A chilly Saturday night at Toronto’s HISTORY would not stop a sold-out crowd from coming to see a fantastic show. That’s because progressive rock band Polyphia was in town to perform a setlist of music full of amazing playmaking. The band is touring in support of their latest album, Remember That You Will Die, released last year. Over the past year, Polyphia has become a standout band for their music with big upgrades from venue size and live production. So it was no surprise that a packed audience of 2,500 came in to see talented musicians embrace the stage.
Jazz duo DOMi & JD BECK were the openers of the show. They surprised the audience with their jazzy playmaking on the keyboard and drums. JD Beck’s machine-like drum skills were out of this world, while Domi matched with her graceful play on her keyboard. They thanked the crowd for embracing them as they thought the last few shows featured crowds that didn’t know who they were. The duo surely has gained many more listeners after their amazing set in Toronto.
Setlist:
1. LOUNA’S iNTRO
2. WHATUP
3. SMiLE
4. NOT TiGHT
5. BOWLiNG
6. Figaro / All Caps / Rhinestone Cowboy / Raid / Meat Grinder / Accordion (Madvillain cover)
7. Havona (Weather Report cover)
8. SNiFF
The lights went dark, and the intro music started for the arrival of Polyphia. Tim Henson, Scott LePage, Clay Gober, and Clay Aeschliman arrived to an excited audience as they started their first song, “Loud.” Immediately, you can see their musicianship is top-notch as they lay their riffs on point. They don’t waste time with the next song, “Reverie,” as the crowd moved their heads to the beat of Aeschliman’s fantastic drumming. Gober is seen rocking his bass as he flows to the song while Tim and Scott continued to kill their guitars, to the audience’s delight. The crowd started getting more involved during “Icronic,” as they shouted, “Ayy!” midway through the song. I was more impressed that Tim played two guitars during “Chimera,” which showed his unbelievable hand skills in his guitar.
The night’s best moment came when Scott got the crowd left, right and centre to scream. Then he played the unforgettable riff of “Champagne” as the crowd followed him up by singing the riff during the song. The show midway started to see more crowd surfers and head-banging, which is a sight to see from an instrumental band with no singers. The crowd got more involved in singing to “ABC,” one of the only songs from Polyphia to feature vocals.
Polyphia would return onstage with Scott and Aeschliman announcing to the crowd they’ll play three more songs, which got the audience roaring in excitement. Polyphia started with the jazzy “Genesis” before they finished the night with their widely known songs. “Playing God” excited the crowd seeing Tim’s unhinged riffs and Aeschiliman’s immaculate drumming, while the last song “G.O.A.T.” started an energetic mosh pit ordered by Scott in the middle of the crowd. Tim, Scott, and Gober raised their guitars while Aeschliman approached to the front as the band thanked the crowd for an unbelievable night. In the end, Saturday’s show featured some of the best musicianship from two acts that I and a lot of the audience hoped to see them return soon!
Lineup:
Tim Henson – Guitars
Scott LePage – Guitars
Clay Gober – Bass
Clay Aeschliman – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Loud
2. Reverie
3. The Audacity
4. Goose
5. 40oz
6. Chimera
7. O.D.
8. Icronic
9. Champagne
10. The Worst
11. All Falls Apart
12. Crush / Culture Shock
13. So Strange
14. Neurotica
15. ABC
16. Euphoria
Encore:
17. Genesis
18. Playing God
19. G.O.A.T.
Follow DOMi & JD BECK Online:
Follow Polyphia Online:
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.
