloween crowd and a near endless supply of hits and son… you’ve got yourself a SHAAOOW.

More, plus photos after the jump!
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Jay-Z Takes London (Ontario)

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Allow me to reintroduce myself...

Midterm time is a busy period for students. There are a lot of sleepless nights, a great deal of stress and headaches, and a nice pile of dishes in the sink that you know you’ll get to tomorrow. Professors place due dates one after the other, and as much as you keep telling yourself that you’ll work ahead, cram sessions are pretty much guaranteed.

The solution?

Go see Jay-Z live. Duh.
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La Roux Shine @ Guvernment

Monday, October 26th, 2009

102609-la-roux

It was a dark and dismal night this past Friday - the kind where once you’re home you’re done. I only had eyes for my bed and bad TV but despite the comfort looming in front of me, I donned my wellies, busted out my brelly and made the trek down to Toronto’s dismal waterfront. After battling with rain that was magically coming down sideways (how does that happen anyway?) me and about 600 other daring souls had made it to the La Roux show.
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Metric @ Massey Hall

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Can you feel my heart beating like a hammer?

The last two days were ripe with firsts: I enjoyed my first pumpkin beverage of the season, Kanye suffered his first death hoax, Metric played two sold-out shows at Massey Hall in Toronto for the first time, and I went to both of ‘em - marking the first time I’ve seen back-to-back concerts. Hooray!

The significance of Massey Hall lies in its storied history - as one of Toronto’s oldest venues, its stage has seen the likes of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, the Dalai Lama and Winston Churchill. Metric wasn’t shy in expressing their excitement about playing on that historic stage, gushing that it had long been a dream. However, the problem with Massey Hall - a seated venue - is that you can’t really DANCE. And isn’t that the point of a Metric show, to have a sweaty dance party? (Yes.)
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Dan Mangan @ Criminal Records

Monday, October 19th, 2009

102009-mangan

With the c-c-c-crazy amount of music floating around in the world/on the internet today (and the amount of it I listen to), you’d expect there would be a lot of good stuff out there. And there is. But rarely do I find a song so darn good that I don’t even need to put it on my mp3 player – because it gets itself stuck in my head for five hours straight.

This is surprising enough, but I really didn’t expect that it wouldn’t be a track from a NME buzz band, and instead come from a brave young indie-folk singer from Vancouver, Mr. Dan Mangan. Haven’t heard of him? Just you wait.
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The Most Serene Republic @ The MOD Club

Friday, October 16th, 2009

tmsr21

I have been in love with The Most Serene Republic ever since I first heard their album “… And The Ever Expanding Universe” back in the beginning of the summer. Before that I was really in like with them and too scared to tell them my true feelings. After last night’s show, I think I’m going to purpose.

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The Gaslight Anthem @ Kool Haus

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

the-gaslight-anthem-kool-haus

The last time The Gaslight Anthem played Toronto, they had a decent size fan base but seeing how crowded the Kool Haus was on Tuesday night it’s safe to say these guys are getting bigger as the months pass.

As the lights dimmed and oddly enough Cyndi Lauper Girls Just Want To Have Fun playing in the background, the New Jersey quartet emerged on stage to a thunderous crowd.

With no intro needed, the guys picked up their instruments, looked at each other and just started rocking out. Opening the set with High Lonesome followed by Casanova, Baby! it was clear that Tuesday night was going to be a good night for a rock ‘n roll show.

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