John Legend

As I got to Metropolis around 7:15 p.m., I noticed that the place was already packed. I still managed to get a decent spot not too far from the star that hung to the right venue wall. Around 7:30 the show got started with Devon Anthony (John Legend’s little brother) opening up for him. Anthony sounds a little like his older brother but with a different style; he has more of a dub reggae vibe mixed with a typical neo-, Chris Brownish R&B style. His songs were focused on acts in the bedroom and the women loved it.


Megadeth

If anything, Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine must be applauded for his workmanlike ethic. The rather eccentric frontman/guitarist lay down the 'deth moniker earlier on in the millenium, only to decide to reform with new members for a pair of highly satisfactory albums (2004's The System Has Failed and 2007's United Abominations). These albums found Mustaine abandoning his desire to come up with "monster anthems"/hyper-accessible songs and instead become a veritable Memorable Riff Machine (patent pending).


Corpus Christi

I'm sure at one point or another, everyone reading this has been swayed by an alluring sticker on the front of an album. It may be something simple like a highlight of the singles, or a description of what the band sounds like. In truth, I'm all for these stickers when they tell me what the band sounds like, because if I'm going to throw hard earned money at something, I want to know what I'm going to be getting.


The Creepshow

A preface: This is why I love this city: after an hour of driving up and down unpopulated roads in the downtown core trying to find parking, I came to the conclusion that every road in Montreal I needed to use was blocked. It may have been an hour, it may have been half, all I knew is that I was late for The Creepshow. I mumbled to myself that I must’ve missed the first two opening bands: The Hypnophonics from Montreal and The Dreadnoughts from Vancouver as I slammed the door to my ’92 minivan and hiked up two blocks to the venue.


Silversun Pickups, Cage The Elephant and An Horse

Silversun Pickups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been in love with Silversun Pickups since just before the release of Carnavas. I saw them for the first time at the 2007 CMJ Music Marathon in New York in the back room of Piano’s.  An intimate setting in which it was next to impossible to get in. Buzz was growing, and the band was just on the verge of breaking as big as an indie band can break now a days.


Warped Tour @ Parc Jean Drapeau

My admirably apt associate summed up the Warped Tour 2009 experience pretty well, so I won’t bore you with a second recounting of the day’s events. I also won’t bother with the obligatory “this was my sixth and last Warped Tour because I am OLD” spiel that encapsulated my reviews of the last two years of everyone’s favorite summer cash suck. Mostly since A) it probably isn’t and B) I’m not old...not yet, and in fact Warped Tour 2009 actually made me feel a lot younger than I’ve felt in a good long while (not like the jump from 15 to 22 is all that impressive…if I were 36 maybe that statement would mean more, but I’m gonna run with it.)  


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