City and Colour headlined day 2 of the Born And Raised concert series at his hometown at Montebello Park on St. Catharine’s, Ontario on Canada Day. The highly acclaimed solo project of Dallas Green played all tracks of his debut release “Sometimes” in honour of the 15th anniversary of its release in 2020 (The 15th-anniversary concert was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic). He headlined the stage this time, performing some of his biggest hits and fan favourites.
Doom’s Children, the solo project of Wade McNeil, was the first to open the show. Wade and his band entertained the audience with his mix of rock n’ roll and psychedelic sounds. Fans got to see a different side of Wade compared to the aggressive music of his other bands on Alexisonfire and Gallows. Nevertheless, his performance left the crowd and myself ecstatic to hear more of Wade’s solo project in the future.
Setlist:
1. Trip With Me
2. Psyche Hospital Blues
3. Skeleton Beach
4. Heavy Year
5. Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead cover)
6. Flower Moon
Brampton-native post-hardcore band Moneen was a late addition to Friday’s show, but the audience gave them a warm welcome to the stage. Moneen brought the crowd back in time with their 2000s post-hardcore sound. Featuring some of their deep cuts and favourites, Moneen brought uplifting energy in their 7-song set list, and it was a treat to watch.
Lineup:
Kenny Bridges – Vocals, guitars
Chris “Hippy” Hughes – Vocals, guitar
Haris Cehajic – Keyboards, guitar
Erik Hughes – Bass, vocals
Peter Krpan – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Don’t Ever Tell Locke What He Can’t Do
2. Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now?
3. Start Angry… End Mad
4. To Say Something That Means Nothing to Anyone at All
5. Tonight, I’m Gone…
6. There Are a Million Reasons for Why This May Not Work… And Just One Good One for Why It Will
7. The Passing of America
Broken Social Scene embraced the stage as the 3rd opener on Friday night. The longtime indie-rock band delighted the crowd by playing their classic hits over the years that featured their rock sound with different instrumentations such as trumpets and saxophones. It was fascinating to see how a 10-member band (up to 15 members) can work together to create amazing music as one group. It’s no secret why Broken Social Scene are respected and liked by many people because they make incredible music that feels timeless.
Lineup:
Kevin Drew – Vocals, guitar
Brendan Canning – Vocals, guitar
Andrew Whiteman – Guitar, keyboard
Charles Spearman – Guitar, keyboard, trumpet
Sam Goldberg Jr. – Guitar
Justin Peroff – Drummer
Setlist:
The night set in before City and Colour approached on stage as Dallas Green came out to a mighty roar. From the moment Dallas started singing, the crowd was captivated and entertained from start to finish. Accompanied by a full band, they played a setlist full of old and new tunes. It is extraordinary that Dallas’s career has spanned over 20 years, and his voice sounds better than ever. When he sang one of his notable hits, “Waiting,” he sang at a higher pitch than the studio version in 2008. His voice and lyrics are all he needs to deliver a gratifying live show.
It was a surreal homecoming for City and Colour, as he reminisced of the old days of living in St. Catharine’s in between songs. He thanked the crowd and the people who helped organized the shows before he returned to performing his hits. After a brief break, Dallas returned solo to perform acoustic on fan favourites, “Northern Wind,” “The Girl,” and “Comin’ Home” with a final chorus of Alexisonfire’s “This Could Be Anywhere in the World.” “This is to prepare you guys for tomorrow,” Dallas notified the crowd as Alexisonfire headlines the next two days of the Born And Raised concert series. Then, the band returned to perform “Sleeping Sickness,” as the crowd sang the second verse in honour of the late Gord Downie. It was a picture-perfect ending to a fantastic night of Canadian music, fittingly on Canada Day. It was a day City and Colour and the audience will never forget.
Setlist:
1. Living in Lightning
2. We Found Each Other in the Dark
3. Thirst
4. Northern Blues
5. Strangers
6. If I Should Go Before You
7. Two Coins
8. Waiting…
9. Runaway
10. Lover Come Back
11. Fragile Bird / As Much as I Ever Could / Sorrowing Man
Encore:
12. Northern Wind
13. Comin’ Home
14. The Girl
15. Sleeping Sickness
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Andrew Wu is a music photographer based in Toronto, Canada. His work focuses on capturing and documenting special moments of performers during concerts and various events. His photos have been featured such as music publications in Spill Magazine, Imprint Entertainment, and Patchchord News. In 2020, he completed his BFA in photography at OCAD University.
Andrew is a massive fan of music, as he enjoys a variety of genres such as pop, alternative, rock, hardcore, and metal.
