Seriously…where do I begin? Well, after the soy milk debacle and taking a ridiculous detour to get to the Air Canada Centre we arrived about half an hour later than the listed start time. Getting through security was a little bit interesting. My friend’s camera got confiscated, but you’d expect that if you drag in a big honkin’ SLR to the show, right? When we got to our seat Bedouin Soundclash had already come and gone, which I kind of regret because I enjoyed Street Gospels. Third-hand accounts though seemed to indicate that they left something to be desired. Too bad. Our seats were located at the side of the stage. From our vantage point it was easy to tell that we wouldn’t get a completely clear view of Paramore. There was a black curtain kind of obscuring about 15% of the stage. Thing is, we could see that behind the curtain was most definitely No Doubt’s set. We knew that once the curtain came down we’d have very decent seats.
It wasn’t long after we arrived that Paramore came on stage. I have a copy of their CD Riot!, and it’s been on my iPod for a while. So, I have a good sense of what their sound was like. I figured it was a good match for No Doubt because of that whole female-fronted band thing. When they came out one of my first thoughts was about how young Hayley looked. When they started playing, I immediately felt that they were totally a cohesive unit. There were many moments where they were jumping or head banging in unison. They put in a great set with a decent amount of energy. Almost everything came off of Riot! with a few songs from their new album. I can see how most of their songs could be a bit of a blur where they sound very alike. However, since I was familiar with most of the set it wasn’t bad at all. Familiarity has that effect doesn’t it? Now, due to my ridiculously limited concert experience the only immediate comparison I could make was to seeing Avril from 5 years ago. I felt that there was a huge difference. God. While they both seemed young, there was something a hell of a lot more respectable about Paramore. I don’t know…it’s something hard to qualify.
I sat down for most of their set with me bobbing my head to the beats now and then. They did get me out of my seat at their request at one point but as soon as the song was done most of us were back down. Most of the crowd was really there for No Doubt. It was a valiant effort, but…I guess it was to be expected. No matter what, I think they did a very respectable job at getting people a bit warmed up.
As soon as they finished, the crew was out there prepping everything. The coverings were slowly peeled back or added and before you knew it the stage was stark white. The seats in the arena were filling up fast. The crowd was buzzing with anticipation. Then…darkness, and the roar of the crowd filled the place as a white curtain came down. Projected on the curtain were the shadows of the band members. Aaaaaand then down it came and the band began. They started out with Spiderwebs. It was loud and raucous, and oh so very magical. From that point forward I did not sit back down. I was there bouncing and waving my arms with everyone.
Now, back in the late 90′s and early 00′s I was sort of familiar with their music, but didn’t follow them all that much. I think I was just too immersed in my studies to really pay much attention to music. It really wasn’t until I picked up the compilation The Singles 1992–2003 that I became a fan. I realized that, God, they had a lot of strong singles. This concert has reinforced the fact that, yeah, I really like this band. I’m happy to see them back. I mean, we went to see Gwen’s solo stint two years ago in the same building. As much as she put on a good show, thinking back I almost think there was a missing dimension to the whole experience. Seeing her again this time around with the guys is just so different. It’s like the whole family is back together–she was back with her brothers. They were feeding off of each other’s energy. There was a level of true confidence there that I just didn’t get from her solo show. There was a level of joy there that was palpable. During a costume change, I saw Kingston and Zuma being carried by nannies at the side of the stage waving at everyone in the band. So cute!
There was no point in the show where I felt there was a lull. Just about everything was familiar and full of energy. If I said Paramore had a high energy set, No Doubt just about blew the roof off of the place. I have never cheered so loudly for a group before. Holy crap. See, back then when we were still considering whether we wanted tickets, we were kind of questioning whether we were willing to shell out the big bucks for “limited view” seats. Coming out of it there was absolutely “No Doubt” (sorry, that was bound to happen) that it was worth every single dollar. Heck, even though were were at the side they all knew how to work the stage. They frequently came over to make sure we saw them. I didn’t feel like I missed anything at all. Love, love, love. Next time they’re in town I have to see them again. YES.
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9 comments
Erin says:
Fri. June 19, 2009 at 1:02 am (UTC -5 )
Sounds amazing!! I’m a little jealous!
Jay says:
Fri. June 26, 2009 at 7:23 pm (UTC -5 )
Well, I’m sure you’ve been to many mind-blowing DMB concerts in your time. No need to be jealous, right?
roobin says:
Tue. May 11, 2010 at 5:41 pm (UTC -5 )
Great review, some fun reading. Gwen was absolutely outstanding that night. Her abs are perfect. I wonder if she went commando hehehe.
Jay says:
Tue. May 18, 2010 at 4:38 pm (UTC -5 )
The whole lot of them seemed like they were having a blast, and I really can’t blame them since it’s probably been ages since they’ve done this as a group. Her abs are indeed perfect, though, I would venture to say that she did wear underwear because she seems classy like that.
roobin says:
Wed. May 19, 2010 at 3:44 am (UTC -5 )
Yeah, I really got an impression they were having so much fun the whole summer tour. It’s amazing how they’re all still friends after so many years together.
As for Gwen, I’d like to agree with you. When my friend (who was very close to the stage) said he thinks Gwen went ‘commando’ I went: she’s too classy, she’s 40 and she’s a mother of two kids. But then he showed me some photos like those three:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2604/3779973533_24e0621329.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2531/4110207329_6be863fb9c_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4548783124_ed2dd0a01b_b.jpg
and I almost changed my mind. So who knows…
Jay says:
Wed. May 19, 2010 at 8:05 pm (UTC -5 )
After much closer examination (for research purposes) I say it’s inconclusive. It’s easy for her to wear a thong or something low rise. Plus with the costume changes and constant jumping around on stage I’d have to say going commando would risk a lot of unnecessary chafing.
So says I.
roobin says:
Thu. May 20, 2010 at 4:53 am (UTC -5 )
Hahaha, yeah I’m with you here – I think you described it perfectly. But hey, it’s not that important after all.
The most important is that it was a great show, The band was so energetic and really appreciated the crowd’s excitment. Their performance was genuine, professional and very entertaining. To be honest, it was better than I expected. I hope to see them on their next tour, whenever will it be (I heard Gwen’s pregnant again, so it may not be too soon… 
)
g19 says:
Sun. May 23, 2010 at 5:55 pm (UTC -5 )
Awww, I’m a little jealous too. ND is one of my fav bands. I couldn’t make it to any their concert last summer so I love to read all the concert reviews I find and watch the videos (luckily there’s a lot of material all around the web). Just to add my 5 cents, I doubt Gwen went commando. I think it’d be far too risky for her with all the running and jumping she was doing on stage – I mean, imagine that her pants fell off or something
. Not to mention other problems it could bring… One thing is sure, though: she had to get a good brazilian wax. XD XD XD By the way, how much did your tickets cost?
Jay says:
Sun. May 23, 2010 at 9:25 pm (UTC -5 )
Yeah, I really don’t recall how much the tickets were. I figure $70 something plus fees? Sorry, no clue.
No Doubt is fun live. I’m with roobin in that next time they tour I really do plan on seeing them.