AFI W/ Gallows@ The Sound Academy, Novemeber 11th

A Fire Inside (commonly known as AFI) have been around since 1991 and have sold more albums than any other punk band in history. They now have a much softer and more materialized sound, but still have a bit of fire inside left in them (ha ha, see what I did there).

The Sound Academy's 3000 capacity space wasn't packed but it was definitely not empty. With AFI's reputation of being an "emo" band for the last few years, I was expecting a mob of emo kids in black and heavy duty eyeliner under the age of 16. Although there was a fair share of them, there were a lot of guys and girls in their mid to late 20s who have probably been listening to AFI before all the emo kids were even born.

Gallows, the British punk band of the year with a brutal live act, was the support for this tour. If it wasn't for Gallows, the crowd would most likely be a few hundred people short, considering that Gallows is a raw intense punk band. And then there's AFI, which is why it's sort of odd that the two bands were touring together. A regular Gallows show consists of a a very wide circle pit with their raging ginger of a lead singer, Frank Carter in middle of the pit, shirtless, screaming and moshing with the fans.

This night, however, he was a little more chilled, as he was wearing a hoodie and a vest and wasn't running around too much; but there was a human pyramid with 10 dudes including Frank. There were people who know the lyrics and singing along with him, but the Gallows fans were overpowered by the bored and slightly frightened AFI fans, which messed with the vibe and caused Frank to leave before the last song was even finished. Gallows are coming back to Canada in March, opening for the highly anticipated Billy Talent tour with Alexisonfire and Against Me!

AFI may be viewed as "sellouts" in the punk society for going into mainstream emo rock, but they still have a punk edge to them that they unleash during their live shows. They got on stage with a white suit-wearing Davey Havok, and played Torch Song off their new album Crash Love. Havok sang with a passion and shared that passion with the entire audience, looking straight down and making eye contact the entire time while running around the stage.

Havok wasn't the only one making the whole show, the entire band brought it. The guitarist and bassist were moving around the stage the whole time as well, connecting with audience and their band mates. About a quarter into the show, the band treated the crowd to some old school AFI by playing Triple Zero, from their third LP, Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes, and dedicated it to Damian, the lead singer of the Polaris Prize 2009 winning band, Fucked Up (who was watching from side stage).

A little later they played another one of their old school songs from their hardcore days, This Secret Ninja. They played 6 songs off their new record, Crash Love, which is their poppiest record to date, although it's still a well done record. The final song of the primary set was the synth pop anthem Love Like Winter, from their previous record Decemberunderground.

You could hear the crowd singing for the whole show, but when they played love like winter, the crowd just completely overpowered the band, and made a sort of bad song sound really cool. AFI had fantastic energy and put on a show that almost anyone who listens to punk could enjoy.

link to the setlist: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/afi/2009/sound-academy-toronto-on-canada-23d7389f.html

The Creepshow @ The Reverb, November 6th

Toronto Physcobilly punks, The Creepshow have just reached a fine point in their career, as they were just signed to one of the biggest punk labels in the world, Hellcat Records. The band roster of hellcat includes such acts like The Slackers, Tiger Army, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, and Rancid. Being on a lineup like that, The Creepshow knew that it was their time to shine, so they immediately packed up their organs and stand-up basses and went on a 5 week North American headlining tour. This tour included a stop halfway through the Canadian leg of the tour, in their home of Toronto, to get 400 kids packed in an upstairs nightclub dancing and moshing the night away.

The Canadian dates on the tour were a part of the Stomp Records Tour which also featured support acts, The Hypnophonics and The Dreadnoughts. The first band up was The Hynpnohonics, who opened up the show with some old school physcobilly with a hint of hardcore punk. The band has great energy and was entertaining, but they took the psyhobilly image a bit too far. All four members were dressed up in dress shirts and ties with unoriginal, but still cool, physcobilly haircuts. The lead singer was all over the place and and sang with a real hard punk voice which made them really interesting.

The 2nd opener were Irish punk rockers from Vancouver, The Dreadnoughts. I gave these guys a listen before the show, and I instantly fell in love with the song "Antarctica." Strictly Celtic sounding with the obvious likes of Flogging Molly and The Pogues, but also Gogol Bordello, which is a reference to the gypsier side of their sound. The lead singer/guitarist was an older guy somewhere in his mid 30s, and the rest of the band was probably in their mid 20s. Each member had rocked with his own style. The violinist was the crazy kid in the old school punk rags and moehawk, wildly executing either the fiddle or the accordion. Then there was the 6 foot 6 giant of a bass player having a blast, always smiling and involving the crowd by threatening that he will stage dive on them if they don't sing. Like said previously, he's quite a big guy, so they sang.

There was also the average punk drummer who takes his shirt off halfway through the set, and then there's the focused member in the band, the mandolin player, who goes by the name of "The Dread Pirate," referencing his dreadlocks. Last but not least, the lead singer and guitarist was obviously the leader of the band, and most likely the main songwriter. He was probably one of the oldest guys at the show, but also the most energetic.

The Creepshow was all ready to go for what was supposed to be "their last show in Toronto for a long time," but then at the end of the show they announced that they will playing a New Years Eve show. Liars. Anyway, as soon they went on, kids in leather jackets started bouncing off the walls, and from there on the night had officially started. Many underage kids were moshing and singing along, which one wouldn't expect at a physchobilly punk concert. The face of the band, Sarah "Sin" Blackwood played well but didn't pay attention to the kids screaming the lyrics with her, which is disappointing if a band has dedicated fans. You should appreciate them and at least look at them when they're right in front of you, instead of just checking for the crowd's overall reaction.

The drummer, Matt Pomade, is great. He isn't just playing normal stuff on the high hat, he's going all over the toms and the floor tom creating these very catchy beats that go really well with stand up bass. This was my fourth time seeing them, and the 2nd of their headline shows I've been to, and as far as fun goes, their live shows are great, but there's nothing new. They played all the same songs (even the same cover songs) as before, and when they did a "repeat after me" with the audience for their song Rue Morge Radio, it was the third time I saw them do that. The Creepshow make great punk music, and if you've never seen them before, do it because you will have a lot of fun.

Teenage Bottlerocket W/ Cobra Skulls @ the Kathedral

Last week I headed down to The Kathedral to check out a small punk show featuring Cobra Skulls and Teenage Bottlerocket. I haven't been to an intimate punk show for while, so I was looking forward to this. We got to the venue a bit after the doors opened and and there were maybe 50 people there.

By the time Cobra Skulls went on, there were about 150 people there, leaving the place half full. They are a three piece rockabilly punk band from Reno, Nevada. They've been around since 2005, but it's been just lately that they've been getting quite a bit of attention on the punk scene. I had been listening to their new record American Rubicon a lot, and since this was going to be their first show in Canada ever, I had to go check it out.

They played a 40 minute set which was about 13 songs. The three members had a connection together on stage which was cool to see. The crowd were enjoying themselves and there were even a few people singing along to the lyrics. The singer/bassist, Devin Peralta, had a strong stage presence and the singing sounded even better live than it does recorded. These guys are going to be big in a few years, so I'm glad I had the chance to see them play an intimate show like this.

Teenage Bottlerocket, a four-piece Ramones like pop punk band from Wyoming, attracted about 25o people (including 50ish guys in leather jackets) to the Kathedral for their headlining set. I only saw half an hour of the set, but I enjoyed what I saw. Most of their songs were around 2 minutes each, but you could tell they like to play fast. I kid you not when I tell you that they played 20 songs in 30 minutes. Less than a second after one song would be finished they would go in to the next song, and I highly doubt it was because they wanted to get the show over with as soon as possible. They looked like they were having way too much fun for that to be the reason.

The Adult Swim Tour featuring Mastodon + Dethklok @ The Sound Academy, Oct 23

A few weeks ago, I saw my favourite metal band, Mastodon, playing at The Sound Academy as a part of The Adult Swim Tour. Although I said that Mastodon is a metal band, they are much more than that. They play experimental-pyschedelic-stoner-metal. What a term, eh? Well that's what they are. They're from Atlanta and they just released their fourth LP, Crack The Skye, which is what a lot of people would call the metal album of the year. It has 7 songs but is 40 minutes long.

The Concert was a part of The Adult Swim Tour, which featured 2 Co-headliners, Mastodon, and this virtual metal band Dethklok--a cartoon on Adult Swim called Metalocalypse. I got to the concert 15 minutes before Mastodon's set, so I decided to check out the merch and, I have to say, I've never seen so many tshirts for two bands. Dethklok was selling at least 20 different t-shirts plus posters, hats, cds, and a ton of other random stuff, and Mastodon had about 12 tshirts. Dethklok was the last band to play, but it was clear that more than 2/3 of the crowd was for Mastodon, judging from the amount of shirts they sold.

As soon as I bought a Mastodon tour poster I ran towards the stage through the side bar and nabbed a decent spot, just as they were getting on stage. There was this massive screen at the back of the stage instead of having a large banner. On the screen they had clips of old fashioned movies plus a bit of their own animation to go along with the music. They played their new album Crack the Skye in it's entirety, for half of their set, and then an assortment of songs from their previous albums for the other half.

I love seeing this band live because whenever you hear them, the music takes you to places, so to see this music being played live for me is absolutely insane. The mosh pit was really funny because there were like ten 14-year-olds who were moshing, so everyone else stopped and the pit looked incredibly soft while the kids thought they were totally bad ass. Mastodon's drummer, Brann Dailor, is one of my favourite drummers, so it was awesome to see how crazy he plays live.

The Gaslight Anthem @ The Kool Haus, Oct 13

A few weeks ago, I saw my number one favourite band, The Gaslight Anthem, play their 2nd headline show in Toronto at the Kool Haus. This was my fourth time seeing Gaslight since last October when I saw them open for Rise Against. In march they played what may have been one of the top shows of the year, at the Opera House which fits about 850 people. That show sold out very quickly and a lot of people didn't have a chance to see them. This time, they played at the Kool Haus, which is 3 times bigger than The Opera House, and although it's a nice venue, I really wished they had played two shows at a smaller venue instead of this big one. However, I'm happy for them that played and filled up such a big place.

I got to the show about 15 minutes before the doors opened so I could get a good spot. There were at least 50 people in line when I got there and another 50 people behind me by the time they started letting people in. As soon as I got in, I ran to the stage and got a spot right by the barriers centre stage. I'm usually too lazy to get that early to a show and wait 4 hours until the band goes on, but for Gaslight it was a must.


There were three openers. The first opener were a pop punk trio called Broadway Calls. If you visited their myspace in the summer, you would have noticed all the big time bands they were doing tours with. The list included Gaslight Anthem, Streetlight Manifesto, The Offspring and The Bouncing Souls, and not to mention they had a spot on the NME stage at the Reading and Leeds festival in England. I saw them when they opened for Streetlight Manifesto a few weeks before. This time they played 12 or so songs, and I found them rather enjoyable. The drummer seemed strong and on beat, and the bassist and guitarist had a good connection with the crowd.

The 2nd act was this singer Jesse Malin from New York who was backed up by a band. He was definitely the least interesting acts of the night. He seemed quite arrogant, which is ok if your music is good, but his music wasn't that good. It was just regular rock music you would hear on the radio.

The last act before Gaslight Anthem was an americana folk rock band from Indiana called Murder By Death. They had a normal lineup consisting of a lead singer/guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, with the exception of a cellist/keyboardist in the band. It was definitely the cello that made it the most interesting. All the songs were fairly dark but were quite catchy. There was a bunch of people in the front with me who were clearly there just for Murder By death, who were singing along with all the lyrics, and making comments on how they were way better than Gaslight Anthem, and saying they should play for the rest of the night. Although I disagreed with statements like that, I let it slide because they were so good.

Finally, after more than 4 months of waiting since this show has been announced, Gaslight Anthem got on the stage after tuning up their instruments with the help of who I'm guessing is their new roadie. They opened up with High Lonesome, the 4th track on their acclaimed record The 59 Sound, which has brought them huge success in such a short period of time. What was awesome was how so many people knew the lyrics to most of the songs, and you could hear the crowd really well, which always drives the energy level of a concert so much. They seemed stronger than the last time I saw them in March, this time having a banner, and their sound was stronger live. They played around 9 songs off The 59 Sound, 6 from their first LP Sink or Swim, and two songs off their ep, Senor and the Queen. The lead singer, Brian Fallon, gave the impression that he really likes Toronto, saying that even for a weeknight Toronto has the strong feel of a Saturday night. Gaslight Anthem will play their last show of the year in December in New Jersey, before they start to write and record a follow up to The 59 Sound.

Them Crooked Vultures @ The Sound Academy, October 9

Last week, I saw a band that thousands of people are craving to see, although it has no more than 3 minutes of recorded audio. This band is Them Crooked Vultures. If you didn't know them, they are a super group made up of some of rock's greatest icons. The lead singer and lead guitarist is the front man of Queens of the Stone Age and co-founder of Eagles of Death Metal, Josh Homme. On the drums, is Dave Grohl, the drummer of Nirvana. People call them The Beatles of the new generation.

Grohl is also the leader and front man of one of today's biggest rock bands, The Foo Fighters. The bassist is John Paul Jones, who happened to be a member of a little band called Led Zeppelin. If you are a fan of rock music, you would know that these three men create the most serious line-up in a band, ever. The band was announced in early July this year, and played their first show at The Metro in Chicago on August 9th. Since then they have played around 25 shows, which have all sold out in less than 5 minutes. My dad, my brother and I were lucky enough to get tickets to what could be the most legendary concert in Toronto of all time.

We got to the Sound Academy right when the doors opened at 7, bought our t-shirts and ran to the font to get a good spot. There were no openers so we had to wait there for two hours until they got on stage at 9. The fans at the show were clearly dedicated fans of at least one part of The Crooked Vultures because they either got tickets right when they went on sale, or paid way over face value for them.

The age of the crowd was really ranged. There were a lot of men in there 40's and older, who who were probably there for John Paul Jones. There were also a lot of fans in there 30's, 20's and even some teenagers my age. At the end of the day, when they did go on, they just walked up on stage like any other band, picked up their instruments and played. They only have 40 second clips of three songs they recorded, which they released, and other than that, all the songs they played nobody knew. However, they were really good songs, so the crowd was very pleased.

The person I was most looking forward to see was Dave Grohl playing drums. Although drumming isn't his day job anymore, he is one of my favourite drummers because of the intensity and power he puts into it. To see him play drums live was just magical. For the whole hour and half, he would lift his arms above his head for almost every stroke. What an incredible sight. Dave was my favourite, but Josh Homme and John Paul Jones blew minds as well. Josh Homme looked slightly drunk, but it seemed to work for him as he blew everybody away with his technical slide guitar solos.

As for John Paul Jones, I don't know what to say. The man's 64 and he's playing the bass like a teenager, smiling the whole entire night. To see a member of of the most legendary band of all time next to the Beatles and The Stones was just incredible. When they finished, there was no encore (I'm guessing because they played the entire catalogue), but everybody refused to leave and kept cheering even when all the instruments were being taken away. I've never seen that before--a crowd that refused to leave! Unfortunately, the crew closed the curtain so there was no chance to see anything else.

Acrtic Monkeys @ The Kool Haus, September 29th

On Tuesday I went to the highly anticipated Arctic Monkeys concert, which one might have called "The Concert of the Year." The Arctic Monkeys are an alternative rock band from Sheffield, England. They were signed when they were 18, and their debut album Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not In 2006 was the fastest selling debut album in British history. Their album Favourite Worst Nightmare sold more than 225,000 copies in the week of its release. Their music is a mix of Britain's most legendary bands including, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, The Clash, etc.

The band is one of the biggest bands in The UK, as they just headlined one of the three nights of the Reading and Leeds festival, which is one of the biggest music festivals in the world. Minus their huge success in the UK they are just breaking out in North America, which is why they only played the Kool Haus. However, unlike most shows at the Kool Haus, this show sold out in 15 minutes. Lucky for me I got a tip that it would sell out this fast, so I was able to get them in time. The next time they come to Toronto, it is most likely that they will play Ricoh Coliseum, or maybe even ACC.

The Opener was an all girl indie pop band called The Like. I have to admit, although they looked good, I didn't really like them. Pun intended. Their music was a little too poppy and girly for my taste. They were also wearing really fashionable clothing, as a matter of fact a little too fashionable for a band. The music was catchy but it wasn't really original. My dad made fun of them by asking me how I liked seeing Josie and the Pussycats.

20 Minutes after "Josie and the Pussycats" finished, The Arctic Monkeys claimed the stage. They opened with Dance Little Liar. At the beginning the crowd seemed really into it but they weren't really mosh pitting and crowd surfing until halfway through. Despite that they were playing a much smaller venue than they are used to (considering they play arena's in Europe), they seemed quite into it. I'd say the majority of songs they played were from their second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare even though they just released a third album. I was fine with it because that's one of my favourite albums. It was awesome to see the drummer live because he always does such complex and different beats which as a drummer myself, I have no clue how he comes up with them. They played for about an hour and half, but everybody clearly wanted more by the time they were finished.

Bouncing Souls @ The Opera House

Last Sunday night I went to see New Jersey punk rock legends, The Bouncing Souls. This tour was their 20th anniversary tour, so it was a big deal. They aren't my favourite band in the world, but they have some songs that I really like such as True Believers, Private Radio and Here We Go. Their sound is similar to Street Dogs, The Briggs, and even Black Flag.

The openers which I saw were, Saint Alvia, and Youth Brigade. Saint Alvia is one of my favourite bands, and a big part of why I came to the show. They're a six-piece alternative rock band from Burlington, Ontario. Unfortunately the crowd was not very appreciative. All six members were giving it their all, but most of the crowd just stood still and stared. It was very sad to see. Saint Alvia eventually got pissed off, and the guitarist even said, "Is it just me or is there no atmosphere in here?". I really hope that didn't discourage them because they have huge potential and it would be such a shame if they gave up.

The last opener before The Bouncing Souls, was Youth Brigade. They're an old school punk band that's been around for 25 years. What was neat was they played about 25 songs in 40 minutes. That's old school punk right there. Although I thought they were good and so did the crowd, I didn't find anything special about them.

By the time Bouncing Souls went on The Opera House was completely packed. They had a banner hanging at the back that repeatedly said "Here We Go", in reference to their most famous song. The first song they played was "True Believers" which is my favourite song by them. Most of the crowd knew all the lyrics to all the songs, which always makes a show a lot more entertaining as well as intimate. Having listened to most of their records, I thought the lead singer was going to be really aggressive and angry, but he was quite bouncy and happy.

Besides the crowd's reaction to Saint Alvia, I had a really great time at the concert, and if you're a fan of punk music and for some really strange reason you haven't heard of The Bouncing Souls before, I highly recommend checking them out. You'll like them. I promise.

Streetlight Manifesto @ The Kool Haus, September 26

Last night I saw one of my favourite bands ever, Streetlight Manifesto at the Kool Haus. Streetlight Manifesto is a 7 piece ska-punk band formed in New Jersey by songwriter/lead singer/guitarist, Tomas Kalnoky. Although Streetlight is considered a ska band, they are definitely more than just that, they are a combination of ska, punk, rock, reggae, classical, world, and more.

There were 3 opening bands. The first band was a pop punk band called Broadway Calls. I've heard some of there songs before and they sound pretty good, but I didn't get there in time to see them last night; I'm going to make sure that I see them when they open for the Gaslight Anthem in October.

The 2nd band was Outernational. This band was definitely something else. They are a 5 piece band out of New York City. Their music is a mix of reggae, rock, a bit of ska and punk, with a hint of gypsy. Sounds like a funny mix eh? Well it works, every song was catchy and had everybody bopping their heads. What was also cool about them was they said they live in New York, but they aren't Americans, they are "internationalists" meaning that they consider the entire world their home. I bought their cd after their ep after the show, and who do I find it is the producer? My hero, Tom Morello. No wonder I liked them so much.

The 3rd opener were local physcobilly heroes The Creepshow. The Creepshow consists of a drummer, an organist, a standing bass player and is fronted by lead singer/guitarist Sarah "Sin" Blackwood. They have been on the scene for a few years now, and their fan base keeps growing and growing. They were recently signed to one of the biggest punk labels ever, Hellcat Records. This was my 3rd time seeing them, and every time I see them they keep getting better and better. They played for 45 minutes and everybody was into it, and quite a few people were singing the lyrics too.

Finally, after two months that seemed like two years of waiting, Streetlight Manifesto took the stage. I knew this was the show where everybody was gonna give it there all, because this is the last slew of streetlight dates before they take a break for at least a year. At 10:30, the lights went out, and the 7 members walked on stage. I remember having a rush of adrenaline as soon as the brass players hit the first note. The crowd was mixed into two areas. There was the mosh pit which was in the front by the stage and everybody would squish forward, and there was the skank pit where everybody was dancing near the back. I was mostly in front in the pit, but I was in the skanking pit a bit too. I've seen and been in pits like this tons of times before, but this time it just felt so special. Even though this was my third time seeing them, and like my 50th mosh pit, it felt like it was the first time I've been to a concert and that felt so good. Everybody knew the words for most of the songs and everyone connected like a community.

A Wilhelm Sceam @ The Reverb, September 25

On Friday, I started my weekend by seeing Massachusetts punk band, A Wilhelm Scream at The Reverb. This was my 2nd time seeing them. I saw them opening for Streetlight Manifesto in January, who happens to have played the day after this show (I will write about that show in my next blog).

We got to The Reverb in time to see the opener, The Artist life, a local pop punk band. They were great and I knew most of their songs, but it wasn't anything special for me considering this was my 5th time seeing them.

When The Artist Life finished, A Wilhelm Scream was up next. By the time they got on stage, there was about 350 people there, which isn't terrible for a sketchy venue such as The Reverb. The show was filled with stage diving, guitar solos, and 10 people circle pits. I was squished against the stage along with 40 other people; this way I was merely centimetre's away from the guitarist, so I could touch his guitar if I wanted too. They played for an hour or so, and then played one more song for the encore. By the end of the show I was soaked in sweat, which usually is a sign of a great show.

Born Ruffians @ The Opera House, September 19

Last Saturday night, I saw local indie band, Born Ruffians play an almost sold out show at the Opera House. When we got there, it was packed. The crowd was a mix of both genders, mostly young adults no older than 25.

There were two openers, the first one is a band called Meligrove Band, who I have known for a long time. Unfortunately, I arrived right after their set but I have a feeling I will be seeing them soon. The 2nd band was an experimental folk band from Ottawa called The Acorn. Before this show was announced I 'd never heard of them, but I'm definitely glad I had the chance to see them. They covered the front of the stage with Christmas lights, which I thought was a clever idea. The band was made up of 5 members: a lead singer/guitarist, a bassist, a lead guitarist (who also played the ukulele), a drummer, and another drummer who sometimes played guitar, and for one song switched guitar for bass. The music was a lot like Fleet Foxes, but I thought they had more energy and they weren't as acoustic. For the whole set, I didn't lose interest at all, which is usually rare when I'm seeing a new band. All I can say is these guys are going to be huge, and I suggest you check them out. Here's the link to their myspace page : www.myspace.com/theacorn.

For those of you who haven't heard of Born Ruffians, they are a three piece experimental indie band from Toronto. They have a quite a following here and they are known all throughout North America. They played for about an hour and a half, half of which was almost their entire new album which they are recording at this very moment. At the beginning of their set the crowd seemed pleased but they were still. When they played one of their most popular songs Hummingbird, the crowd was pushing and moving, which makes a concert that more intense. By the end of the show, the band was so excited with the crowds reaction they went as far as saying that this was the best show they had ever played. I had a great time; I really liked the new songs and I can't wait to see them when their new album drops.

Perez Hilton Tour (Semi-Precious Weapns) @ The Opera House, September 17

On Thursday night I went to the Perez Hilton Tour at the Opera House, thinking that I was going to see pop punk singer Ida Maria, but the show turned out to be nothing like what I expected ( in a good and bad way).

This concert was a part of "The Perez Hilton" tour which is to consist of Co-headliners Ida Maria and Ladyhawke and opener Semi-Precious Weapons. When I got to the show, they gave me a 5 dollar refund because for some reason, Ida Maria wasn't able to play. This totally sucked, but whatever, I was already there so I decided to stay for Semi Precious Weapons (I couldn't stay for Ladyhawke). When waiting for the bands there was a screen playing R&B and Dance videos, which I wasn't too happy with, but I lived through it.

Semi-Precious Weapons put on a rather weird but entertaining performance. They all dressed up in wigs and funny costumes and the lead singer even wore a dress (I'm guessing he is a future tranvestite, considering that he kept talking about an "operation"). Their music was a mix of glam-punk and garage music. They were bouncing around the stage playing like it was their last show ever. I actually really liked it, and it made the disappointment of Ida Maria not showing up not as bad.

The Killers @ Molson Amp, Sept 6th

Last night I went to see my last show of the summer, The Killers. I saw them in January at the ACC, however this show was much more appealing to me because I bought lawn tickets for only 20 bucks, Molson Amp is way more intimate than the ACC, and Wolfmother, Australia's rock legends opened.

When We got to the show I noticed how there was a a row of empty seats in one of the sections. so instead of sitting far back in the muddy lawn I just sat in the seats, and nobody kicked me out. Soon after I claimed the seat, Wolfmother took the stage. This was exciting because they recently came back from their nine-month hiatus. They played a 40 minute set of intense 70's like rock n roll which included hits Joker and the Thief and Woman. The crowd liked them, but I was blown away. Even far from the stage, I felt the energy of the band, which is usually difficult for an opening band.

The Killers got on stage at 9:15. They opened up with the 2 hits from their new album, Human and Spaceman. The stage had palm trees scattered all over and there were 5 vertical screens in the background, which had a different video projected on them for every song. I thought it was really cool, and they didn't have that when I saw them in January. Lead singer Brandon Flowers ran around the stage and sometimes played synthesizers, which was cool. A great show, a great night, and a great way to end the summer!

Modest Mouse @ The Sound Academy, August 21st

Last night I went to see the first night of the two sold out Modest Mouse shows at the Sound Academy. This was a huge deal for me because they did one of my favourite albums of all time, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. I have been waiting so long for them to visit town, you have no idea how excited I was.

Modest Mouse is a six piece indie rock band formed in Issaquah , Washington, USA. The band is lead by singer and guitarist Issac Brock. They are probably one of the most successful indie bands out today. Lately they have been getting a lot of buzz on a video for their song King Rat, which was directed by a famous late actor--Heath Ledger. They just released the video two weeks ago. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQLhWqek7i0

I got to the show 15 minutes before doors at 8 pm, and the line was HUGE. I didn't get in until 8:30. When I got in, I did what I always do first when I go to a show. I went to check out the merch, but there was nothing that caught my eye at a reasonable price.

At 8:45 I found a spot fairly close to the front and I watched the opening act, The Dutchess and the Duke, a 5-piece alt country band. I thought they were pretty good because their songs were pretty catchy.

At 9:45 Modest Mouse finally got on stage. Man, was I ready. They slowly picked up their instruments while the crowd was blinded by the bright stage lights. The first song they played was Satin in a Coffin, which was an odd choice because it's one of their weirder songs. They played for about 2 hours which is fairly rare, but quite a treat.

Taking Back Sunday @ The Kool Haus, August 19

Last night, I went to see the rock band Taking Back Sunday at the Kool Haus. This show was originally scheduled for June 23rd, but because of an injury in the band, it was moved to August 19th. I went because the friend I went with is a big fan, and she comes to a lot of the concerts I want to see. Anyways, to tell you the truth, I wouldn't have gone to the show if I didn't go with her, but I am glad I went.

We got to the Kool Haus at around 8 and the venue was fairly full for a not-sold out show. The crowd was a mix of guys and girls, teenagers to adults, no older than 25. The opener Moneen, a local Toronto band of Alexisonfire switcheroo fame, went on stage at 8:30. They were decent, but they didn't do anything special for me.

At 9:30 Taking back Sunday took the stage and the crowd seemed ready for them. I was a little disappointed that the crowd wasn't really moving, but there were quite a few crowd surfers, which I'm guessing motivates the band. They played for an hour, then played a 15 minute encore. Although it wasn't the best show I've ever been to, I really liked it and I will definitely start to listen to them more.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at The Kool Haus, August 5th

Wednesday, August 5th was the second of two sold out Yeah Yeah Yeahs shows at the Kool Haus. This was the last of my six concert streak, starting from July 31st all the way to August 5th, and I have to say it was the funnest show out of the six.

The opener was this new female rapper, Amanda Blank. I thought she was entertaining but it was definitely not my kind of music, given that half her songs were about "booty shaking" and such.

At 10:15 the Yeah Yeah Yeahs got onto their extravagant set, which included a big moving eye ball behind the drummer, and a vortex like background. Crazy, I know right. Well the set wasn't the only thing that was crazy. The lead singer Karen O was going around the stage amusing the crowd with her insane dance moves while singing. The Yeah Yeah Yeah's put on an instensely fun show.

Fleet Foxes @ Massey Hall, August 4th

Tuesday was the highly anticipated Fleet Foxes concert at the legendary Massey Hall, and I was lucky enough to have had a ticket for this sold out concert. Fleet Foxes have been blowing up with success in the past year including a performance On Saturday Night Live, and headlining shows at theatres around the continent. What shocked me about Fleet Foxes' success is the fact that the last time they were here, in April 2008, they were supporting Blitzen Trapper for not even a sold out show at the El Mocambo. Now, just over a year after that show, 3000 people paid $50 a ticket to see them.

The Opening act was Dungen (pronounced dune-yen), an instrumental jam band from Sweden. I arrived at Massey just in time to see them perform their last song. I thought it sounded very tight, and judging the amount of t-shirts and records they sold, I'm guessing the crowd thought so too.

Fleet Foxes took the stage at 9:15 and everybody cheered. They seemed a little overwhelmed but excited as well. After every song, the crowd went nuts and the Lead singer/guitarist Robin Pecknold, looked like he was shocked by the reaction. The highlight of the night was when Robin played a song completely unplugged (his guitar wasn't plugged in and he wasn't singing into any mic) by himself and everybody was blown away. At the end of the show I bought a tour poster (even though it was for autumn 2008), and just as I was leaving the venue, I bumped into their guitarist, Skyler Skjelset and he signed my poster. Good thing I had a sharpie on me. For those who are interested here is a link to the set list:http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/fleet-foxes/2009/massey-hall-toronto-canada-3d7b913.html

The Decemberists @ The Kool Haus, August 3rd

On Monday, I spent my evening at the Kool Haus to see folk theatrical heroes, The Decemberists. I got to the venue about 15 minutes after the doors opened and the place was packed. The first thing I noticed when I found my spot, was how crowded the stage was with instruments. There were 3 drum kits, 5 mics, countless guitars, a couple basses, a stand up bass, an organ, a few keyboards, and other percussion instruments.

The opening band was The Heartless Bastards from Cincinnati, Ohio. They are a folk rock/soul band fronted by female vocalist/guitarist Erika Wennerstrom, who has a very powerful voice. I have heard of them before because they did a tour with one of my favourite bands, The Gaslight Anthem. The crowd seemed to have enjoyed their 40 minute set.

Half an hour after Heartless Bastards finished their set, The Decemberists took the stage. They divided the show into two very intimate one hour long sets separated by a 15 minute intermission. In the first set, they played their new album, The Hazards of Love in its entirety. During that set the entire band played intensely with no small talk whatsoever. The crowd was super into it, as every single head I could see was bopping to the beat. When they finished the last song on the album, singer/guitarist/leader of the band, Colin Meloy thanked the crowd with a big smile, and the band left the stage for a 15 minute break. After the break they got back on stage and played an hour of older songs. the band was much more relaxed and interactive with the crowd than during the first set. The crowd went absolutely nuts when they covered Heart's Crazy On You.

I brought my dad to this show because I had an extra ticket and I knew he would enjoy it even though he had never heard the Decemberists' music before. I was surprised at his reaction. He said it was one of the best shows he had ever been too, and he could not believe what he had missed out on. All in all, this was a show I will never forget, and I'm sure neither will the 2000 other people who attended this incredible event.

Eagles of Death Metal @ The Kool Haus, August 2nd

On Sunday night, I went to the Kool Haus to see rock'n rollers Eagles of Death Metal. This show was a big deal for me because they have been here two times in the last year, but both shows were 19+, so this was my first chance to see them. The wait was definitely worth it! The crowd was a mix of half men, half women, young, and old and everybody seemed to have had a blast.

They opened with "Shasta Beast" from their sophomore album "Death by Sexy." Lead singer and heart and soul of the band, Jesse Hughes, had a great connection with the crowd and was running around the stage back and forth seeming to be having lots of fun too. After they finished their initial set, Jesse Hughes came back on stage to play solo covers of classics, "Taking Care of Business" and "Stuck in the Middle." Then the band came back to play their hit "Wanna be in L.A." to finish off the night. Overall it was a super fun show, and I recommend ANYBODY who likes rock to check them out.

Cutting Edge Music Festival (Day 1, August 1st)

On Saturday, I travelled up to Kitchener for the first day of the cutting edge music festival @ Bingemans Fun Park. Feature acts of the day included The Bronx (my personal favourite), Andrew WK, and Protest The Hero. In total there was about 20 bands on two stages. I have to say, even though the concert was labelled a "festival", it definitely wasn't. There were less than 5000 people and, pretty much for every band, if you came 5 minutes before their set started, you had a chance to be right at the bars in the front. Besides the festival itself being a flop, the bands gave it their all, and it was still very fun. The highlights for me were performances by Keepin 6, The Snips, The Bronx, and the one and only, Andrew WK.