HOUSE 77 Xmas EDITION

Been a hell of a weekend...it started on Thursday when I went to go see the venerable Sam Roberts play at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. What a show...the opener, called Malajube, was actually pretty good, though I couldnt understand a word they were saying, being pure-blooded francophone Quebecois. They started with some weird, weird song but after that they did an awesome job.

Sam just...well...haha wow. The highlights were Mind Flood and Where Have All the Good People gone. Mind Flood in particular was just INSANE. haha at first the song had some crazy stereo effects jumping back and forth in your ears...I swear that if someone went to that show on acid, they'd have curled into a ball in fear from the noises. I had to do a few doubletakes myself wondering if I was hearing the song right because it was so otherworldly. But yah...I would put the show right up there with his performance at Olympic Island many moons ago, and with my other fav shows, performed by BSS and The Mars Volta.

So then I went to go and see Moneen on Sunday. They were opening for Saves the Day. We caught the opener...uhmm...no idea who it was. And they sounded like a lot of other crappy bands. They also sounded awful cuz the sound being produced by the speakers was the equivalent of taking a tin can to a guitar. The crowd was awful too. I dislike all ages shows a lot. I mean...I know I was a kid once...and I always used to think that the "old people" (ie. our age...) were crazy for not getting in the pit. Now...fine...I can still see the purpose behind the mosh pit. But seriously...none of these kids actually DID that. They just stood there dressed like freaking vampires, with their stupid fake black tears coming from their eyes. Ugh.
I dont see how that fashion sense ties in to whiny emo music...ESPECIALLY Moneen's whiny emo music. Which...alas...suffered quite badly at this show.

Like I said, the crowd was not jumping up and down, as they should have been. They just stood there. I mean...yah...so did I...but I'm old now, and lazy, haha. But yah...the sound was AWFUL. So tinny...even the bass sounded like it was all treble and no actual bass. The crowd was pretty subdued too. Like they just didnt cheer or scream or anything...I at least did THAT. They played mostly old stuff, which was a shame really because I love their new album. But yah...it was pretty disappointing. ANd don't even get me started on Saves the Day...I swear every single song sounded EXACTLY the same. There were no tempo changes...no slower songs, or ones with a faster beat...no...it was all just sort of middle of the road rock-pop-punk. They don't really appreciate how to build up tension in the crowd by varying their songs live. So while this may not be the worst show I've ever seen...it was certainly the most disappointing. The worst was at the Steam Whistle indie show...opera and hard rock mixed together...yah...there's a winning combo.

And now I am sick as a dog from a lack of sleep. Suuuuper.
On the bright side, I am now rated to fly at night...so night flights over Toronto or Niagara Falls can happen...pretty freaking cool!