July Talk at the Stardust Drive-In

When the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year, one of the first activities that came to a halt were concerts. As time has passed, it’s become clear that the future of live shows remain uncertain. While many artists have taken to doing livestreams as a substitute, the new concert experimentation that’s taking over is using the space of drive-in theatres. Canadian alt-rock band July Talk did just that with two sold out shows at the Stardust Drive-In in Sharon, Ont., providing a socially distanced show for fans from the comfort of their cars.

Obviously, this show is different from your traditional concert. There’s no standing room, you’re not bumping shoulders against the person next you, clapping and cheering have been replaced with horn honking and light flashing. And of course, you’re sitting in your car. But for those of us who have been itching to see live music, this is a pretty unique alternative.

Before the concert, July Talk ensured that the show remain as safe as possible with health and safety measure intact. All staff and crew were wearing masks, fans who were going outside of their cars needed to wear them too, vehicles were separated 6ft apart and washrooms were disinfected regularly. For those who couldn’t be in attendance, the band provided a paid livestream, with 50 per cent of the proceeds going to various charities around the world.

Accompanied with a main stage, the show was projected on massive movie screens throughout the space, with drones circling above the cars to capture every angle. Some patrons expressed their distaste for being forced to look at a screen based on how the car parking was laid out, especially those in the VIP section. But staff were quick to remind fans that this is meant to be treated as a drive-in experience. And in some aspects, it was. Along with the show playing on the movie screens, the audio was received only through your car radio, so for those who wanted to stand outside to listen, the audio wasn’t nearly as clear as it would be if you were in your car. That, however, didn’t stop fans from stepping outside of their vehicles, or sitting in their trunks to try to get a look at the stage.

Leading up to the performance, the band provided a pre-show set with video footage of music videos, behind the scenes content, vintage drive-in ads and even videos of puppies and kittens.

Before the band started the show, one of the band’s two lead singers, Leah Fay, delivered an Indigenous land acknowledgement, as well as addressed the ongoing process of learning and unlearning the ways in which settler-colonial violence continues to do harm in both visible and invisible ways. Followed then by a beautiful message of hoping that we can be vulnerable and be kind to each other during unprecedented times.

The band tore through a near two hour set with music from their latest album Pray For It, while of course, sprinkling in popular tracks from their previous releases. The band was full of energy in their performance and soaked in the love from their fans, even if it was translated by horn honking. Despite a different concert layout, some traditional July Talk show moments remained the same, like during the song ‘I’ve Rationed Well,’ when Fay, who normally walks through the audience, replaced this by mingling through the cars and sat on top of one to finish out the song.

During ‘Champagne’ and ‘Touch’ the band brought out musicians Kyla Charter and James Baley, who provide guest vocals on the songs. The band closed their set with two covers, ‘I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire’ by the Ink Spots, and ‘To Hell With Good Intentions’ by Mclusky, then ending with ‘Picturing Love’ where they were joined again by Charter and Baley.

There were a few touching moments during the show when both lead singers, Peter Dreimanis and Fay expressed their gratitude for those who were in attendance and the crew that helped to build the show. Ahead of ‘The Garden,’ Dreimanis encourage anyone who was going through a hard time during the pandemic to reach out to friends, and that now is the time to lean on your community.

Towards the end of the show, Fay said one way to control the anxiety of not knowing the future of an unknown future is to be kind to others, and that doing something kind for someone else is a small act that can make the world better. She also encouraged getting mad when anger is needed, and to unlearn what we’ve learned is untrue.

Drive-in shows during the coronavirus pandemic still have a ways to go before they’re truly safe. There’s the concerns of making sure venue staff, crew and security, who interact regularly can safely do their jobs. There’s the issue that fans may not want to stay inside their cars and could congregate with others. Ensuring the messages of social distancing and wearing masks need to be amplified. But for now, this strange twist on an old pastime is a bit of joy that we can hang on to.

Heart at the Budweiser Stage

Each year Toronto’s Budweiser Stage manages to gather up a number of high profile acts to play for the summer. From country favourites to rock icons, it’s very rare to see a bad year at this venue. But this year, something is missing; the lack of female representation. Out of the 52 shows scheduled this year, only six women are headliners. This meaning that it’s just them at the top of the bill, not sharing a spot with another act. In a time where women are still pressing for equality, it’s frustrating to still see a lack of representation.

This is not to say it’s the venue’s fault. You can look at any other amphitheatre in North America this year and you’ll likely see a similar trend. Thankfully we’re moving away from that, but we still have a ways to go. Despite this, it was incredibly refreshing on Sunday night to see an all-female line up featuring 70s rock band Heart, as well as Sheryl Crow and Elle King.*

The venue was packed with all sorts of age groups, from people who grew up with Heart to some who said they discovered them through playing Guitar Hero. People were dancing in the aisles and cheers-ing their beers to what would be a fantastic night.

Sheryl Crow kicked off her set with just her, her guitar and her backing band as she played some new songs off her upcoming album, while also dabbling into some of her greatest hits. As soon as she played songs like Soak Up the Sun and If It Makes You Happy, the audience practically jumped out of their seats to dance and sway along. Finishing her set with Everyday is a Winding Road, the audience gave Crow a standing ovation.

Heart opened their set with Rockin’ Heaven Down before jumping right into Magic Man, two fierce tracks back-to-back that showcased sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson’s showmanship, and making sure they had the audience’s full attention.

In the middle of the set, the Wilson sisters did a series of covers: Simon & Garfunkel’s The Boxer, Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb, and Yes’ Your Move. An interesting choice seeing as most bands will only do one cover at best, as opposed to having multiple together, let alone grouped together so closely. Nevertheless, they performed beautiful renditions of them, with a light show for Floyd and Nancy taking lead on The Boxer.

The show continued with deep cuts like Back to Avalon and Dog and Butterfly, but they also smashed out some of the hits like Crazy On You and Alone, which electrified the venue.

The encore saw Heart play a cover of Led Zeppelin’s The Battle of Evermore, where the whole band gathered in the centre of the stage and played their respective instrument before launching into the guitar shredding Barracuda. Finally, ending the night with What About Love.

More acts from the 70s and 80s are touring again, and for some, it’s challenging. Their voices don’t hold up, some look bored, and others are so obviously doing it for the money. But Heart has just that-heart. Ann Wilson can still wail like she did in the 70s, and Nancy is still killing it on the guitar, barely having to look at the chords she’s playing. Before this tour, the Wilson sisters had a bit of a falling out, and it was uncertain what the future of Heart would look like. But after Sunday’s show, Heart’s future very much lives on, and with that, they’re paving the way for a legacy of kick-ass women in music.

*The writer did not get to see Elle King

Foo Fighters at the Rogers Centre

In 2018, it's particularly rare to come across a good rock and roll band, in between the shuffle of pop stars and hip hop moguls. Rock music isn't what it was 10, 20, even five years ago. Now it's a battle of who can last on the charts, who can make an impact, and who won't be forgotten when the song of the summer is over. 

Rock bands now are either retiring, breaking up (and getting back together before breaking up again), or just getting their land legs in the rickety boat that is music. The floor can drop at any moment. 

But The Foo Fighters have a particular magic about them. Similar to acts that emerged at the same time they did, like Green Day and Weezer, The Foo Fighters are one of those bands that can command a certain energy. Really bring people together from all ages, and put on a real authentic rock show. But what sets The Foos apart from the aforementioned bands, is they can do it in, as lead singer Dave Grohl lovingly put it, "a big ass rock stadium". 

Touring in support of their latest effort, 'Concrete and Gold', The Foo Fighters brought a completely sold out show to Toronto's Rogers Centre. Things kicked off immediately with "All My Life" followed by hits "Learn to Fly" and "The Pretender". One rock song barreling into another, with Grohl pausing in between to ask the crowd "are you ready?!" To which the audience followed with a resounding roar. Sprinkled in between the set of hits were tracks from their latest effort including "Dirty Water" and "The Sky is a Neighbourhood", both of which featured four backup singers, one of which was Grohl's daughter, Violet.

Sandwiched in their catalogue of hits were a string of covers including Alice Cooper's "Under My Wheels", The Ramones' "Blitzkreig Bop", and Queen's "Under Pressure" which featured drummer Taylor Hawkins on vocals, and the lead singer of opening band The Struts making a guest spot in the duet. Even when Dave slowed things down in what the audience thought would be a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine", began to sing "Jump" by Van Halen, leaving for a confusing but hilarious moment. 

Grohl paused the show a few times to speak to the audience, letting us know that we'd be here "all f*cking night" and to add that for those who had to work the next day, to use the excuse that The Foo Fighters played "all f*cking night." And for the most part, he kept his word! With a start time of 8:30, the group played until past the 11 p.m. curfew, to which the audience was a bit divided. Some were either incredibly enthusiastic about the potential all-nighter, or were ready to leave before the encore to beat the crowds.

The band powered through the rest of their set, playing more fan favourites like "Monkey Wrench" and "This is a Call" before ending it off with "Best of You". The band returned for a three song encore with "Big Me," "Times Like These," and finally finishing with "Everlong." If fans were anticipating a good, real rock show, The Foo Fighters absolutely delivered.

 Leading up to last night's event, there was news earlier in the day, that parts of the GTA was threatened with a terror attack, one spot being the CN Tower, steps away from the Rogers Centre. There was a heavy police presence, and increased security. And with many reminded of the various attacks in recent months at concerts, it left people with an unsettling feeling. Many were posting to social media their fears of attending the show, some even giving up their tickets. But by the time the show started last night, that sort of gut-wrenching feeling was washed away, because as soon as the music started, fear was shaken off. This concert proved that hundreds and thousands of people could fill a room and celebrate music fearlessly. Fans danced, jumped around, hugged each other, sang, clapped, and cheered. We all celebrated what brought us together. Despite the different lives we all lead, and the stories we all have, at the end of the day, it's this great thing called music that brought us here. And that is something special that no one can take away from us.

Against Me! at the Phoenix Concert Theatre

When going to a punk show, there's an automatic stereotype associated with it. Inside a scuzzy bar, muscled guys with mohawks drinking beer, lots of crowd surfing and aggressive behaviour, and a band with music that might make you nervous. Punk band Against Me!, however, are a big stretch from that sort of stereotype. 

Inside Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre, the Florida based band were more about the music than anything else. The band is touring in support of their latest studio effort Transgender Dysphoria Blues, which came out two years ago. The band did however, play new unreleased material that lead singer Laura Jane Grace said would be on their upcoming album. 

Against Me! took the stage and opened the show with I Was a Teenage Anarchist. If the crowd wasn't already in near proximity to the stage, they were doing everything in their power to get that much closer. Rushing towards the front, pushing people aside, anything to be right in the middle of the action. 

The band played a fair amount of older and newer material. Favourites including True Trans Soul Rebel, Pints of Guinness Makes You Strong, and Thrash Unreal, which let the crowd be taken over by the music. Arguably, just about any song got the audience hyped. 

A few surprise moments happened during the show including an appearance Montreal French singer Béatrice Martin, who goes by the stage name Coeur de pirate, to sing Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart from the 2007 album New Wave.  As well a cover of The Clash's Train in Vain was played by the band at the end of the set. 

The show was very performance focused. There were hardly any moments where Grace, or anyone from the band stopped to talk or make comments unless it was to introduce a song. It was very 'one song right after the other', which in retrospect was a pretty novel move given that it gave the audience barely a minute to catch their breath before the next song started. Ultimately it kept the adrenaline running. 

The audience dynamic at this show was nothing short of spectacular. The vast age group of young teens to 40 year olds just looking for a good punk show, was very present. Although everyone was there to mosh, dance, and scream/sing along, there was no overly aggressive behaviour. No one appeared to be rude to one another, or had any sort of attitude that would disrupt others from having a good time. A very punk move, indeed. Although an occasional camera phone popped up (even a selfie stick was seen), it wasn't as excessive as say, at a larger venue for a more high profile artist. Another perfect example of how Against Me! fans were just there to enjoy some good music.

 The best aspect of the Phoenix Concert Theatre was that there was no barricade, leaving room for fans to jump on stage and soar off into a sea of moshers as they crowd surfed away. Everyone who jumped on stage made sure to acknowledge Grace whether it be a thumbs up, a hug, or just to sing in her face with her. Her response, to nearly all of them, is what was very symbolic of the whole night. A massive smile while continuing to play. 

City & Colour at the Molson Amphitheatre

Acoustic performances can be hit or miss in large venues. The warm and soft sounds from a simple singer/guitar combination are more likely to be heard in a coffee shop, or in an intimate theatre setting. But that was not the case last night at the Molson Amphitheatre, as singer-songwriter Dallas Green (who performs under the alias City and Colour) played to a sold out crowd in Toronto's outdoor venue. 

The stage was a simple set up with no backdrops or curtains. All instruments were visible on stage prior to the band's arrival. Several circular lights were lined up behind the drum kit, and would flash at various parts of the show. This simple set up was a great pairing given the folk/rock tunes that were about to be heard. A simple set with simple music. 

The show started with the band playing Woman, an eerie nine minute track that also opens the new record. The dwindling guitar hook that sounded like a twist and turn back and forth made for an interesting opening, but once the whole band kicked in, things were underway. The following song, Thirst, had the audience moving and singing along. 

Green and his band played a large amount of new material from their latest studio album, If I Should Go Before You, including Northern Blues, Wasted Love, and the newest single Lover Come Back. Audiences were surprised when the band decided to play older material that were not singles including Hello, I'm in Delaware, and The Grand Optimist. 

Prior to the 2011 song We Found Each Other in the Dark, Green talked about how we, as humanity, are not very kind to one another, and requested that for the next three minutes or so, to just be good to each other. 

Although Green is also known for his work with post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, you'd be hard pressed to think that was once an audience he performed with in comparison to those who were in attendance of his show last night. An eclectic group of twenty somethings who loved his work in Alexisonfire to older groups of thirty and forty year olds who may have had no idea he was in a successful metal band for over ten years. 

Later in the set Green played a cover of The Tragically Hip's Bobcaygeon in respect to lead singer Gord Downie who was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Green and Downie are good friends, and have worked together on the City and Colour song Sleeping Sickness. 

Towards the end of the set, Green played a medley of his 2006 hit Comin' Home and the Alexisonfire song This Could be Anywhere in the World. The surprise of the cover threw people off and anyone in the audience still wearing their Alexis shirt, had Dallas' full attention. 

The group finished the set with a second medley, this time of Fragile Bird, As Much As I Ever Could, and Sorrowing Man. 

Over the last ten years, Green has successfully made a name for his solo career. When bands decide to go on hiatus or split, and members pursue solo projects, it's easy to still associate said members with their old band. It's a skin that's hard to shake off. For a band like Alexisonfire, who have been known and respected in the Canadian music scene for years now, Green had every right to be scared to jump into something completely different, especially that of an entirely different genre. However, with the massive support he received over the past two nights, along with the past ten years, it'd be hard to see him as anything but successful.

During the middle of his set, Green paused to thank the audience for coming to the show, still at a loss for words on how to properly express his gratitude. 

"This many people should not be at something like this," he said.

But the crowd cheering him on, would have to disagree.