Toronto – I went to a lot of shows in 2009, as a result, I’m going to be deaf when I’m 50. What? What? Here are some of the highlights.
Glasvegas, Vice, Austin, Texas
I wasn’t a huge Glasvegas fan until I saw them play, and they blew me away. The lead singer is a dead on ringer for a young Joel Strummer and their wall of sound show was impressive to say the least, all leading up to a “Daddy’s gone” singalong. I also managed to piss off the club owner, after moving moving chairs into his vip area and sitting there. Haha.
Matt and Kim, Austin and Toronto
How can you not love Matt and Kim. They put forth such an effort at their shows you can only get sucked into their vortex of happiness and enjoy it. The Austin show was the most epic, but the NXNE shows were also great as well. I saw them three times this year, and if Sufjan wasn’t playing October 4th, I would have seen them a fourth time. That’s how good they are live, even if some of their schticks (Final Countdown) are repeated, they do it with such enthusiasm, it makes it okay.
The Whip, Late of the Pier, White Lies and err Razorlight, Cedar Courtyard, Austin, Texas
Not only was the lineup great, but whenever you have a fight between a band and security, that always makes the show memorable. The Whip were insanely good live (much to my surprise) and the rest of the bands were solid. White Lies delivered on the enormous hype they had coming into SXSW and Razorlight allowed us to all go in and grab a beer, so all in all, an excellent day.
The Presets, Mod Club, Toronto
They have one of the better light shows out there, and the album is quite strong. I really like electronic shows with crazy light shows, because all you do is go there and dance and feed off the energy of the crowd. This show had tons of energy and the result was a big bumpin dance floor. Maybe I should be a raver.
Patrick Wolf, Mod Club, Toronto
Just read this review and it’ll give you a sense of the epicness of the Patrick Wolf show. You were literally exhausted and speechless after it was all said and done, and probably took a few hours to absorbed what happened. Stage fits, nudity, crowd invasions. extremely weird costumes and an underlying feeling of ‘what’s next’ dominated this NXNE show and really, it delivered on so many fronts (no pun intended). It also helps that this man is extremely talented. I don’t know if you could put up with so much shenanigans if it was someone like Aaron Carter or something.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kool Haus, Toronto
It’s Karen-O, of course this show was going to rule.
The Killers, Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto
Haha, just kidding, my big highlight from this trip was eating bacon with chocolate at the Ex.
Surprise Enjoyable Concert of the Year
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, El Mocambo, Toronto
Like I said in the review, I knew nothing about the band going in and wanted to know everything about the band going up. That is a sign of a good show.
Disappointing Shows
Passion Pit, Lees Palace, Toronto – These guys voice just doesn’t carry well in a live environment. I thought their show lacked..passion. Har har.
Lykke Li, Phoenix, Toronto – It just wasn’t very good, the weird pixie drumming of Lykke Li didn’t really add to a very non organic feeling concert.
Sebastien Tellier, Mod Club, Toronto – Never a good sign to see someone drink two bottles of white wine on stage…and try to perform.
La Roux, Guvernment, Toronto – Diamond Rings was a good opener, but La Roux 35 minute show felt rushed and phoned in.
Show that makes me feel like an idiot, 10x over
Kanye West, Perez’s Party, Austin – Easy the biggest regret of the year. I was tired and wasn’t feeling the greatest, but it’s still no excuse to bail out on the Perez party and miss Kanye West playing in front of ohh..250 people. I still feel stupid today about it, even if I don’t, Allison will remind me about it.
CONCERT OF THE YEAR
Manic Street Preachers, Phoenix, Toronto
Easily. I love them. They love me. One of the bands I want to see the most. Small venue. Greatest hits show. I sang almost every song and as a result, the show of the year.
Favorite concerts from other years:
2008 – James, Phoenix, Toronto
2007 – Arcade Fire, Massey Hall, Toronto
2006 – Massive Attack, Carlu, Toronto
2005 – Art Brut, Lees, Toronto
2004 – Morrissey, Hummingbird, Toronto or Basement Jaxx, Coachella
Here’s hoping for another year of good shows.
Ps. Other PM Members, feel free to add to this post.
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“and Razorlight allowed us to all go in and grab a beer,”
Like it.