THEORY OF A DEADMAN + Rev Theory @ Le National

By R. Brian Hastie - Countdown To Armageddon - 01/15/2009

Theory Of A Deadman is no one's favourite band. I'm glad I got that statement out of the way at the onset of this review, as I feel like it accurately describes the concert experience I recently flung myself into.

However, if Theory Of A Deadman is no one's favourite band and TOAD's a shitty copy of a shitty idea (Nickelback) about what rock and roll should be, then where does that leave its fans? What kind of people flock to Le National to witness such Canadian lite rock staples like “Gasoline” and “Santa Monica”?

The idea behind the excursion was to gauge what, exactly, made TOAD (which, incidentally, is an apt acronym, fitting for the music I was subjected to) fans tick. Were they entranced by the run-of-the-mill musicianship and songwriting, did the shatteringly hollow lyrics ring true for people? Was it their (non) explosive stage show that made people fall in love? All of these questions were left very unanswered, even after mingling with several attendees.

In true scientific fashion, I quizzed people about their reasons for attending the show before the proceedings got underway. The most common one I got was that the music was "enjoyable" and "somewhat catchy", that the vocalist seemed to have a "good voice" and that they had nothing better to do on a Thursday night in January, and that the price for tickets was just about right. The room was still largely empty as I continued to make my way around it.

I switched gears. "Would you say that Theory Of A Deadman is your favourite band?" I advanced the theory, hoping to give the people I informally interviewed an out. Not one of the ten people I talked to answered in the affirmative. They were people's third or fourth choice, generally, after heavyweights like Nickelback (oh the irony), U2, Metallica and Pearl Jam. No surprises there, unfortunately. Just as I was about to probe more, the lights dimmed and the evening's musical entertainment got underway.

The Rev Theory (who were last heard of as no-shows at last June's Heavy MTL metalfest) put up an uninspiring opening slot. Lead single "Hell Yeah" inspired a few scattered cheers and generally the crowd was very receptive to a band that seemed like a tepid mix in-between latter-day Papa Roach and Buckcherry, only blander, with neither band's penchant for irking out an enjoyable song once in a while.

The sauntering and fake sense of danger that most bands try to create (using the f-word repeatedly, snarling menacingly and trying to come off hard as nails) continued to crumble as at one point during their set they launched into a half-heated cover of Nine Inch Nails' “Head Like A Hole”.  The band generally tried to stir up a true sense of high energy (the singer, at one point, wandered into the crowd) but it felt trite and soon déjà vu set in.

The headliners hit the stage a half-hour after Rev Theory cleared out and started with “Crutch” and it was all boring stage banter and same-sounding songs for the rest of the evening. As boring as Rev Theory came off as, TOAD were even better at sapping up the crowd's energy. Singer Tyler Connoly seemed jovial enough, but lacked the presence of a true frontman as he juggled in-between singing and playing rhythm throughout the night's set, unsure which role suited him better. In the end, neither did, as he fulfilled both roles marginally well.

Being forced to listen to FM radio at work, I came to recognize some of the band's singles – they were better in a live setting, but still leagues below being able to redeem the songs as listenable in a non-forced (read: non-radio) way. The best thing I can say about their show was the fact that they had a competent light show. The band played songs from all three releases, favouring none and trying to make fans of their discography happy. “Better Off” got a surprisingly loud response as the mostly mute audience refrained from doing much of anything. The tossed-off encore of “Santa Monica”, “Bad Girlfriend” and “Hating Hollywood” put a merciful end to a night that would be best chronicled as forgettable.

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