SNOW PATROL + Silversun Pickups + OK Go @ Metropolis

By Katie Seline - Wrong Side of the Bed - 03/30/2007

It seems lately like every time I go to see a show at Metropolis, something ridiculous happens. I am going to make no effort to hide the fact that I hate this venue, namely because it allows for a much higher population of concert goers who couldn’t give a hoot about the band or the people around them per capita compared to some of the smaller, more pleasant venues around Montreal. But I digress.

After getting cigarettes flicked on me from the upper balcony at Interpol, almost getting in a fight with a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey-wearing guy at the last Tragically Hip and constantly trying to push my way away from loud, screaming, obnoxious fourteen-year-old girls at every show I’ve ever been to at Metropolis -- namely in order to avoid getting their beer spilled all over me as they jump around taking photos of each other -- I finally encountered the ultimate stupidity: couple who stand in front of a girl in a wheelchair and refuse to move. To top this, the bouncer didn’t even bother to make them move, just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. I miss the Spectrum already.

Anyway, on to talking about the music. I reviewed Snow Patrol not too long ago so you can check out my love for them (no I’m not joking) here. Their headlining set was basically the same, but this time a little louder, a little stronger and with probably the best light show I’ve seen in a long time. I was standing just above the lighting guys and I think I was more fascinated by them than I was by the band. Also cool: for their performance of "Set Fire To The Third Bar", a song performed with Montreal native Martha Wainwright, the band decided to pull up a fan from the audience to sing the song with them. I would have preferred Martha Wainwright but alas for the second time, she was absent. The first girl frontman Gary Lightbody pulled up onto the stage was all mic'ed up and ready to go before she bothered to tell anyone that she not only didn’t know the words, but also didn’t know the song at all. Round Two saw the presence of a girl who was a huge fan and a great singer to boot. Great success.

All around, Snow Patrol’s set was solid and powerful and worth it just to see all the silly little girls whip out their cell phones and digital cameras for the performance of "Chasing Cars", creating a sea of lights throughout the packed venue. I also managed to meet Lightbody after the show and turns out he’s a pretty righteous guy. He took the times to sign autographs and talk to the fans, which was cool for a band that’s made it so big and constantly has to fend off cougars -- I wish I was joking but there were about seven hanging around waiting for him -- and fourteen-year-old girls and their obedient boyfriends.

OK Go were the second opener to perform and this was also the second time that I had seen them. The band seems much better suited for bigger shows with their energy level shifting upward exponentially, considering the number of people in the crowd. They’re a fun band to watch even if their music bores me just a little bit. I was disappointed however at the lack of treadmills or choreographed dance routines.

The band I was really there to see were openers Silversun Pickups. Their last album Carnivas was my favourite of 2006 and they blew me away when I saw them at CMJ Music Marathon in New York. Unfortunately, it would seem that they are a band that fits better with smaller venues in contrast to OK Go. It almost felt as if Metropolis completely ate up their sound and their energy. Something was missing from their set and I know now that it is the intimacy of a smaller venue and the feeling that this band is just yours. It was kind of cool to see all the little girls shouting for Nikki Monninger every time she came back on stage to clean up her gear after her set. It was nice to know that the band is making it big even if it meant that I was sharing them with a bunch of kids who only knew about them from their stint on The O.C. Watching all the girls scream for Monninger sort of made me smile a bit knowing that maybe a few of these girls would discover more non-commercial music and maybe even take up guitar and join a band.

[Tune in to Wrong Side Of The Bed every Wednesday from 5pm to 7pm.]