Tribe Society opened the evening at The Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto on a somewhat cooler evening after a scorcher of a day. The sun sat behind the clouds and gave us a bit of a break for the show. Tribe Society is a 5 piece band hailing from New York City and laughed with the crowd saying they almost didn’t make it here tonight due to the US/Canadian border. But thankfully they did, the small but mighty crowd seemed to enjoy their set. The audience was a bit subdued but I think that had to do with lack of hydration from the extremely warm day we had today not from lack of talent in the band. I found Tribe Society a bit of an interesting mix, heavy guitar, synthesizers, a flute which is something I don’t normally hear together but it worked. They even managed to do a great job of “1979” by Smashing Pumpkins, some pretty big shoes to fill but it was done well.
“Toronto we waking you up? That’s what we came to do” Collective Soul asked the fans and finally the crowd came alive. The second the first note was played of “Shine” (the 7th song in their set) the fans jumped to their feet. This song is probably one of their more notable hits and I love that they didn’t save this till the end of the set. The crowd came alive the guitars got louder and the mood was set for the rest of the evening. I have had the opportunity to see Collective Soul at a smaller venue in Toronto not long ago and to be honest I much prefer seeing them on a huge stage with lots of PA and lights. I have to give props to Ed Roland (lead singer) for dancing around the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre stage like he does. It takes a lot of stamina to be able to do this and sing at the same time. Well, he still has “it” after 24 years and said just as much from stage.
“We are a rock band from the 90’s not from the 90’s and we are still putting music out” to this the crowd erupted into cheers especially when he stated there was new music coming out next year.
What a way to win the audience over at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre when you say “Canada is like the big sister that’s really hot, that everyone loves. Who likes to talk about f**ked up things on thanksgiving…. We love Canada. I want Sarah Mclauglin to come out here and sing that really sad song”
I have been looking forward to this Goo Goo Dolls show for awhile now, never having seen them live. They came out on stage ready to put on a kick ass performance which is what they did. The stage was enormous, the light were bright, and the audience ate up the fact that John Rzeznik made fun of Donald Trump saying “I feel like everytime we come to Canada now we are going to have to say sorry”
They started off their set with “Over and Over” and much to my surprise “Slide” was their 3rd song in. The crowd was pumped, jumping out of their seats to sing along. There was a few people that were lucky enough to stand side stage, on either side and watch the show. I wonder how they got that opportunity to do that?
When the Goo Goo Dolls performed “Come To Me” there was an LED screen behind the band and a crossword puzzle type effect graced the screen. Every time John sang a specific word that word lit up on the screen. I haven’t seen this before at a show, it is simple but very effective.
The Goo Goo Dolls put on an amazing show playing all their hits and more. After 30 years of performing (sorry guys don’t want to age you or myself!) they haven’t missed a beat. Some things just get better with age.
Once again thanks to the crew because without them there is no show!
