LIFEHOUSE @ Metropolis

By Stephanie Ng Wan - We . Are . Canadian - 04/30/2008

I’ve been going to concerts for over a decade now (doesn’t that make me sound old) so I’m certainly no stranger to the live show.  My taste and expectations have changed over the years and have also been adapted and adjusted to go with the times, different musical genres and the ebb and flow of the music industry.  What with pirating going over the roof and labels as well as artists struggling to find ways to make revenue and maintain a career in music, prices for concerts, merchandise and the like have skyrocketed.  One would expect, or at least hope, that the quality of what we are being offered will too.  Now I agree that quality is greater than quantity but I think -- no matter how well an act performed a set -- that sometimes you just can’t fit all the quality necessary to satisfy everyone in a short amount of time (a.k.a. quantity). 

Let me explain. I’m a fan of Lifehouse and have seen them before their show at the Metropolis last week.  The show was good, the songs were strong and the crowd was very enthusiastic.  But the group played less than an hour and ten minutes and despite the fact that the crowd waited around after their ONE song encore to chant -- uselessly -- for the American rock band to come back and play the ultimate fan favourite, “Everything,” for what felt like ten minutes (it was probably more like five), the entire effort was to no avail as lights came up and the venue staff nudged everyone away from the stage.  We were left a bit flabbergasted by the fact that we hadn’t been kicked out earlier and that the Metropolis actually allowed us to wait around and uselessly use our voices and stamp our feet demanding Lifehouse return because, at some point, I think we all felt a tiny glimmer of hope that the group would actually come back.  But alas they did not. 

Not only was the original Montreal date on the tour postponed due to an illness affecting the vocals of singer Jason Wade, but it was switched to the Metropolis, a venue almost three times the size of Club Soda, where Lifehouse was originally booked to perform -- which, to my surprise, was almost filled to capacity last Wednesday night.  Lifehouse made no mention of this nor did they apologize for having to reschedule.  But wouldn’t you think that being able to go from the Club Soda to the Metropolis would have encouraged the group to stay a little longer and indulge fans who waited over a month more to see them? 

Aside from the length, as I mentioned previously, Lifehouse were in full form that night.  They definitely rock harder live than what they’re known for on the radio (i.e. the semi-sappy pop rock ballads that admittedly, I enjoy).  Wade’s voice was strong and he seemed to have made a full recovery from whatever was ailing him a few weeks before and he did talk to the audience in between songs every once and a while.  On the backdrop of the stages were circus acts such as the “Miniature Man” and “Live Legs” and to go along with this theme was the carnival-inspired music that preceded Lifehouse’s set at 10:07 pm. Normally a trio, the group added an extra guitarist on tour, which certainly contributed to their more full rock sound.  Singles they played included, “Hanging by a Moment,” “Spin,” “Whatever it Takes,”  “First Time,” and the song that gave them the most of their popularity, “You and Me” on acoustic guitar.  Other tracks included oldies such as “Simon,” “Am I Ever Gonna Find Out,” “Someone Else’s Song” and more recent tunes such as “From Where You Are” and “Better Luck Next Time,” where Wade shared the vocals of the chorus with the bassist, Canadian Bryce Soderberg.  The encore consisted of only one song from their 2007 release, Who We Are, called “Broken.”

While Lifehouse are pretty formulaic alternative rock, there is something about them that has managed to break the mainstream and enable their music to differentiate them from other bands in their genre.  Their songs are catchy, sometimes harmless and other times reflect on human emotion, and people find both the lyrics and music very easy to relate to.  I would have loved, therefore, to hear just a few more of their songs from their four-album discography (including the aforementioned “Everything”) just to feel completely satisfied.  I know I’m not alone on this sentiment as others who attended the show revealed feeling similar after discussing it.

As for the opening acts: Crash Parallel (who currently have a single on the radio), played a fairly standard, not-so-memorable thirty-minute set.  They were followed by a very energetic and loud-mouthed Matt Nathanson, who was talkative and flirty throughout his set and played some fun pop rock for almost forty minutes.

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