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.