Chances are
that behind the angst, the dramatic, emotional rock that struck such a
chord with the 15,000 fans at the Gardens, Maida, guitarist Mike Turner,
bassist Duncan Coutts, and drummer Jeremy Taggart were well aware that
their band is exactly where it belongs: In the arena, bringing today's
concert-going kids a solid dose of good, old-fashioned rock spectacle.
This was music
designed to shake the rafters of the grandest sporting venues the world
has to offer.
And fortunately,
Our Lady Peace know exactly what to do with it.
Working in
the band's favor are a string of hits -- opening tunes Automatic Flowers,
Hope and Superman's Dead, as well as Naveed, and Starseed, and encore-closer
Clumsy -- which kept audience energy-levels in overdrive for the show's
two hours.
Then there
was Maida, who could strike up a chorus of teenage-shriek-waves with the
flicker of his stare or a point of his finger.
Interestingly, the singer cut out a good deal of his trademark yelping and, backed by the band's precision playing, improved on much of the recorded work. There was still room for OLP to indulge themselves a bit with an effective lightshow and stream of artsy films projected behind them.
Also, sandwiched between openers Everclear and OLP was a screening of a Twilight Zone episode called The Dummy -- a nice, cryptic touch that either addressed the band's mixed-feelings on corporate-rock stardom, or further hinted at an intense fear of clowns. Our Lady Peace, it would appear, have found their place. By Kieran Grant - Toronto Sun