Metric w/the Stills
Massey Hall
10.21.09

(Editor’s note: click here for more photos)

It’s been a few years since i’ve had the chance to see Metric.  I missed the 2008 show at Sound Academy, mostly on account of their playing at worst concert venue in Toronto – below the Air Canada Centre.  The last time I caught them was at the Phoenix to promote their sophomore release, “Let It Out”.

It was nice to find out that Metric had grown into to the historic Massey Hall, similar to her Broken Social Scene chanteuse counterpart Feist had performed in last year.  It was an all-Canadian evening with Montreal’s seasoned indie rock veterans The Stills opening the night with a high intensity set.  They did a great job at firing up the crowd and building the excitement for the headliner.  Lead singer Tim Fletcher encouraged those on the floors to get off their seats and come up to the stage, thereby opening the floodgates and indirectly giving permission for fans to charge forward once Metric hit the stage.  They put on a solid set, playings songs from all three of their albums and putting on a show of their own.

Once the lights dimmed for Metric, the crowd followed suit from the opening act by charging the stage.  It was great to see everyone on the floors as well as a good 2/3 of the second and third level on their feet for most of their 1.5 hr set.  Emily bounced her way onto the stage wearing gold from head to toe, ala indie lady gaga outfit with attitude.

From their beginnings of high energy synth-rock of their first album, the angst ridden feminism from their second album, and positive message in their latest release, you could feel a sense of maturity and pure music professionalism in their music.  Now hitting nearly 6 years since they broke into the scene with their first official release “Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?” in 2003, they’ve become season veterans in putting on a solid rock show.

Whether it be Emily’s robotic cheerleader dance moves (some definitely self-choreographed) and raw impassioned expressions, or post-modern Apple nation set design, Metric were in their element and captivated the audience from beginning to end.  Emily was able to vitalize the typically comatose Toronto crowd into belting out her signature “oo huh uh uhs” and “bam chicka bams” and clapping along… and also using the classic  “You can beat yesterday’s show can’t you?” tactic to further get a rise out of them.

The band played a nice blend of new and old tunes, with highlights that include Empty (see below), Glass Ceiling, Poster of a Girl, Dead Disco, Help I’m Alive, Sick Muse and Twilight Galaxy. They also performed one of my favourite ambient ballads from the new album, Collect Call,which silenced the crowd in reflective awe.  Thanks to the fantastic Massey Hall acoustics and EQ levels you could hear every guitar note, rolling beat, ambient sound and synth frequency that showcased the range of this homegrown band’s ability.

Metric finished off their encore with a nice acoustic rendition of Combat Baby.  It become more of a singalong and celebration of their 2-night stay at Massey Hall. At the end of the song you could feel the emotion and memory that will not only have a lasting impression for the fans, but for Emily and the band as well.

REVIEWED BY: ROBB ENG