Wilco / Liam Finn @ Massey Hall

Jeff Tweedy's recent attraction to the mellower side of making music in the vein of mid-70's AM pop made me a little bit unprepared for last Wednesday's Wilco show at Massey Hall. Of course I was still excited (this is Wilco after all) but one could understandably be forgiven for assuming that the show was going to be more of a "sit back and relax" type of affair. While it's true that the last time I saw them, they blasted out a set that included a phenomenal three song suite of Being There's greatest rockers, I know that this was more of an exception to the rule, and I walked in to the venue assuming that this would likely be a tad tamer. Still, I had every reason to assume that even that would likely be a sweet slice of fantastic, especially considering the fact that the grand hall of Hart Almerrin Massey is probably the most sonically pleasing venue in the city, especially in an acoustic setting. However, if there's one thing that was proven at the Sonic Youth show earlier this year, Massey Hall is equally equipped for rocking out, and it was with that particular mindset that Tweedy et al approached the first evening of a two night, sold-out stay in Toronto last week.

I was looking forward to seeing opener Liam Finn since I had heard several good things about his live show from some friends who saw him open for Crowded House (featuring his father Neil Finn) and Pete Yorn at this very venue a couple of years ago. He leaped out onto the stage sporting a scraggly beard and a Michael Jackson-like jacket before lunging into a brief set of hyperactive rock that ranged from strongly melodic pop stuff to slightly uncontrolled acoustic numbers, both heavy in drums and looped guitar. Joining him onstage was Eliza Jane Barnes, who helped by filling out on keys, guitar and harmonies. Liam himself was quite adept on both guitar and drums, although rather frenetic when it came to the heavier moments of percussive pounding. During his whole set, I remember thinking that his animated presence would make him a delight to see in a smaller venue, not to mention the fact that the 30 minute time restraint prevented him from bantering much, (although he assured us that when he does, it's hilarious!) For others that may have felt the same way as I did, there's an opportunity to witness a banter-full, complete set when he returns on October 29th for a show at Lee's Palace.

Wilco's self titled opening song (entitled Wilco (The Song), in case you couldn't figure that out) was about the only thing that didn't surprise me about the evening. Following that up with the truly cacophonous one-two punch of I Am Trying To Break Your Heart and Black Bull Nova on the other hand, was an incredibly pleasant surprise and the evening continued on a similarly energetic course that featured a balanced mix of both newer songs and a few select classics. For the first six or seven songs, it looked as though we were going to have to settle for a banter-less Tweedy, but when he finally did end his silence, he was in full "wit and quip" mode as he did everything from appealing to our national pride in order to encourage a singalong during Jesus, Etc. to mocking our singing and quickly apologizing because, in his words, he "didn't realize that we were so needy."

The evening was full of highlights. Nels Cline's insane extended guitar solo on Impossible Germany was truly a sight to behold. Hearing A Shot In The Arm, I Can't Stand It and How To Fight Loneliness from Summerteeth was also an unexpected thrill. Despite Tweedy's jokey comments, the aforementioned singalong sounded more amazing than those usually do, no doubt amplified by the superior acoustics of the hall. I would have to say that my favourite part of the evening though was during the encore when they came very close to displaying a slightly different version of the magic Being There moment of my previous experience when they played Monday and Outtasite (Outta Mind) from that album, only to follow it up with Hoodoo Voodoo from Mermaid Avenue. Classic!

Reading some of the reviews of the following night's experience, I was sorry that we didn't get the expected Feist appearance that they got, (she was busy making an appearance at Amy Millan's Mod Club show on our night,) and I would've liked to hear California Stars (which they pulled out during the Thursday night encore) but otherwise, I'd say that Wednesday's show was every bit as good as Thursday's. At this point, it's pretty much an indisputable fact that a Wilco show is basically a sure thing, and I plan on embarking on that sureness as often as I can. The next opportunity will be when they play Hamilton Place Theatre on February 24th, 2010.

EYE Weekly also has a review of this show (that is even gushier than mine), along with Back In 15 Minutes and The Ampersand, while Chromewaves, For The Records, Blog TO and The Ampersand (again) have reviews of the following night.

Photos: My shots of Wilco, Liam Finn @ Massey Hall are on flickr
Myspace: Liam Finn
Myspace: Wilco

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