CMW FRIDAY! Our Lady Peace Get Clumsy at Massey Hall

March 16th, 2010

OUR LADY PEACE

Maybe you’d think, for a band that has been around for 18 years, and whose lead singer just turned 40 (for realz), that Our Lady Peace might not be able to rock out quite as hard as they used to. If so, you’re wrong. (You practically have a doctorate in Wrongology!) Our Lady Peace at Massey Hall was friggin’ awesome, man! You missed ooouuuuutttt!

But dude, it’s okay; you don’t have to kick yourself so hard. ‘Cause we were there, and we’ve got two reviews of Friday night’s mind-blowing double-set for you, just a hop, skip, and a jump away!

Jessica: I caught OLP at V-fest back in August, when Raine Maida insisted the whole crowd get on their feet and they did, but that was NOTHING compared to Friday night’s show, where the audience was standing the whole set long, unbidden. Clumsy was pretty much my soundtrack to grade 11, so to see it performed live was amazing. I especially liked how Raine kept telling the audience little blurbs about the making of the album, and the process behind some of the songs, like “4 A.M”. The video of the sad clown they had going through the first set was also pretty cool, and really helped bring out the carnival theme of the record.

Allison: I’m obviously the old dude here. I saw OLP ten years ago when they were touring for Spiritual Machines. I was three people deep from the stage at the Air Canada Centre. I’ve only recently started to get my hearing back, but the show was totally worth it. OLP are like the band that has not been touched by time. They still rock as hard as they did in 2000. The 18 years that the band has spent on the road together and in the studio is obvious. They move together, interacting with one another on the stage and playing with such precision and ease that only happens from experience. Raine Maida still conducts the stage with his signature manic moves as if possessed by his own music. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, I think we all were too.

Jessica: Later, the guys played a best-of set, including some of their new stuff from Burn, Burn. Raine said this was like getting to the fun stuff after all the “work” of the first set. You could tell the band was having fun working through their big hits, and the crowd just ate it up, and I’m pretty sure everyone in the audience would have stayed for Set #3 if Massey Hall hadn’t booted us out. During all this, I was having a set-list competition with my cousin, who was also at the show, over which song would be played last. (My guess, “In Repair”, was close, but not close enough!) So Matt, you win! Your OLP knowledge is greatly superior to mine!

Allison: There’s nothing better than hearing music of the past that you loved played again. You can remember the point in time when that particular song was the background music to your life. You take ownership of that song and attach your own memories to the lyrics and melodies. Seeing OLP on Friday night was like experiencing 20 of ‘my songs’ all at once. And I think everyone else at Massey Hall felt the same.

As excited as the crowd in the packed house was, I think the band was having even more fun. The usually stoic Raine Maida smiled at the end of every song and lead guitar player Duncan Coutts finished every tune by pointing at the audience and clapping for them. The band seemed much more relaxed than past performances, to the point where Maida even climbed up the speakers and onto the first floor balcony to shake the hands of the upper level concert goers. The band invited both balconies down to the first floor for the final performances so that we could all be a part of the party they were having on stage. Maida told the crowd that this show was the homecoming he had dreamt of and would be remembered as one of the best shows the band has ever played. I know that if OLP ever try to top Friday night, there will be thousands of devoted fans in line to buy their tickets, including me.

Set List

Superman’s Dead
Automatic Flowers
Carnival
Big Dumb Rocket
4 A.M.
Shaking
Clumsy
Hello Oskar
Let You Down
The Story of 100 Aisles
Car Crash

Monkey Brains
Innocent
Life
Anybody Home?
One Man Army
Paper Moon
The End is Where We Begin
Somewhere Out There
Naveed (with a MGMT interlude)
Are You Sad?
All You Did Was Save My Life
In Repair
Starseed

Tags: Burn Burn, Clumsy, Duncan Coutts, olp, our lady peace, Raine Maida