3am Mixtapes: Episode Eighty Five: Fire

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general as best songs of 2013. Some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Songs That Mention Payphones. 

And if you're in Vancouver and looked out your window this weekend (or outside of Vancouver and looked on your social media) you would have seen a post-apocalyptic haze that descended over the city thanks to some raging forest fires. Which inspired the theme for this week, the Top Six Fiery Songs!

Light these up:

"BC Is On Fire" by The Pack A.D.
"Lampshades on Fire" by Modest Mouse
"The Fire Did Go" by Royal Wood
"The Fire" by Dan Griffin
"Throw it on the Fire" by Zeus
"Firestruck" by Young Galaxy

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

 Subscribe in a reader (Feedburner) | Listen on Stitcher | Direct Download

3am Mixtapes: Episode Sixty Four: Sex Rock w/ Savvie

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general as best female-fronted bands , but some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Songs to Listen to While Hungover on a Sunday Morning. 

This week I am joined by a special guest co-host, Savannah Leigh Wellman, who will tell me all about her new band Savvie, and her new favourite sound with the Top Six Sex Rock Songs!

Shake your hips to:

"Get Some" by Lykke Li
"Boo Hoo Hoo" by No Sinner
"Do I Wanna Know" by Arctic Monkeys
"Make It Wit Chu" by Queens of the Stone Age
"First One In" by Zeus
"Without You" by Savvie

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

 Subscribe in a reader (Feedburner) | Listen on Stitcher | Direct Download

Zeus @ Electric Owl -- 09/13/14

The very first time I saw Toronto's Zeus, they were opening for Jason Collett (as well as acting as his backing band) at Richard's on Richards, and played to about 10 people. It was an early show that no one knew was early, so they got shafted. Luckily I've seen them more than a couple times in the six years, and three albums later, they are playing to packed venues like the Electric Owl.


Toronto's The Elwins opened up the show, with their upbeat and bouncy indie-pop songs. The sound wasn't great for them at the beginning of the set, which I think really hurt -- their precision pop and harmonized vocals lose a lot with poor sound quality -- but it evened out a little as the set went on, and the crowd slowly migrated towards the stage, pulled in by the band's exuberance.

They teased the crowd with some new songs, as well as songs off And I Thank You, highlights including the ridiculous catchy "Stuck In The Middle" and a cover of Beyonce's "Countdown", which they put their own spin on and had the crowd counting down along with them. The wasn't the last crowd participation, though, as for "Forgetful Assistance" the mustachioed guitar/keyboardist Feurd Moore conducted the crowd to clap along, and even hopped off the stage among the people at the front, hugging a few, and handing off the tambourine before taking place.

It was a really fun set, and hopefully next time they're back, the sound will be better.


And then, making their return to their Canadian home soil, after a few days in the USA (or "ew-sa", as they said) was the mighty Zeus. With Rob Drake on drums, Carlin Nicholson, Mike O'Brien, and Neil Quin all cycled through guitars and bass and keys, taking lead vocals for different songs, as well as providing perfect harmonies. They were also joined by the newest member of Zeus, Jason Haberman (not Collett as some places have been reporting, and they were quick to point out) previously of Yukon Blonde, on various instruments.

Right away they launched into "Bonnieview" from the new album Classic Zeus, and as soon as they started, their talents burst through. Each member is an amazing musicians with a great presence, and they were blown away by the crowd's reaction to them, which just fuelled their passion even more.

From the hip shaking groove of "Love/Pain", to the explosive rocking and beautiful harmonies of "The Renegade", to the softer and heartbreaking "One Line Written In" and everything in between, the hour-plus set ran through all three of their albums pretty equally. The energetic crowd also joining in, clapping along and singing the ooo-aah-ooo's of  "Strong Mind" before the band brought the set to an end with "27 is the New 17", Rob Drake coming out from behind the drums for the first time and picking up a guitar, for Carlin to take his place, before chants of "ZEUS! ZEUS!" brought them back out for a couple more.

Any remaining faces left unmelted were taken care of with an absolutely incendiary and rocking "You Gotta Teller" -- definitely the best song of the set -- before the capped off the night with and a bit of a rarity, the title track to the Hot Under The Collar 7".

It's always amazing watching them play. Each member has the songwriting and musical chops -- as well as on-stage presence -- to be a fantastic frontman of their own band, and with their powers combined, they are a band unparalleled.

setlist
Bonnieview, Heavy On Me, I Know, Love/Pain, The Renegade, Anything You Want Dear, You Could Have A Lover, Are You Gonna Waste My Time?, First One In, One Line Written In, I Miss My Friends, Strong Mind, 27 Is The New 17.
(encore) You Gotta Teller, Hot Under the Collar. 

3am Mixtapes: Episode Twenty Three: Covers (that are not Hurt)

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general like best breakup songs. Or some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Songs With Opposite Titles.

This week is all about someone else's songs, it is the Top Six Cover Songs That Are Not Hurt By Johnny Cash! I always love me some cover songs, and here are just a few of the ones that have stuck with me over the years.

Hear these bands do versions of:

"Hoppipolla" by We Are Scientists, covering Sigur Rós
"Le Pyromane" by The Zolas, covering Karkwa
Take On Me" by A.C. Newman, covering A-Ha
"Ignition (Remix)" by Zeus, covering R. Kelly
"What You Waiting For" by Franz Ferdinand, covering Gwen Stefani
"Common People" by William Shatner, covering Pulp

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

 Subscribe in a reader (Feedburner) | Direct Download

Zeus @ Biltmore -- 05/26/12

The silver lining of the not-going-to-Sasquatch! cloud for those in Vancouver was being able to catch Toronto's Zeus at the Biltmore Cabaret. The former backing band of Jason Collett was touring in support of their latest album, Busting Visions, and having seen them live a few times before, I knew they never fail to deliver and are not a band to be missed.

First up was Vancouver's Wake! Owl, who recently opened for frequent Zeus collaborator Bahamas. That time, they were a three-piece, but they were up to their usual five members, which added a great depth to their big, sweeping folk-pop sound. The set was a mix of new songs, including one called "Innocence" which really stood out, and some off their recent Wild Country EP, "Seaside" being another highlight, with a lot of the songs starting off soft and then build into a grand ending.
There wasn't much talk or banter between songs -- a little bit form the keyboard player -- but they had a good energy and string-breaking intensity while playing. They were definitely impressive, and I'm predicting big things from them in the future.

Not long after, the four members of Zeus took the stage, with Carlin Nicholson proclaiming "I have three drinks in front of me, none of which are water" as they immediate launched into "How Does It Feel?".
With Rob Drake behind the kit, Carlin, Mike O'Brien, and Neil Quin swapped guitar, bass and keys throughout the set, as well as trading off on lead vocals, with everyone joining in on some of the best harmonies around. All four members have amazing talents and stage presence -- especially Carlin, who at one point put more spectacle into a single bass note than I've seen from some musicians in a whole show.

They promised a surprise or two, and delivered when they were joined by a couple local musicians, Colin Cowan on bass and Dan Mangan on keys & harmonizing perfectly on "Fever of the Time". 

Other highlights included "The Renegade", which built to an amazing ending, with each member of the band going nuts. It easily could have been the set closer, but they still had a few more to go;  the do-wop influenced "Love in a Game" that got people moving and the main-set-ending "Are You Gonna Waste My Time?" But of course were back out for a couple more, including the final sing of the night, their amazing cover of Genesis' "That's All"

As they left, they promised they'll come back twice a year until they die, and if they keep their end of the bargain, I will be at every one of those shows.

setlist
How Does It Feel?, Strong Mind, Greater Times on the Wayside, The River By The Garden, Love/Pain, Kindergarten, I Know, With Eyes Closed, Fever or the Time, Hello Tender Love, Marching Through Your Head, The Renegade, Big Brown Opus, Love in a Game, Heavy On Me, Are You Gonna Waste My Time?
(encore) The Darkness, At The Risk of Repeating, That's All [Genesis cover].

Zeus @ Biltmore -- 10/21/11

Every once in a while, a show that I should be excited for just kind of sneaks up on me without fanfare. For some reason, this was one of those shows. Sure, I was looking forward to it; I had seen Zeus four times before and this, and it would be the first time seeing them headline a show (not counting the Bonfire Ball), but I was probably not as excited going in as I should have been.

Starting off the night was Daydream Vacation from Seattle; a collaboration between Smoosh and Head Like A Kite who were kind of a strange choice to open the show, with a strong electro-pop dancey sound. It wasn't bad by any means -- Asya from Smooth had a really nice voice and Dave was very animated, singing into a phone receiver and a few times jumping off stage and through the [light] crowd -- but it was just a bizarre fit. A lot of their songs had the same vibe, even the Neil Young cover they threw in, but it was still an upbeat and catchy set.

Vancouver's own Sun Wizard was up next, with their straight-ahead, throwback rock being more suitably paired with Zeus. I've seen them a couple times now, and they are an enjoyable band to watch at the time, but nothing overly engaging. They don't have too much of a stage presence and have a few really catchy songs, notably "World's Got a Handle", but a lot of them were also a little interchangeable. But again, it was a Perfectly Acceptable set and I wouldn't complain seeing them again.

Then it was time for Zeus. They mentioned early since there was a curfew, they'd keep the chit chat minimal and just play, blasting us with a straight hour of rock. The bulk of the set was off of last year's Say Us, but there were a few new ones, teasing the release of their album next March. Of the new ones, the do wop "Love In a Game" was probably my favourite.
Throughout the set there was lots of switching around with Carlin, Mike, and Neil swapping between guitars, bass, and keys, and all pitching in for vocals -- either main or chiming in for superb harmonies. And even though there wasn't much chatter, they still kept a captive crowd, getting the folks to sing along just by Carlin cupping his ear.
Other highlights were the intense ending of "The Renegade" with the band going absolutely nuts rocking out, and the stellar "The River by the Garden", during which Mike broke a string on his guitar -- and between songs, instead of standing around while he fixed, Carlin played a badass bass solo that launching into their great cover of Genesis' "That's All". They ended the main set with the new single, "Are You Gonna Waste My Time?" before coming back for a quick two song encore, capping off the night with the driving"You Gotta' Teller"

It was an amazing set, and I immediately realised why I should have been more excited -- and chastised myself for not. It is going to be tough to wait until next March for the new album, and hopefully they're back not long after that for another show.

setlist
[New Song], [New Song], Kindergarten, Greater Times on the Wayside, The River by the Garden, That's All [Genesis cover], How Does It Feel?, Heavy On Me, Marching Through Your Head, BBO(?), Love is a Game, The Renegade, Are You Gonna Waste My Time?
(encore) Hot Under The Collar, You Gotta' Teller.

Shows of October

Well, I did this last month, so let's try it again, shall we? Here are some of the shows I am excited about in the month of October. It's a pretty stacked month, with lots of great shows announced so far (with a few conflicting ones, too).

Big Sugar with Wide Mouth Mason at the Commodore on October 21st & 22nd.
Top of the list would have to be this show, no question. I was at the Commodore eight years ago for what was, at the time, Big Sugar's final Vancouver show and it was phenomenal. I was thrilled when they got back together, and when they announced Wide Mouth Mason -- who Gordie Johnson now plays bass with -- would be opening? well, their show at the Yale in January has probably been one of my favourite shows of the year, so that's just extra added awesome.

Chad VanGaalen at the Rio Theatre on October 15th
Even though Pop Okanagan is happening this same weekend, I am pretty sure seeing CVG live trumps an entire festival. It will be two years to the day (and, in fact, at the same venue) since I last saw him, which is far too long. (Accompanied video not mine, was taken from the last show, with Julie Fader on keys)

Kathryn Calder at the Biltmore on October 27th
Even though I've seen her a couple times this year, Calder is always incredible live. Her new album is out soon, and I am very much looking forward to seeing her live again.

Dominique Fricot with Sidney York at the Electric Owl on October 14th
Ten and a half months. That's all it took between seeing him at One Night Stand and finally seeing him perform his own material. Which is inexcusable. And of course, there's Sidney. The only time I've seen her was at a venue with sub-par sound, so I am very excited to see her somewhere that will sound good.

And the conflicts? That lies with the aforementioned Big Sugar/WMM show as well as:
Sidney York with The Ruffled Feathers & The Belle Game at the Railway on October 20th.
Zeus at the Biltmore on October 21st
The Zolas & The Liptonians on October 20th at the Electric Owl and October 24nd at St James Hall
So. There's all that. Zeus is a fantastic live band who haven't been here since the (incredible) Bonfire Ball tour. The Liptonians blew me away live earlier this year, and pairing them with The Zolas is perfect. And the show at the Railway has just an excellent lineup. There could be a way to see all the shows, but it might be tough!

Oh, and there's the last Peak Performance Project showcase with Maurice, Lindsay Bryan, 41st & Home and Rococode on the 6th at the Red Room well as Danny Michel with Jody Glenham at the Biltmore on the 13th, which should be fun, and of course, the Foo Fighters at Rogers Arena on the 25th. But as much as I love the Foos, and as great a live show as they put on, I have a feeling I won't be able to make this show unless I somehow get press, or win tickets...

Whew. That's a lot of shows.

Say Us by Zeus

A couple years ago, I went to see Jason Collett at Richard's. Due to the poor planning (on their part) and a curfew, I thought I was getting there early, but actually caught the last couple songs of the bands set, in an almost-empty room. They came back later as Collett's backing band, and Jason was nice enough to let them play another one of their songs in the middle of the set, for those who missed them. They were also the band that opened for, and backed up, Collett when he was back a couple months later as kind of a make-up show. That time I caught the whole set, and while I was interested in them the first time, this time I was won over. And then when Metric came through town, I was excited enough, but when they added this band as their opener, I was thrilled. Who am I talking about? Zeus, of course. After a fantastic teaser EP last year, they released their first full length this year, Say Us. A few times I've been burned by bands with great EPs, but mediocre full lengths -- mostly the same amount of good songs, spread out over twice as long -- and while I wasn't really worried, since I had heard some of it live, it was still in the back of my mind.

The album sets the stage with, "How Does It Feel?", a holdover from the EP which gives you a hint of the catchiness that will pop up in the next 40 minutes or so. "Fever Of The Time" is a bit more mellow, but not without a subdued energy, and then one of my favourites, "Kindergarten", builds to a fantastic finale. It is perhaps the best proof that "[they] got fire within [them]", along with the next track, "The Renegade" and its climb to a great ending. "Greater Times On The Wayside" is a short track that almost leads perfectly into "The River By The Garden", which has an upbeat mood that belies its darker lyrics (that remind me a little of Where The Wild Roses Grow). After that, "You Gotta' Teller" ramps up the energy with distortion and fuzz, and is probably the most intense on the album. "I Know" and "Marching Through Your Head" are another couple from the EP, with the latter being fantastically catchy (an apt title, too, since that is what the song will be doing). "The Sound Of You" brings the tempo down, if only for a moment, when "Heavy On Me" starts with an energy and intensity that keeps boiling just under the surface, breaking through every so often only to be contained again, before letting loose at the end. The album closes with the piano-heavy "At The Risk Of Repeating", which is a nice way to close the album.

One great thing about Zeus is the fluidity of the band. With the exception of drummer Rob Drake, the members Mike O'Brien, Carlin Nicholson & Neil Quin all trade off instruments and lead vocals throughout the album. But there is never a jarring shift; the songs all blend together so seamlessly that you might not even notice. It's rather Sloan-esque, showing off how multi-talented the whole band is, and is especially cool when seeing them live. Needless to say, my worries were for nought, as the album more than matches the awesomeness of the EP. It is undeniable contagious and infinitely re-listenable, and will no doubt be remembered by the time the year-end best-of lists roll around.


Download Kindergarten

Download The River By The Garden

Download Heavy On Me

Clicky to exchange monies for music

The Bonfire Ball w/ Jason Collett, Zeus & Bahamas @ Biltmore Cabaret -- 03/26/10

I don't even know where to begin.

For a while now, I've been yearning for a show where a few artists just took the stage together to play each others songs, especially after Monsters of Folk did the format so masterfully last year. Well, the Bonfire Ball was exactly what I was looking for. Jason Collett, Zeus & Bahamas, together in one show, not just with three different sets, but all taking the stage together, weaving together a three hour set comprised of all their songs (and more). With Zeus both touring with and backing Jason Collet on his last tour, and Bahamas (aka Afie Jurvanen) playing on both their albums, the format only seemed natural. I've seen each of these bands live before and each one I would gladly pay to see on their own, so a show like this? Awesome.

The night started off with Jason Collett hitting the stage alone for "My Daddy Was a Rock n’ Roller" before Zeus and Bahamas came out to join him for "Fire" and "Hangover Days". Bahamas took front and centre next for three songs, and then three from Zeus, with their first being the awesome "Kindergarten". The rest of the first half traded off Zeus and Collett every few songs, with "Bitch City", off Collett's new album Rat A Tat Tat, being great live, and "High Summer" having a pretty funny intro. Collett talked a bit about the differences between Canadian & American cultures (they just came back from a week touring in the States) and pointing out what the sign of a true Canadian is (the ability to make love in a canoe), a fact that tied into the song. That was pretty much the most banter for the whole show, which was a little sad; I especially missed Afie's stage banter, which is part of what won me over when I first saw Bahamas. He just oozes charisma, and was hilarious with his faux arrogance and attitude that almost reminded me of Dave Grohl. While he still still insanely charismatic, there was only a little banter.
Back to the set, though: while this wasn't the first time I've seen the new Zeus songs live, it is the first time since the album came out, so it was great to be familiar with them. "River by the Garden" and "Marching Through Your Head" were both superb live. The first half of the show ended with "Cornerstones", off the Sounds Like Zeus EP, which just tore the place down. Every time I've seen them (this will be the fourth) they just get better and better. And it's really cool to see them switching things up, as just about every song had a different configuration, with three of the four members switching off between the guitars, bass and keys, and all of them providing vocals. Very Sloan-esque of them.

I think I honestly could have left right then and been satisfied, but we still had a lot more show to go!

The second half began after a quick break with Zeus back out, with their insanely catchy "How Does It Feel?" (a slogan we decided was probably not a good idea to have on a t-shirt). They traded off for a few, with Collett's "Rave On Sad Song" being another highlight. Then there was a little of Bahamas' banter; before "What's Worse" he called out a guy who was being a little rowdy, then proceeded to sing the song to the girl he was with. There was also a great moment in the song where Afie and one of the members of Zeus had a nice guitar duel going. I can not wait until Bahamas is back for a headlining show of his own.
Collett had a bit of a love double shot with two newer ones, "Love is a Dirty Word" and "Love is a Chain", before one of my favourite Collett songs, "Charlyn, Angel of Kensington". Jason was, of course, insanely good live. This was my fourth time seeing him live (the other three times, interestingly enough, were all in '08) and I've never been disappointed.
Rounding out the second portion, Bahamas dedicated "Hockey Teeth" to a random couple who may or may not have been on their first date, and Zeus nearly blew the roof off with "You Gotta' Teller", before "ending", all together, with another of my favourite Collett songs, one which is always incredible live, "I'll Bring The Sun". The way the song builds to the conclusion, seeing everyone just go crazy on stage, it was just... wow. It blew the roof all the way off.

Then there was the obligatory encore, which was an all-cover-song set, and if you know me, you know I love hearing bands do covers live. First saw just Bahamas on the drums and Neil Quin of Zeus on the guitar for what may have been the best cover, R. Kelly's "Ignition". Done completely straight. Yeah, it was glorious. The rest of Zeus came out for their cover of Genesis' "That's All", then for his cover, Bahamas absolutely owned the room with "I've Never Found A Girl (Who Loves Me Like You Do)" by Al Green. I wouldn't be surprised if half the girls in the room fell in love with him that night, and the other half after that song. Collett pulled out some Rolling Stones for "She's So Cold", and the night ended, after more than three hours, with everyone rocking out to The Beatles' "Slow Down".

And to put the proverbial icing on the cake? Grant Lawrence and CBC Radio 3 were urging people to fancy themselves up, as if going to a real ball. So, of course, never one to pass up the opportunity to suit up, I went for it. And the cool thing is, so did a fair amount of others! Most of the Biltmore was still in the usual hipster-wear, but there was a group of us all gussied up. You could definitely tell who in the room was an R3 listener.

Three fantastic bands. A dream format. Cover songs. Suiting up. This was quite possibly a perfect show for me; it was one of, if not the, best of the year so far and will certainly be hard to top.


I managed to (mostly) keep track of the setlist. It's a bit of a doozy, so prepare for some scrolling. I also missed the titles of a few songs... they may be new, since I tried to match them with songs I know/have, but I also might just fail. If you know them, feel free to let me know so I can fill 'em in.

My Daddy Was a Rock n’ Roller (Collett)
Fire (Collett)
Hangover Days (Collett)
Your Touch (Bahamas)
Caught Me Thinking (Bahamas)
Be My Witness (Bahamas)
Kindergarten (Zeus)
I Know (Zeus)
Airplane (Zeus)
We All Lose One Another (Collett)
High Summer (Collett)
Greater Times On the Wayside (Zeus)
The River by The Garden (Zeus)
Idols of Exile (Collett)
Bitch City (Collett)
Long May You Love (Collett)
Marching Through Your Head (Zeus)
Cornerstones (Zeus)
(intermission)
How Does it Feel? (Zeus)
The Renegade (Zeus)
I Got You Babe (Bahamas)
Cold Blue Halo (Collett)
Lake Superior (Collett)
Rave on Sad Song (Collett)
Already Yours (Bahamas)
What's Worse (Bahamas)
[mystery song] (Zeus)
At Risk Of Repeating (Zeus)
Love is a Dirty Word (Collett)
Love is a Chain (Collett)
Charlyn, Angel of Kensington (Collett)
Out of Time (Collett)
Hockey Teeth (Bahamas)
Heavy On Me (Zeus)
You Gotta Teller (Zeus)
Blue Sky (Collett)
I'll Bring the Sun (Collett)
(encore)
Ignition (r. kelly cover) (Zeus [Neil Quin])
That's All (genesis cover) (Zeus)
I've Never Found A Girl (Who Loves Me Like You Do) (al green cover) (Bahamas)
She's So Cold (rolling stones cover) (Collett)
Slow Down (the beatles cover) (all)

Review-kus.

Originally I wanted to review every album I bought/otherwise listened to this year. Clearly, I've slacked on that. Partially cos there have been a lot of albums that, for whatever reason, I don't feel like writing a full review for. So what I have decided to do is give a few really quick reviews all at once.... in haiku form. Here we go!

No Nations by Jets Overhead
Excellent second
They're not heading for nowhere
Quite the opposite.

Download Fully Shed by Jets Overhead

Sounds Like Zeus EP by Zeus
A kick-ass EP
Songs that will march through your head
Can't wait for full length

Download Marching Through Your Head by Zeus

Wilco (The Album) by Wilco
Aural excellence
The brilliance you would expect
Wilco (The Haiku)

Download You and I (feat. Feist) by Wilco

Riceboy Sleeps by Jónsi & Alex
(Sigur Rós vocalist Jón Þór Birgisson and partner Alex Somers, and also including Amiina)
Take some Sigur Rós
And remove all the vocals
Still heavenly

Download All the Big Trees by Jónsi & Alex

Metric @ The Orpheum -- 11/03/09

After my complaining last week, it was kind of nice to finally have a curfewed show on a weekday. And what a show it was! At first, I was vaguely disappointed that The Stills were opening for Metric out east but not here, but after the show, I most definitely changed my tune and was perfectly happy with the choice of openers.

I had seen Zeus before -- a couple times, actually -- when they opened for (and subsequently played with) Jason Collett last year. I liked them well enough then, but was never really inspired to do more than turn up Radio3 when they came on. However, I can safely say after this show, they fully won me over. And based on the crowd reaction, I wasn't the only one. Their 45 minute set was filled with awesomely catchy songs, like the single Marching Through Your Head and Genesis cover That's All. They also changed things up quite a bit. Of the our members, only the drummer stayed put. The other three traded off between guitar, bass and keyboard and swapped lead vocals, with everyone providing backups. It was pretty cool too see a band do this, as not many can, and spoke volumes for their talent. The only source of disappointment was that they only had a five song EP for sale, but clearly had enough awesomeness for a full length. I hope to see one soon and can't wait for them to be back in town.

This is the third time I've seen Metric in the last year (this show, an acoustic show earlier this year and the Jingle Bell Rock tour late last year) and they somehow manage to surprise me every time. Such an incredible sound that comes out of only four members. Emily Haines is like a tiny ball of energy, bouncing and jumping and rocking and dancing all over the place, when not on guitar or on the keys. And James Shaw always leaves me in awe of his boundless talent. And not to leave out Joules Scott-Key and Josh Winstead, who were both as great as always.
They kicked off with Twilight Galaxy -- which featured a theremin! awesome! -- which built to an epic climax before launching into Help I'm Alive and somehow keeping up the energy level for the entire set. Focusing mostly on the new album, Fantasies, they threw in only a few from Live It Out and just the two hits from Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? I was kind of hoping for a fewer older ones, like Succexy or Live It Out, but oh well. Gold Guns Girls was definitely a highlight of the set, which I think was the only song that saw Haines on guitar.
The weird this is, they didn't speak to the crowd until almost the end of the set. During the instrumental on an extended version of Empty, Haines "ranted" a little bit about how the past was better and this generation needs a new Zeppelin, which tied it in to how great Zeus is. The extended Empty also featured some random lyrics slipped in from other songs, like Beastie Boys' Fight for Your Right. They ended the "main" set with another incredible live song, Stadium Love, which was just another burst of pure energy and enthusiasm from the band. The encore consisted of Monster Hospital first, then Joules and John took their leave and Shaw & Haines did a very nice acoustic version of Combat Baby which everyone in the house sang along to. They also dedicated the song to their friend Torquil Campbell of Stars, who was in attendance (apparently). This was kinda funny, since it was the third show in a row I've been to where someone has mentioned Torquil.
After the song was done, Joules and John came back out and the band thanked everyone for what was an awesome night, for all involved.

setlist:
Twilight Galaxy, Help I'm Alive, Satellite Mind, Poster of a Girl, Handshakes, Gold Guns Girls, Collect Call, Empty, Gimme Sympathy, Sick Muse, Dead Disco, Blindness, Stadium Love.
(encore) Monster Hospital, Combat Baby (acoustic).