I was really into the band's performance at Coachella a few weekends ago, therefore, there was…read moreenough motivation to take the 3 hour round trip bus ride all the way down to UBC to see their 25 minute opening set. They were one of the few bands worth watching at Coachella during the day. Even in the blazing dessert heat their performance was killer. They made it work with what they had, therefore, It didn't surprise me that they killed the Vancouver show even though they had to deal with the shitty acoustics of the UBC sports Arena. What initially intrigued me about the North London band was that for a collection of childhood friends playing together for less than a decade they're miles ahead of most indie bands in terms of sound and stage presence. Their album was one of my top 10 in 2015. I've waited a year for their only western Canadian appearance since the best debut album of last year. They did in 25 minutes what must bands struggle to do in a full set. They gave more energy than what was required of them in effort to convert the crowd that was given to them as a favour by the headlining act. Ellie's stage presence was addicting to watch. The rest of the band were tight and had musical chemistry. The songs resembled something written out of the page from the 90's with a bit of flare. It was organic, not flashy but there was enough of a pop element to make the songs memorable.

This is how cool David Letterman is. He booked Future Islands last year, a band that barely anyone…read moreat the time cared about outside Pitchfork. The minute that the band performed Seasons I instantly fell in love with them. It took 8 years and 4 albums later for the band to get any recognition, however, their Letterman debut escalated the buzz and made them Youtube sensations. In fact David Letterman was such a huge fan of this band that he had them come back during his last few weeks of his show. Letterman gave one of the best introductions for a band that I've seen to date. He was just that taken away by Future Islands. Who wouldn't be. They're a band that is addicting to watch and listen to. In all fairness my best friend Peter did tell me about Future Islands not 'cause he was into them but 'cause he knew that it would be something up my ally. I got on the bandwagon and stayed there with everyone else. Their brand of synth pop, semi cookie cutter beats and themes aren't for everyone. It's like a fun car crash you just can't turn away from which is the partial appeal about this band. I am no stranger to their performance as they were one of the highlights for me during Primavera 2014. There was a manic intensity to the shows brought on by lead singer Samuel who danced like a crazy man. Think Elaine Benes times 4. Some people mock his dancing, however, everyone in the crowd celebrated and cheered. The best way to describe his dancing is like a human dreidel: Unsteady, spinning and all over the place. His dancing has become legendary at this point. It's something to be seen rather than described, therefore, I heavily encourage everyone reading this to check out some live performance clips on Youtube. His dancing made for some awesome circulated GIF'S. He made the audience comfortable to express their bad dancing. I dance like Elaine Benes. It was one of the few times in which I felt comfortable in my own skin for being a bad dancer. I just went for it. Kudos to the guy next to me who was mirroring every single move of Samuel's without a second thought. The rest of the band were toe gazers, however, they're allowed to take a vacation considering the heavy lifting that Samuel was doing to entertain. Samuel was very into the show with all smiles. It took him 2 songs to really get into the grove as he wanted to test the waters a bit. Once the audience gave him a positive reception he let loose. His shirt was soaked by the 4th song like Springsteen working the stage. My jaws hurt from smiling the whole time. The energy and the dancing was very contagious. Even those who were initially trying their hardest to be passive and adamant about not caving in eventually did. By the time the 4th song rolled around the band had the entire field dancing, some more than others. We were helpless by the music and submitted ourselves to the beat. The music itself resembles something out of out the 80's with a little bit of a modern dance flare. There is a lot of New Order influence in the music. The audience around me was very into the show. It was packed inside Malkin for an opening act which rarely happens. Even those who were sitting on the hill unfamiliar with the band were instantly sold. It's very rare that I've seen people chant for the opening band to play one more song. Sadly they only played for 45 minutes opening for Spoon even though they have enough in their catalogue to play a full 90 minute show. The performance did leave the audience hungry for more. Hopefully the positive reception will be encourage the band to come back and headline a club show. Most left after Future Islands myself included. I like Spoon, they're decent but not worthy for me to spend the rest of my evening for. I was already a fan to begin with walking in, however, came out of the show having madly fall in love with every aspect of the band. I didn't think that this was possible but with music anything is.

This is now my 13th time seeing Metric and although the setting was less than favorable for them…read morethere were still some moments worth noting. They've done the arena thing before with Paramore, however, their efforts only gained them a small portion of fans. They did try and play Rogers a few years ago. They had some cool lighting but nothing beyond theatre worthy. I kinda wish they'd drop the arena dream that isn't happening for them (all members will cross 40 when this tour is done) and play double nights in theaters with varied setlists that actually has songs from their first 3 albums that have barely been played in the past decade or so. Only a tiny number of groups have a 7 album run (counting Knives) as strong as Metric and she's probably the best frontman in about 15 years and it feels wasted in their third time they've done a 45 minute arena opening set across The States (Dragons/Muse/Paramore). The short 40 minute set list had some hits but the majority of the show was a decent portion of new material. I was a little skeptical at first hearing the new material since the live clips that leaked did little or nothing for me even though the studio versions were cool. Translated live in person I learned to appreciate they new material. Of course the band were still trying to experiment with mixes. It was easy for me to observe in these early stages as to how the new songs will positively hold against their other material when they headline their own tour. Some of the hits had weird mixes which may have had to do with their equipment being programed for their new material. In the case of Help I'm Alive it actually added a semi industrial feel whether intentional or not. Emily was sober and in good spirits. The band were really into the performance. Even though the audience was giving them little love they didn't allow this to spoil their mood. The production was cool, but I'm left wondering if I'm seeing basically the same show with a different light production and Emily costume change(s). Emily's shoes as always were fabulous. Another solid set worth the 75 cents per Metric minute it cost us.

The last time the Monkees played Vancouver billed as the Monkees was in 1968, therefore, I was…read moreseeing this show for the first time with everyone else. They were supposed to play the casino years ago when Davy Jones was alive, however, he had a completely different management than the rest of the guys and things went sour and the show never happened. They played a few times in Tacoma but that was a pain in the ass to get to. The show was everyone minus Mike Nessith and Davy Jones. Ratio wise it was still a closer reunion compared to Guns N' Roses. To entertain the audience they showed episodes of The Monkees in high def restoration from the new Blu Ray collection. For the first 3 songs it was cool to have some of the old Monkees clips shown on the screen as the band was playing, however, it got annoying real quick as I would've appreciated watching what was actually happening live. It was more likely implemented to distract the audience from noticing that there was no chemistry between remaining members on stage. Because of the clips on the screen the entire show was click tracked. They did manage to perform all their hits and some current singles in the 90 minutes. The personal highlight for me was The Porpoise song off Head, a song that the majority of early fans would prefer to dismiss all together. It was fun watching the divide by fans after the song based on the applause. It wasn't the best rendition of the song but they did the best with the little they had. Second highlight was dancing with Peter and singing at the top of my lungs the lyrics to I'm Not Your Stepping Stone. Overall even though the majority of the songs were phoned in I actually had a good time.

I got lost in the dark park, however, the minute the intro music of the Gorillaz played I followed…read morethe sweet sound of Damon Albarn's voice. The band have been accused of being the most lack luster live band, the poster children for shoe gazer bands. The band I saw tonight were the exact opposite. They weren't overly energetic but not a band that warranted the performance accusation by Pitchfork. Then again it's not hard to be moved by your own beat. The audience were into it but their energy was compromised by a herbal substance which is a shame since the band had a lot to offer musically. There were selected moments in which the audience surrendered to their emotions. It was cool to see the crowd gently bobbing their heads like a tame sea with a glow reflected by the purple and blue lighting hues bouncing off the stage. There was no shortage of stage banter. It came across as bitter hostile rants similar to Morrissey but without the charm. He reminded me of half the people I can't stand who come into the record store. The actual music was really sharp and refined. Lots of horns. The band had very good musical performance chemistry even though they acted like strangers meeting for the first time. Set list was balanced between the slow and rock songs. Of course the hits were saved for the encore. Simple standard stage lighting. What I did gain from the show was hearing a few of my favourite underrated album tracks performed live. I also gained a different appreciation for their catalog. Modest Mouse have all the ingredients, more than most bands these days, however, after every Modest Mouse show I still feel empty. It always feels as though nothing was ale to stick after the euphoric feeling during the show. Modest Mouse have made permanent residence on my iPod as hipster lullabies. I felt drowsy out of relaxation. My mind escaped into my dreamy safe spot for a good 90 minutes. When I came to I almost forgot where I was.

I made the evening an event and took advantage of the 5 pm door opening. Even though for 4 hours…read morenothing was actually going on prior to the band hitting the stage it was all about soaking in the sun and mingling with other Cure fans. It was a very festival feeling. Deer Lake is a venue that is severely underused which is a shame considering the trees and lake provide a great atmosphere for pre show celebrations. The forestry makes me less jaded about Vancouver. I spent a good hour doing a deep meditation and yoga session with Peter before the show. We were also early enough for sound check and got to hear some rare Cure songs that are never played to a live audience but are in heavy demand by fans. Two of which were sound checked in full. We scored an extra few songs. Robert Smith frequently reads his message boards and purposely plays the rarities for those who come super early. We packed a pic nic containing our childhood Emo favourites including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When I was 6 I used to sit under a tree with my Walkman and listen to The Cure while eating a stack of 3 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I would sing to every spider I saw on that tree, "The spider man is having me for dinner tonight." I did sit under a tree but I was not visited by spiders but rather old high school associates that I hadn't seen in years. While we recited the Cole notes of our lives to each other it was then that I realized that I haven't changed but everyone else around me did but for the brief few hours I felt 15 again. The show started early at 7 pm with ample daylight to see the different generations of Cure fans sing along with me. I loved looking at everyone's hair, most appropriately tributing the 80's. It was also good to see the goths get their annual intake of vitamin D. In the middle of the show I took off my shoes and ran around. I allowed the sensation of the cool damp grass tingle my soles while the music tingled the other soul. The set list was 3 hours of deep cuts, expected singles and fan favourite album tracks. Robert was being very careful with his energy to ensure the 3 hour performance consistency. Most songs were cake walked but fans didn't care as they were living in their own past memories, myself included. All things considering Robert's vocals were in good shape. He is well aware of his limitations. Most songs are sung and performed in the key of D which makes it manageable to perform years down the road with very minimal alterations along the way. The sound mix was good. The outdoors helped the mix a lot. I could tell that the audience was getting a little restless near the end. It's a bit of a marathon challenge to get through 3 hours, especially when most of their songs are more ambient based. The audience was way more into it than at the Rogers Arena show back in 2008. A good portion came up from Seattle as this was the only proper West Coast show. A lot of people I haven't seen before but wish that I had known in my life time. It it wasn't for the travelled crowd than it would've been another evening with a lack luster Vancouver crowd. There are too many memories attached to most Cure songs: Breakups, kissed, fucks, friendships, comfort songs and beautiful boyfriends. Almost every guy I've ever dated was in the field. It was both awkward and comforting when I looked into their eyes during their assigned songs. Some of us are on good terms and most not so much. The good news is that some of the songs performed tonight rewrote certain memories as I made new ones with Peter and Sharon.

This is one of the few times that I'm glad that I arrived early to catch an opening act. Often…read moretimes I am underwhelmed by the opening band of most shows, however, Nonpoint just blew me away. I came in without prior knowledge of the band but came out feeling as though I've known their music for years. I've grown up with that specific metal sound of crunchy bass and guitars, the sound that became synonymous with 90's metal. Amongst the growls there was still a sense of melody without disconnecting themselves from the genre. The band were very addicting to watch, extremely energetic. Musically they were very tight and displayed good chemistry. The entire band were swinging their dreads and long hair as if they were weapons of mass distraction. The lead singer Elias was a very commanding front man. The majority of the audience had never seen Nonpoint before, however, by the end they had them by the fingers of their devil horns. The way the audience was responding you would've thought that they were veteran hard core fans, however, like myself they were blown away and just caved to the feeling. This is just a testament of how strong the metal community is in Vancouver. I would definitely see these guys again if they came back to do their own solo show. The shoulder to shoulder maze of metal fans in their best black shirts and girls dressed like Harley Quinn was a cultural sceptical. Many familiar faces but enough new ones to make friends with. Floor real estate was claimed early and virtually scarce 10 minutes before the band hit the stage, however, regardless of where you were situated everyone was fully into the show. The minute Disturbed hit the stage they took no prisoners and offered no forgiveness anywhere in their set. You were immediately locked and ready to go. I had a heart and chest condition, therefore, my physical agony limited my body from expressing itself. My heart which feeds off the joy of music made up for the short comings of my physical health. David sounded in prime shape. He hit all the notes with no struggle. The band were all business playing one hit after the other. It was a dream set list. The beautiful sentimental moment was during their short aggression break with a few gentle songs consisting of a great cover of Simon and Garfunkle's Sound of Silence and Inside The Fire. The band were extremely tight. The sound mix was one of the best for a metal show at the Commodore. It was easy to tell each instrument apart. The click tracking of the drums slightly bothered me. There was way too many pre recorded backing tracks that was one step away from being a pop production. This was very noticeable during The Light. The keyboard synth strings bothered me a bit. It made these songs sound too much like a Disney soundtrack. Curveball moment in the night was the pop melody of: Nine Inch Nails, U2, The Who and Rage Against The Machine. They weren't the best covers but they were fun. Everyone's inner Karaoke came out. The sold out sea of unison fist pumps and clapping like a metal army put a smirk on my face. An image I often miss since I am usually in thick roughness of the pit. The machine gun sound of the drum and bass felt as though I was being hit with bullets of musical metal love. The vibration of the low guitar riffs emulated a harmonizing earthquake. My body felt the entire message therapy which temporarily cured the down with the sickness. By the end of the show the entire audience smelt like a dirty gym sock.

The Sheepdogs have been on my bucket list for a while now, however, was never interested in the…read moreprice tag. It was free tonight and since I had a season pass, therefore, it paid for itself. The band lived up to the hype from everyone. They have a very nostalgic 60's rock vibe to them pulling the genre off really well. It was a respectable line between imitation and homage. Amazing musicians and very solid and clean. Not much in the stage banter department. They were more concerned about pulling off a solid perfect show.