AWmusic

1. The Postal Service – Sleeping In
It’s always nice to wake up in the afternoon, especially after a night of partying.

2. The Academy Is… – Neighbors
If the neighbours call the cops, you know it was a hell of a party.

3. The Rocket Summer – Brat Pack
Enjoy the time off with your brat pack.

4. The Audition – Warm Me Up
Remember to stretch before you hit the clubs, and after because you never know where the night will take you.

5. The Cab – Drunk Love
Self explanatory…..

6. A Change of Pace – Weekend Warriors
“This can’t last forever. Raise a glass together. Doesn’t get much better. No better than this.”

7. October Fall – Hey Hey
“Hey hey, old friend, I think it’s been too long. Grab the guitar lets sit around, and play our favorite song.”

8. Metrostation – Seventeen Forever
Remember when we were seventeen and school didn’t matter?

9. Boys Like Girls – The Great Escape
Let this opportunity be your great escape from whatever.

10. Cobra Starship – Send My Love To The Dancefloor, I’ll See You In Hell
Follow their lead, “We’re gonna bury this town tonight. We’re gonna dance all night”

PS. For those Americans in the audience, refer to this post in March.

We The Kings opened the night off playing several songs off their self titled debut album. Their live performance was spot on as compared to their record, and not surprisingly they had a phenomenal sound. I enjoyed their live performance as much as I appreciated their cd, which is a considerable amount, but nevertheless it was not insurmountably better, in fact it was just over par. This could be in part due to the lack of lights and equipment saved up for the headliner; however I did not get the same stage presence that I’m used to receiving from such well-regarded bands. Was it a terrible performance? Not at all. Should they be headlining in the future? Yes and no. Their sound is impeccable, and if a band can play their cd perfectly live, then a case can be made that they belong at the forefront of any concert, but I will say the lack of stage presence tells me a couple of things: maybe they were a little gun shy that night, weren’t particularly fond of Toronto, or just need a bit more experience before heading a concert of their own. We The Kings, put on a good show and I personally would like to seem them headline a concert, whether they are ready or not. Their sound was perfect, and they did nothing wrong, however that little extra flare was missing which would have created a greater wow-factor. As such they remain in my top ten favourite bands this year neither moving up or down in rankings.

Metro Station followed We The Kings, and here I thought that Metro Station would open the night because just maybe they were the lesser known band; how naïve I was. Metro Station boosted their stock ten fold after this concert, and they had a beyond stellar performance from start to finish. This is a little bias considering they play a sort of dance-rock that is practically designed for this particular scenario; hundreds of underage teens in a swanky club looking to have a good time. That said, you have to have a sort of character to perform this genre to its full potential, and Metro Station is definitely full of that. Metro Station played their synths live (at least the keyboardist made it look authentic) and with cheesy dance moves, wild guitar motions, and falling keyboards, the audience was having as much fun, as the band seemed to be having playing the music on stage. Metro Station was also quipped with their set of funny/corny/witty lines, ready to spew at the audience and everyone, including myself, was eating it up. It was a worthwhile performance, bringing people of all ages together for a night of good honest goofy fun, and some great music. They, like We The Kings, sounded identical to their record, granted they use a lot of synths. I will however be excited to see them again, and Metro Station has instantly skyrocketed up in rankings due to this performance alone.

Finally Cobra Starship came out to a deafly roaring crowd. Was I truly excited to see them? Not really, but I’m not a pessimist so I expected good things. No surprises here, I wish I could say that Cobra was as bad as I thought they might be, but in fact they were quite good. The frontman Gabe Saporta, is definitely one of the coolest characters I’ve witnessed, and he not only could sing great, but turned his music from drab to one of the most entertaining acts I’ve seen yet. Combined with the blinding robotic lights, the ever beautiful keyboardist (Victoria Asher), and the witty punch lines in between songs, it was a great time to be had by all. I’m still not completely convinced of the music, I didn’t really like Cobra Starships first album attempt, but their newer stuff is good and of course their performance is gold and very entertaining. Perhaps I’m more partial to the electronica displayed by Metro Station, but in the end Cobra Starship did impress me quite a bit and turned me into a fan. Cobra Starship was a great choice for a headliner, because Gabe is quick on his feet, and can easily transform any room into a raging party.

With that said, the concert was well worth it, with great performances by all, some better than others, but all really great bands. I would say that Metro Station outperformed both We The Kings and Cobra Starship, but Gabe Saporta was definitely the showiest of all the performers on stage. I would easily recommend any of these bands in a heartbeat.

P.S. Pictures and possible video footage will be up in a couple of weeks.

Be sure to support the bands on their myspaces: Cobra Starship, We The Kings, Metro Station.

Here’s my favourite songs from each band:

Cobra Starship – Send My Love To The Dancefloor, I’ll See You In Hell

Metro Station – Kelsey

We The Kings – Check Yes Juliet