Photos by Randall Vasquez
Wednesday night marked the first stop on Roxy Music‘s 50th anniversary tour. Though I am not entirely sure what Toronto did to receive that distinct honour, those in attendance were treated to a fantastic show, starting with opener, St. Vincent.
Celebrating fifteen years from the release of her own debut, St. Vincent isn’t new to the music scene. As heard among the crowd sitting nearby, many people were aware of who she was, but they certainly weren’t prepared for her mesmerizing, high energy set.
Having not performed in Toronto since the release of her 2021 release Daddy’s Home, Ms. Clark and company proved to be the perfect warm-up act for a band whose influence can be heard all over the new album. This was clearly a theme of the night, opening with a bit of a modified, glammed-out version of her 2014 hit “Digital Witness” and leaning heavily on tracks that would appeal to the crowd, whether they knew her or not.
About midway through the set, she declared that sharing the stage with Roxy Music was a dream come true of a dream that she didn’t dare dream. But in the end, it truly turned out to be a perfect fit, and she’s very likely to gain a LOT of new fans this tour.
Opening with “Re-make/Re-model” (the first track of their debut album) it was clear that Roxy Music want to use this tour to highlight their entire career. It also proved to be a perfect way to get all of the original band members involved from the get-go, particularly highlighting Andy Mackay on sax & Phil Mazanera on lead guitar. If there’s one thing the night proved, it’s that they’ve both still got it.
However, much like many bands that end up doing legacy tours, the original four (Mackay, Mazanera, Bryan Ferry & drummer Paul Thompson) were joined by a supporting cast of younger musicians to pick up the slack/fill in the gaps where needed.
For the most part, people understood this going in though. They were there for a good time. It didn’t matter that Ferry’s vocal range isn’t what it used to be, or that the original members would sit out the odd tune when they needed a break. It was a night for dancing, and celebrating a band that’s enduring sound and influence could be heard both in theirs AND St. Vincent’s set.
Connect with Roxy Music : Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram
Connect with St.Vincent : Website || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram
Be sure to check out Live Nation Ontario to see all of the other great acts that they will be bringing to Toronto this year.
