Date: Friday, June 17, 2011

City: Toronto, Ont.

Venue: Horseshoe Tavern

Rating: 3.5/5

It was a wild night at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern on Friday. Not only was West Coast Hardcore Punk Supergroup OFF! performing, but someone also lost a shoe. This is no joke, and this latter fact became public knowledge thanks in large part to lead singer Keith Morris’ (of Black Flag and Circle Jerks fame) seemingly unhealthy obsession with returning a shoe thrown onstage during the opening song. The case of the missing shoe lasted the entire 40 minute set but was never solved. It’s safe to say that this was the tamest aspect of the show.

Known for quick 1-2 minute songs, OFF! needed to slow it down a little to fill the 40 minutes, so Morris took to the microphone to air some personal grievances with our North American oppressors-the rich and powerful.  One fan was so angry at the reality that a singer was actually going to talk during a show that he began to agonizingly scream at Morris to shut up and simply play the music. I assumed that he must have been employed by the government.

So every 4 to 5 minutes (3 songs worth), Morris began to speak out. His most controversial moment came when he began to talk about 9/11, and how the death of Osama Bin Laden meant nothing because the American and Canadian governments were currently in the process of training future Bin Laden’s to carry out further terrorist agendas.

Dinner conversation this was not.

But really, what would a punk rock concert be without this sort of anti-establishment sort of behavior? Renowned for pushing life’s most provocative issues to the forefront (and for his dark sarcasm), Morris was ready for a fight (the rest of the band looked bored with his rants). But all the crowd wanted to do was rock, and when OFF! eventually did, the venue became electrified with energy.

Performing quick and pulsating tracks was what people came to see, and when these moments did occur, the concert-goers became moshing fiends. Without hesitation, they would recklessly leap onto the stage only to dive back into the crowd to surf above outstretched hands.

When the band remained focused on the music, the show truly embodied the essence of a punk rock event.  As colorful as Morris’ conversations were, they seemed to detract from the overall energy of the show. But, hey, who really wants an 18 minute gig?

Date: May 26, 2011

City: Toronto,ON

Venue: Opera House

Rating: 4/5

If you like your rock n’ roll immersed in grimy filth, the Opera House was the place to be Thursday night. Devoid of pretentiousness, South African rockers Seether skillfully adhered to a back-to-basics sort of rock. Loud and ferociously abrasive, the jam-packed audience was sonically assaulted from the very first guitar riff.

Though the set was a mere 13 songs with no encore, Seether accomplished what they set out to do; entertain a crowd foaming with rabid intensity. From the opener “Gasoline” to closer “Remedy”, the raucous crowd passionately embraced the essence of what a rock n’ roll gathering should be. With total disregard for personal safety, multitudes of bodies were repeatedly propelled above the outstretched hands of the frenzied audience with careless abandon.

Feeding off this energy was a band who simply wanted to rock. Talk is cheap, and Seether barely said more than ten words throughout the entire evening. But who desires words when a guitar, a bass and a drum kit have the ability to express so much more.

Crisp-sounding and tight throughout every song, Seether performed many of their hits including “Broken” (acoustically), “Fine Again” and new single, “Country Song”. Having also been largely inspired by Nirvana over their career, the band even covered the grunge-rockers “Heart-Shaped Box” with staggering success. Not too many singers can match Cobain’s intensely emotional vocalization, but Shaun Morgan’s unbelievable voice (as powerful as it can get) paid homage with booming ferocity.

But not everything was pristine. Though Seether has been known to play very short sets over their career, the concert seemed to conclude rather prematurely. Just as the energy in the building was gaining in intensity, the show was suddenly over. Many were left surprised and looking abandoned without any intuition as to what to do. There were futile attempts to await the return of the band but to no avail. Without an encore, the congregation filed out ontoQueen St.impressed, but secretly sulking for more.

Apart from this and, of course, the obligatory drum solo that was conducted during the performance (which has grown tiresome over time- no matter how talented the solo may be), the show entertained. Simple and straightforward-the way a rock concert should be.

Date: May 13, 2011

City: Toronto,ON

Venue: Opera House

Rating: 3.5/5

Audience indifference can have quite an effect on the energy of a performance. No matter how talented a band may be, a weak spectatorship has the ability to undermine even the most entertaining show. Friday night’s performance by the Airborne Toxic Event at the Opera House was threatened, at times, by this very act.

As I walked into the sold-out venue prior to start time, I instantly became aware of a feverish anticipation possessing the room. There is no denying that sort of sensation. The concertgoers were laughing and yelling with an unbridled enthusiasm, keenly aware of impending bliss. I realized that this show was going to be fully charged.

But then something enigmatic occurred. As soon as the show commenced, the audience immediately mutated into a congregation of listless observers who were seemingly content with simply staring back at a band striving to entertain (they were sporadically jolted awake by the opening two tracks “Numb” and “Wishing Well”, but it quickly subsided).

The heavily intoxicated gentleman next to me even noticed this abnormality. Observing me jotting down some notes, he staggered over, put his arm around me, and began to speak with the echoing presence of an infant, “What are wrong…with the people? Where’s the dancing? They does not move…they just standing…doing nothing. Th…is band rocks!” Though I was distracted from two songs as a result of this marble-mouthed individual, I did wholeheartedly agree with his hazy assessment.

However, around the midway point of the performance, the audience resurged with a vengeance. As the band broke into some of their more popular songs like “Happiness is Overrated”, “Changing”, “Welcome to Your Wedding Day” and “Sometime Around Midnight”, the audience morphed into energetic cheerleaders. Raising their hands to the sky and bounding around with reckless abandon, the show was instantaneously transformed into the event I had prematurely believed it would be throughout its duration.

Even the band was influenced by the sudden alteration in atmosphere. Earlier in the show while talking to the crowd, singer Mikel Jolleet had to stop what he was saying and confront a portion of the audience who seemed preoccupied with conversing loudly with one another. Humorously, he noted, “There’s a single’s bar next door if you guys are interested”.

From that moment on, the audience belonged to the band. As if spurred on by a new found zeal, Jolleet twice leapt into the crowd to sing amongst them (during “Something New”, he even ascended atop one of the bar’s and sang a duet with fellow band member, Anna Bullbrook, who remained on stage). Apparently influenced by Jolleet’s gallantry, Bullbrook herself dove into the crowd and proceeded to play the viola while moshing. It’s safe to say I have never witnessed an act quite like it before.

Though there were a few sonic irregularities that occurred throughout the night (Jollett’s guitar wouldn’t work on “Papillon” and had to be replaced mid-song), the band’s passionate display of their talents compensated for the few lackluster moments. Even when the show concluded, the band members didn’t immediately vacate the stage. They took the time to take pictures and chat with their fans, who they constantly thanked throughout the evening. It was a highly admirable act that redeemed a night initially jeopardized by apathy.

Date: April 20, 2011

City: Toronto, ON

Venue: Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Rating:  4.5/5

It’s highly surreal when one comes face-to-face with their past. I had one such encounter late Wednesday night.  As a child of the 90s, I have always held tight to the belief that the music existent during your teenage years will always remain an important aspect of your life. As you transition into adulthood, the music of the era becomes your own personal soundtrack. It comes to define you. As it stands, nothing connects to a moment quite like music.

As a solo Chris Cornell walked out onto stage to wild and feverish applause, I became instantly struck with the realization that I was remaining perfectly silent. In no way was this meant as a form of disrespect, but rather it was a sign that my thoughts were overcoming me. One of the voices that helped to define my youth was now standing just 50 feet away. From here on out, I knew this night was going to be special.

Stricken with a fever that caused him to cancel his previous concert the night before, Cornell courageously battled his body to present the sold out crowd with a (mostly) acoustic show that encompassed his entire career as a musician.

Playing 25 songs over the course of two hours, Cornell, whose live vocals truly astounded me, passionately belted out songs with emphatic intensity. Though not as personally intimate as I initially expected (his sickness might have had something to do with it), it was still exhilarating to watch as he incorporated some rarely performed tracks like “Seasons” and “Like Suicide” into his setlist.

For the rest of the show, Cornell transitioned from his days in Audioslave (“Be Yourself”, “I Am the Highway”“Like a Stone”), Soundgarden (“Black Hole Sun”, “Fell on Black Days”, “Mind Riot”), Temple of the Dog (“Call Me a Dog”, “Hunger Strike”, Say Hello 2 Heaven”), and his solo career. He also took time to cover Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper”, Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” (he briefly transitioned into this song during his cover of Mother Love Bone’s “Man of Golden Words”), and then poignantly ended the night with his beautiful rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine”.

To say that he is musically diverse would be a grave understatement.

But musical creativity aside, the one aspect that truly stood out Wednesday night was his commanding presence as a performer. Simply sitting on a stool with a guitar in hand, Cornell hypnotically connected with his audience through sheer emotional fortitude. Captivated by every vocal note and guitar chord, the audience revelled with tranquil delight as Cornell mesmerized them song after song.

Though, the crowd would instantaneously be transformed into passionately rejoicing cheerleaders whenever Cornell would highlight key moments of his musical past. In fact, each time he would hit one of his trademark high notes, the crowd would whoop and exclaim with exaggerated jubilation (except for the gentleman sitting next to me who could barely keep his eyes open as a result of his intense preoccupation with 4/20).

At the commencement of the show, one of these moments of exuberant appreciation caused Cornell to express, “I can’t live up to this applause, so I may as well leave now”. How wrong he was.