A chilly Saturday night in Toronto would not stop a sold-out crowd at The Opera House. It was a special night with rock band Show Me The Body making a Canadian stop in their headlining tour. Before the openers arrived on stage, a DJ was mixing a variety of hits from the 1980s to the 2000s. That got the crowd entertained before the night started.
The show started with rapper TRiPP JONES performing while working out with weights—quite a sight to behold for me and the crowd that intrigued everyone. The rapper had a nice flow through his 30-minute set, and he ended with a dance production to get the audience moving.
The DJ played some classic rock hits from System of a Down to The Killers before rock band Zulu arrived onstage. They were impressive from the start, as they continued the energy from the DJ’s set. It was hardcore music at its best, with vocalist Anaiah Lei bringing impressive growls from beginning to end. With the crowd head-banging and crowd surfing to mosh pitting to the max, Zulu’s set was spectacular in the end.
Lineup:
Anaiah Lei – Vocalist
Dez Yusef – Guitar
Braxton Marcellous – Guitar
Satchel Brown – Bass
Christine Cadette – Drummer
Hardcore band Scowl made a return to Toronto as the third opener. For this being the third time seeing this band, I knew they would pull out a fantastic set. Kat Moss’s growls were on point while her band members easily ripped through their respective instruments. The crowd answered with constant mosh pits and two-stepping to their banging tunes. Once again, Scowl pulled off an unforgettable set that undoubtedly many will remember.
Lineup:
Kat Moss – Vocalist
Bailey Lupo – Bass
Cole Gilbert – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Retail Hell
2. F**k Around
3. Opening Night
4. Trophy Hunter
5. Petty Selfish Cretin
6. Wired
7. Dead to Me
8. Roots
9. Shot Down
10. Attitude (Misfits cover)
11. Bloodhound
Jesus Piece was the last opener, and their brand of metalcore and heavy hardcore kept the energy going. Heavy guitars from the band members and Aaron Heard’s growls made for an energetic set as the crowd brought the mosh pits and crowd surfing to the absolute max. Metalcore fans will love this band, especially with their new album, … SO UNKNOWN coming out next month.
Lineup:
Aaron Heard – Vocalist
David Updike – Guitar
John Distefano – Guitar
Anthony Marinaro – Bass
Luis Aponte – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Curse of the Serpent
2. An Offering to the Night
3. Workhorse
4. Greed
5. Gates of Horn
6. Neuroprison
7. Fear of Failure
8. Punish
9. Oppressor
10. Conjure Life
The DJ kept spinning some classic hits like Owl City, Britney Spears, Daddy Yankee and Soulja Boy before the arrival of Show Me The Body. The lights went dark to the crowd’s excitement as Julian Cashwan Pratt, Harlan Steed, and Jackie McDermott arrived onstage. Julian started the opening words of “Out of Place,” the first of three transitioning songs that got the crowd preparing for a frenzy. After “Boils Up” finished, the crowd mosh pitted and crowd surfing to the heavy tune of “Food From Plate.” Julian’s aggressive vocals represented the song’s heaviness, while Harlen stepped out of his synthesizer to play his bass, and Jackie played his drums with force.
The first three songs represented what the night was going to be; endless tracks of heaviness and chaos to get the audience to go full mayhem. Countless people crowd-surfed from left to right while others kept dancing to the craziness. A wild moment was a person that climbed from the main level to the balcony. I’m not sure if anyone saw that person again. From beginning to end, Show Me The Body captivated an incredible show that was entertaining and fun to watch. Hopefully, they will come back many more times in Toronto.
Lineup:
Julian Cashwan Pratt – Vocalist, banjo, guitar
Harlan Steed – Bass, synthesizer
Jackie McDermott – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Out of Place
2. Boils Up
3. Food From Plate
4. We Came to Play
5. Radiator
6. Loose Talk
7. War Not Beef
8. K-9
9. Camp Orchestra
10. Metallic Taste
11. Not for Love
12. Trouble the Water
13. WW4
14. USA Lullaby
15. Body War
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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.