You know, NXNE is supposed to be about discovering new music or something, but really, when you book Spiritualized on the most hallowed musical grounds in Toronto, people are going to go that. Especially old people. Like me.
Armed with his band and two backing singers, Jason Pearce and company played a set that is best described with the word gorgeous. It was so damn pretty, Spiritualized’s music has always had a sense of epic to it and epic and Massey Hall go together like wine and cheese. Tracks like “Lord Let it Rain on Me” seem to be written especially be performed at places at Massey Hall and when opportunities like that arise, somehow it just feels … special. You always know a show is going well when everyone just shuts the fuck up and listens to the band. I’m pretty sure the amount of people feeling the need to do small talk during Spiritualized’s set was at the minimal, and that’s probably the highest accolade you can give to a band these days.
Closing their all too short set with their iconic track “Come Together”, Spiritualized easily played one of my favorite sets at NXNE. It would of been better if they played Stop Your Cryin, but I guess we can’t have it all.