METRIC with The Stills at Massey Hall, Toronto Oct. 21, 2009

Standing front row centre, I had no choice but to willingly submerge myself into a futuristic world quickly unfolding in front of my eyes like something straight out of a science fiction novel. Blue ray beams shine in all directions and I feel like I’m flying through outer space as I watch shooting stars flash by on a screen, and suddenly a small yet powerful golden creature appears on centre stage. This description should help you visualize how Metric has successfully fulfilled their mission for their current tour promoting their newsiest release, Fantasies. This fantasy world I was lured into last night was pure magic. Lead singer Emily Haines’ enthusiasm, excitement, and energy are infectious, causing the crowd to go wild. To say the least, Haines’ knows how to rock out and please the crowd. The band opened appropriately with the track ‘Twilight Galaxy’, and played other hits from Fantasies including ‘Gimme Sympathy’ and ‘Help I’m Alive’. They also played the classics such as ‘Monster Hospital’ and ‘Dead Disco’. To close the show Emily and lead guitarist Jimmy Shaw played a striped down acoustic version of ‘Combat baby’, an all time fan favorite tune. They asked the audience of Massey Hall, all 3,500 of them, to sing-along. It was like a fantasy turned reality where everyone starts singing the same song together spontaneously, and everyone knows every lyric. This was a particularly important gig for Shaw and Haines who are both Torontonians. Haines shouted, “Without you, we wouldn’t be here”. Certainly Metric loves Toronto and Toronto no doubt loves Metric.

Worthy mention: The Stills performed a solid show as the opening act for their friends Metric. The Montréalers warmed up the crowd by playing guitar and drum heavy tunes like ‘Don’t Talk Down’ and ‘Eastern Europe’. Lead, Tim Fletcher, commanded the crowd to get up out of their seats and join the band by the stage. The crowd happily obliged. By the end of their set, the audience was left wanting more, which undoubtedly was satisfied by Metric.

Rose Palmieri