Veruca Salt with Charly Bliss at Lee’s Palace

Photographs by Daniela Tantalo.

Unlike many reunions of bands from the 90s, Chicago’s Veruca Salt bravely released Ghost Notes, their freshly released album featuring the original members.  Not needing to spend years on the road being a nostalgia act, they displayed fearless abandon in a memorable gig at Lee’s Palace Tuesday night before an adoring throng that tested the limits of the venue’s air conditioning.  

The band, centering around guitarists/vocalists Nina Gordon and Louise Post were a massive part of my life through the 90s and their debut album, American Thighs, rarely left my years for about two years after it came out.  I never saw them back in the day which might explain why I wasn’t pining for them.  But if they were anything like last night, consider my butt kicked by myself for missing out.

They flirted with success with their sophomore album Eight Arms to Hold You before Gordon departed and the band lost their commercial steam.  Those eight arms held a frenzied crowd last night that made up for lost time with a welcome that overwhelmed the sold out gig, including the band.

No need for frills, Veruca Salt brought the rock and the crowd roared its approval throughout the entire night, when they weren’t singing right along with Post and Gordon.  Both band and audience never lost their energy, actually building in intensity as the night went on, feeding off each other.  It’s doubtful anyone walked out of the venue dry or disappointed.

Ghost Notes has garnered good reviews and the band weren’t shy to show off the new material and it all fit in real nice with the older material.  Gordon and Post also looked amazing.  It was like the band was frozen in time for 20 years both in appearance and exuberance.  They rocked out on stage like a pack of teenagers hungry to make it, but clearly were in their element and loving the moment.  In turn, the crowd lost its collective shit and I had to remind myself that in fact this was a Tuesday night in Toronto.  

It’s hard to pick out highlights from a show that was all highlights.  A molten “Volcano Girls”, the surprise singalong of “Seether” and the driving “All Hail Me” were standouts for yours truly.  But really there wasn’t a bum note as they tore through 20 tracks touching on all their albums in about 80 minutes. Also opening the night was New York City’s Charly Bliss, who performed a rather impressive set. 

The gig clearly could have been at a bigger venue as this one sold out pretty quickly, but between the cozy confines of Lee’s, a crowd thinking it was Friday night and a band basking in a new moment,  Veruca Salt delivered an age-defying night, a euphoric celebration of rock not to be forgotten any time soon by everyone in attendance.