Emblem3 with The Ready Set at the Phoenix Concert Theatre

I don’t normally step outside of my musical bubble, but when I do, sometimes I stumble upon some fantastic acts that I never thought I’d ever listen to. Wednesday was one of those nights, as I went to see Emblem3 perform at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto.

As one who has never heard of Emblem3 before, I was kind of expecting them to be your average pop boy band that didn’t play any instruments and had a bunch of pre-teen girls swooning over them from the audience – but boy, was I wrong! Turns out I’ve been living under a rock, as the guys of Emblem3 rose to fame by appearing and placing 4^th on season 2 of the X Factor in 2013. Not only was their music super catchy, but they are also pretty well rounded musicians. Their sound was very unique in the sense that it wasn’t just your typical bubblegum pop; it had a little extra flare to it, which gave it a distinct sound compared to what’s currently playing on the Top 40s.

What impressed me the most about their performance was how versatile each member of the band was. They all started out on guitars, but throughout the night they’d switch up which instruments they would be playing. During the performance of their song ‘3000 Miles’, Keaton Stromberg traded his guitar in for the keys, while performing ‘Nothing To Lose’, Drew Chadwick busted out a hand drum. It honestly felt like they had a lot more change ups than what I was used to seeing at shows.

The stage presence of the band was also something to take note of. Having to compete against Beyonce and Selena Gomez performing in Toronto on the same night left the Phoenix to only be about half full for the band. But just because the venue wasn’t physically full doesn’t mean that it actually felt that way. Emblem3 had the crowd singing and dancing around the whole night; so much so, it felt as if one was at a One Direction concert. The floor was shaking as everyone was bouncing around, and the shrieks from the crowd were at an all time high. Everyone was so into it that I honestly forgot that the venue was not at capacity.

I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve attended a show where the venue was only half full, yet the band and the fans made it seem as if it was busting at the seams. Emblem3’s performance felt like a breath of fresh air that left me on cloud 9, and I’m very happy I had the opportunity to catch them live.