Last night, Metric electrified a sold-out crowd at Ottawa’s The Bronson Music Theatre with a dynamic performance that focused on celebrating their 2009 iconic album Fantasies.
The show opened with “Help I’m Alive,” the first track off of Fantasies, before continuing through the rest of the songs from that album in order. Emily Haines was in fine form, commanding the stage through every song, whether clutching the mic at the front of the stage, fist raised in the air, or standing at the keyboards, adding delicate layers to the wall of sound coming from the stage.
The setlist was balanced out with a few additional fan favourites like “Youth Without Youth” and “All Comes Crashing,” and closing out the show with 2010’s, “Black Sheep.”
The band’s Fantasies album is well-deserving of a celebratory tour in its honour. Aside from being critically acclaimed, it is an album that seems to hold a special place in the hearts of many Metric fans. This was obvious as I scanned the packed venue, a sea of people, each having their own moments of nostalgia with the songs from the album. Hands were in the air, fans swayed back and forth, eyes closed as they just savoured the moment, and others screamed and yelled their approval throughout the set. At one point between songs, a fan screamed something out to Haines, which prompted her to jokingly say, “Did you say that was adorable, or that was horrible? I hear what I wanna here, that’s why I’m still doing this.”
One of the bonuses of playing an entire album live is the opportunity to perform songs that generally weren’t played live often, and Haines made mention of that specifically before playing the song, “Blindness.” She noted the song is special to her and that it is still significant in today’s society, in that sometimes there’s something that you need to look at, but you don’t, like the news or something in your life, and that “I will stop hiding and face the things I need to face. This is Blindness.”
Metric’s performance at the Bronson Centre was proof of their appeal and popularity with their loyal fans. I knew on arrival, well before doors opened, that the lineup down the street was a sign of good things to come. It’s always beautiful seeing people coming together in celebration of music, and Metric delivered a show that rightfully acknowledged their place in Canada’s musical tapestry of the last 20 years.
