Sonic Youth w/The Entrance Band @ Massey Hall

I have stated before, without a hint of irony, that Sonic Youth is the best band in the world. That is significantly different than saying that they're my favourite band in the world. Although they would likely settle nicely somewhere in my top 30, it's by means of their longevity, mixed with their continually consistent relevance, that I feel I could accurately make such a statement. They've gone from being an independent band, bucking at the system by doing exactly what they wanted to do, to being the only band signed to a major label that continued bucking successfully. Their latest album, The Eternal, sees the band returning back to their indie roots by releasing it on Matador Records, and once again, this is done without compromise. Although some of their albums have been a little bit more melodic than others, they have never recorded anything resembling a commercial sellout and while it's fair to say that they're older stuff is better, technically it's more because those songs came out first, as opposed to actually being better. Continuing in that trend of doing whatever they want, their appearance at the sonically pleasing Massey Hall was not that of a group of old timers recording their unplugged album. This was by all intents and purposes a punk rock show, albeit a slightly larger one than most punkers might be accustomed to.

The opening band was The Entrance Band from Los Angeles. As they started, they felt to me like a perfect complement to Sonic Youth's noisy sense of scatter, but by about two songs in, it became apparent to me that these guys were far less cacophony, and far more wankerific stoner rock. There were heavily shrill vocals and long extended guitar solos aplenty, and at times it felt like they were only a Hammond B3 organ away from Smoke On The Water. Still, although I found it enjoyable enough, about 15 minutes in I had gotten the point, and I was admittedly getting antsier and antsier at the anticipation of seeing Moore and Gordon assault that stage.

When it came time for their set to begin, the droning guitars and the nimble vibrations made it obvious that, although an assault would likely take place soon enough, right now was not the time for it. They opened their set with She Is Not Alone from their self titled debut EP, which incidentally is the only album that I don't have by them. This subtle number was an intriguing way to start their set for sure, since the song itself may have led some to believe that the show was going to be tailor made for the die hard, long time followers of the band. By song two, which was Sacred Trickster off The Eternal, it was apparent that this was not going to be so. They continued to play all eleven cuts from the new album, and while that would annoy me if this was anybody else, once again, Sonic Youth has always been nothing if not consistent. This means that the new album is awesome enough that they can get away with a set heavy on new material. The songs translated exceptionally well to the live stage. This isn't to say that I didn't miss hearing some of my favourites. The three that I was looking forward to the most were Kissability, Catholic Block and Teenage Riot, none of which were featured that evening. My number four however, was The Sprawl (can you tell that Daydream Nation was one of the defining releases of my formative years?) and they played the crap out of that song. It was also great to hear Death Valley 69 from the Bad Moon Rising album at the end of the night, and once again they played it as if it had only come out yesterday. I can see from some of the pictures floating around of the evening, that Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Mark Ibold and Steve Shelley are certainly looking their age these days, but from where I was sitting, they looked as young as ever, and their youthful energy allowed me to ride that time capsule into my past and enjoy this show, not as just another concert, but as a significant event.

This show has already been reviewed all over the place with far more professional pictures at Chromewaves, For The Records, The National Post, Eye, Fazer and Now.

Photos: Sonic Youth / The Entrance Band @ Massey Hall on flickr
Myspace: Sonic Youth
Myspace: The Entrance Band
Download: Sacred Trickster mp3