After a (very) long wait, Alternative Rock and Metal giants Godsmack were finally back in Toronto for another memorable night of first-class music, bugs, tequila, and a huge amount of fire.
OPENING ACTS: Mix Master Mike and Staind
As I like to say, there’s only one day of the week that is worse than Monday for concerts, and that’s Tuesday. And guess what? Tuesday was the day chosen by GODSMACK with guests MIX MASTER MIKE and STAIND to visit the city of Toronto during their North American tour this summer, literally setting the Budweiser Stage on fire. Well, the weather was perfect, friends and family (and a beautiful service dog wearing headphones due to the loud music!) were all together celebrating music and life, there was plenty of food and drinks for everyone, and it’s still summer, so I believe we can forget it’s a Tuesday and enjoy some first-class music like it’s Friday or Saturday night, right?
The doors opened really early for a weekday, more specifically at 5pm, which in the end was good because that avoided huge lines and people hushing to get to the concert, and gave everyone plenty of time for some drinks and to take a look at the merch stands. Due to the fact Nothing More were not able to join Godsmack on this tour as one of the openers as originally planed, San Francisco, California’s own MIX MASTER MIKE (aka Michael Schwartz, known for his work with The Beatie Boys) accepted the challenge to replace a rock band with his fusion of Hip Hop and Rap Rock, hitting the stage at 6:30pm with his turntables, a lot of energy, and delivering a solid performance with his own twist of classics by The Beastie Boys, Aerosmith, Rush and Queen, among others. Would it have been better if the opener was a proper rock band instead of a DJ? Maybe, but no one can say Mix Master Mike didn’t put on quite a show on stage last night.
Then at around 7:25pm it was time for Springfield, Massachusetts-based Alternative Rock/Metal act STAIND to put everyone to dance with songs from their entire discography since their inception in 1995. The band formed of vocalist and guitarist Aaron Lewis, guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April and drummer Sal Giancarelli will release a new album on September 15 this year named Confessions Of The Fallen, including in their setlist the first single of the album, the opener Lowest in Me, which was well-received by their fans; however, the crowd was obviously waiting for their classics, and of course they didn’t disappoint, including in their setlist the hits So Far Away, It’s Been Awhile, and the closing song Mudshovel. The music by Staind is too mellow for me personally (as I’m a lot more into extreme music, as you might know), but I can’t complain at all about their performance, and I’m sure their diehard fans were also very satisfied with what those guys did on stage yesterday.
Setlist
Lowest in Me
Not Again
Just Go
Eyes Wide Open
Fade
Something to Remind You
Right Here
Outside
Wannabe
So Far Away
For You
It’s Been Awhile
Mudshovel
Band members
Aaron Lewis – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mike Mushok – lead guitar
Johnny April – bass, backing vocals
Sal Giancarelli – drums
Finally, after 17 long years, Boston, Massachusetts’ Alternative Rock and Metal titans GODSMACK were back in Toronto (as they had only played in Ottawa and Hamilton in the province of Ontario since 2006), and although they were supposed to have hit the stage at around 9:10pm, it wasn’t until maybe 9:30pm that Sully Erna, Tony Rombola, Robbie Merrill and Shannon Larkin began their breathtaking, incendiary concert. In addition, due to the length of their performance I saw a lot of people leaving the concert before the end to be able to catch the last trains, buses and streetcars home, or simply because they had to wake up really early today to work. That wasn’t a big issue, of course, but maybe next time we have a concert on a Tuesday night in the city the bands can make sure their concerts end by 11pm at the latest.
Back to the concert, Godsmack kicked some serious ass from start to finish, blending songs form all of their amazing albums with their newest beast Lighting Up the Sky. From the very first beats of the opener When Legends Rise to the epic I Stand Alone, it was an avalanche of riffs, horns in the air, screams, and a lot of interaction between Sully and the crowd, making the Toronto show feel very personal and, therefore, making Sully feel at home and extremely comfortable while chatting with the fans in between songs. There was also a lot of fire, specially when they played my favorite song of their setlist, the high-octane 1000hp, and according to my friend Keith Ibbitson of Lower Eastside Photography, responsible for all the amazing photos of this review, those flames made the pit feel like a true BBQ.
Cryin’ Like a Bitch!! And You and I also worked extremely well last night, and before playing the classic Something Different the unstoppable Sully took a lot of time to talk to the crowd about how awesome it was to be back to Toronto, “complained” about the bugs and mosquitoes (even joking by asking if the Canadian mosquitoes were poisonous, and having a shot of tequila to clean his palate after swallowing a bug), and asked all the men at the venue, specially the ones who like to work out at the gym, to put their ladies on their shoulders to enjoy the song from a much better spot. After that it was a nonstop rock and metal party by Godsmack, from the dark and sexy sounds of Voodoo to the beautiful message from the song Bulletproof. And in the middle of all that, there was time for Sully and Shannon to stun us all with their famous Batalla de Los Tambores, a fuckin’ awesome “duel” full of groove where they also played some snippets of classic by AC/DC, Aerosmith and Metallica for the delight of all fans present at the Budweiser Stage, followed by a heavy and electrifying cover version for one of the biggest hits by The Beatles, the excellent Come Together.
However, the most memorable moment for me and for several of the fans at the venue happened when Sully sat down at his piano for the superb ballad Under Your Scars and talked a little about their work with The Scars Foundation, dedicating the song to all those we’ve lost to suicide, depression and all types of mental illnesses, and also to our rock and metal fallen brothers like Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, Dimebag Darrell and Eddie Van Halen. I saw some people crying after the song was over, most probably because the theme made them remember some dark moment of their lives, showing how music is extremely important for all of us and how we should always search for help whenever we feel anything in our lives is not right. Godsmack will keep sending that beautiful message everywhere they go with this tour (and all of their upcoming tours), including London, Ontario on October 19 (which is less than two hours from Toronto, so why not?), and may they keep bringing joy, hope and strength to anyone in need with their breathtaking Rock N’ Roll.
Setlist
When Legends Rise
1000hp
Cryin’ Like a Bitch!!
You and I
Something Different
What About Me
Awake
Surrender
Voodoo
Batalla de Los Tambores
Come Together (The Beatles cover)
Whatever
Encore:
Under Your Scars
Bulletproof
I Stand Alone
Band members
Sully Erna – vocals, guitar
Tony Rombola – lead guitar
Robbie Merrill – bass
Shannon Larkin – drums
Edit: A few days after the review was published, a guy named Barry contacted us to inform Emma is the name of his service dog, and that she will be 2 years old in October. She has already been on a plane, she’s met the Maple Leafs, and will be going to The Smashing Pumpkins, 50 Cent and then Wu-Tang Clan this year. Barry suffers from mental health issues, but Emma has made his life a lot better! She is his princess and allows him to have a second chance at life! Way to go, Barry and Emma! Oh, and here are some amazing pics of the duo for all of you! 🙂
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 