What a whirlwind: three shows in three nights featuring five phenomenal acts. The weather took a considerable turn this past week in the City Of Toronto and to say that the temperature dropped nearly 20 degrees, is being conservative. Thus, it goes without saying that hauling myself out of the house required some great push-factors. I found them in the form of Sights & Sounds, Moneen, John K. Samson, Constantines and Patrick Watson.
Sights & Sounds @ The Mod Club
Thursday was the first of the aforementioned nights. I made my way over to The Mod Club to catch Sights & Sounds and Moneen. I entered the venue just in time to catch S&S on-stage, tweaking their gear and working with the Sound Guy to run up tones. Something was immediately disturbing while watching this process: those tones were settled on awfully fast and in my opinion, seemed half-finished. Still, I eagerly anticipated the show. To no surprise, as soon as the band started playing, the bass guitar and floor-tom on the drums were overwhelming in both volume and EQ. “What is the Sound Guy thinking? Can he not hear that!?” I thought to myself. I did my best to hear through the booming bass and take the band in.
This was my second time seeing the band — the first being in an opening slot for Propagandhi at The Phoenix Concert Theatre earlier this year (link). I was interested to see the band in a different dynamic and lo and behold, the band came across in a very different light. The energy of the band was high and every member of the band brought their best. The guitar tones bludgeoned, the snare sounded like a gunshot, and the bass…well, at least the playing was spot-on.
The majority of the songs on the band’s debut CD ‘Monolith’ were put on display. I came into the show quite familiar with the record, but it seemed that many in attendance were taking it all in for the first time. I’ve mentioned in the past that whenever Moneen plays, it’s their show. That being said, I feel that more than a few watching Sights & Sounds for the first time were won-over. Although I didn’t get to witness the song “Pillars” (I love this song!), I thoroughly enjoyed the set.
Moneen, always great live
What more can I say about Moneen!? I’ve posted on the band several times (search them out from the right-hand-side menu of this site). The band comes jacked up for every show and puts their bodies into their delivery, and this performance was no exception. Moneen definitely suffered from the same sound ailments as Sights & Sounds did, but the fans soldiered on with the band and the mix of old favourites and new classics was a complete blast.
Cons 10th Anniversary!
Friday night was a special night. This would be the first of three shows in support of Constantines‘ 10th Anniversary as a band. Lee’s Palace was packed to the brim with Cons faithful. There was no doubt that this would be a fantastic show.
Up first was John K. Samson, lead-man of The Weakerthans. I wasn’t entirely certain what kind of show we would get from Samson, as all that were present for us to watch were John, his guitar and a microphone at the front of the stage. I was pleasantly surprised, however, by the honest delivery of some really genuine songs. The set was full of humour and heart, making for a great overall performance. Honestly, I’m not the world’s biggest Weakerthans fan but Samson’s solo effort was both surprising and enjoyable. “Heart Of The Continent” and “Left And Leaving” went over quite well, as did his songs about his cats! I had to thank the man himself afterwards for such a great show.
The Cons were up next and we got down close to the stage. Crowd participation was going to be required! The backdrop on the stage featured 10 tally-marks — driving home the band’s reign as Indie-Rock heroes — and the crowd was prepared to enjoy the celebration with the band. The Cons hit the stage (including Dallas Wehrle in a hilarious white balaclava) and the wheels started spinning.
“Young Lions” started the whole thing off on a strong foot forward. This classic Cons track was one we all wanted to hear, and its choice to kick it all off was a smart one.
A Cons concert wouldn’t be a Cons concert without some of the classic staples we have enjoyed over the years, mixed in with some rare or lesser-played gems. Songs like “Soon Enough,” “Shine A Light” and “Young Offenders” provided the former, while “On To You,” Long Distance Four” and “Hotline Operator” rounded out the latter of the two designations. The set was mellowed out with slower numbers like “New King” and “Saint You” while it was jacked up to full with songs like “Nighttime/Anytime (It’s Alright).” This is a constant crowd pleaser, and the band no doubt loves playing it as well. In place of the concerted full-band foot-stomp during the breakdown of this particular song, lead-man Bry Webb called on the crowd to give the song the treatment it got at Lee’s back in the early days. One half of the crowd hollered “Nighttime/Anytime/It’s Alright!” while the other half responded with a rousing “Turn It Up!” It was electric for us, and I’m sure I saw a few members of the band smirk based on the showing of participation and appreciation.
The band left the stage for one of the shortest encore breaks I’ve seen in some time, only to return for a few more songs (this time, Dallas was without the balaclava). With arguably their biggest songs already in the bag, the Cons played out a few rare tunes before finally calling it a night. The packed house slowly filed out, having witnessed a phenomenal show from the beloved Indie-Rock heroes.
Constantines’ Setlist
“Young Lions”
“Some Party”
“Hard Feelings”
“Our Age”
“On To You”
“Love In Fear”
“Scoundrel Babes”
“Little Instruments”
“New King”
“Trans Canada”
“Shower Of Stones”
“Hotline Operator”
“I Will Not Sing A Hateful Song”
“Nighttime/Anytime (It’s Alright)”
“The Long Distance Four”
“Soon Enough”
“Steal This Sound”
“Shine A Light”
“Young Offenders”
“Draw Us Lines”
Encore
“Saint You”
“Poison”
Patrick Watson. Great set design.
I have decided that I will take any chance I can get to see Patrick Watson live. Their live show is *that* incredible. Such a chance arose this past Saturday night at The Queen Elizabeth Theatre. This relatively-new venue down by the Toronto waterfront would prove to be uncharted territory, but the band’s performance therein would be set completely apart; based on previous performances witnessed, PW is completely in another dimension.
The venue itself is quite a nice venue. It has a large foyer that welcomes you before heading over to the classy bar off to the side. We settled in for a drink before taking our seats to take in the show. The auditorium resembled a cross between a recital hall and a 1980s movie theatre. Our seats were great and our anticipation was mounting.
Soon enough, a white drape was lowered in front of the stage and a capped fellow approached the microphone. Patrick Watson proceeded to play “Fireweed” while the video for the very same song played out in large fashion on the drape in front of the band. It was very Nine Inch Nails (think of the video for “Hurt”). The motif of fire found in the opening video was continued once the drape was raised, as the fantastic lighting rig at the venue was put on display. A lush atmosphere was created to accompany the music, leading to a wonderful overall experience.
Watson himself seemed giddy on-stage, often giggling to himself in-between and mid-song. It was almost if he could sense the interest of the crowd — which was represented by a full house of over 1200 people (according to the venue’s specs). This was fun for both the band and the audience.
The band delivered an expected setlist full of staples from their first and second records; yet, as ordinary as that may sound, nothing was ordinary about the aural soundscapes presented by those songs. The sound of the band and the venue were beyond expectation. Every time Patrick sent his voice soaring over the audience, chills were felt and jaws were dropped. There were several moments where the performance was overwhelmingly good. The concert was a cross between seeing an amazing live show from a band, while at the same time being a participant in a live movie-score. The textures woven by the band were intricate and plush, yet the connection with the performers was intense and powerful.
PW, trouncing through the audience
The band finished their initial set and departed the stage. The crowd quickly rose to their feet and demanded the return of the band. They obliged, but instead of resuming their past posts on-stage, they chose to romp through the crowd with instruments in tow (and with Patrick having strapped a giant lighting rig to his back). The crowd remained on their feet.
The band went up, down and around the aisles of the decently-sized venue. The crowd sang along, eventually raising their collective singing voice above that of the lead singer. As the band approached the stage once again, I noticed that the string section was still at the back of the venue, playing along. This was a wild effect! It was like listening to a live show, in 5.1 surround sound.
As the entire group reconvened on-stage, the crowd slowly began to sit back down. They were then thanked by band for such a great night, but, the band *still* found it difficult to call it a night based on the love they were getting. Two final songs were performed. The final song was a new one called “Under The Morning Sheets” and it was absolutely unreal. This minor-key feel was a departure, giving it an almost Nine-Inch-Nails-type sound (there you go, a second NIN reference!). It was truly haunting and beautiful. You can find a video of this song below, and although it’s not from this particular evening, you will get a sense of what we took in on this particular night.
We were astounded by Patrick Watson, once again. You *must* see this band live!
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