Stadium Love: On Metric and The Happiness That Follows

Well, it's been a while since I've done anything related to live concerts, mostly due to me either being underwhelmed be the shows(Noel Gallagher) or just not liking them(Pearl Jam). So, for your reading pleasure, I'm going to recount the events of the last two days for me and my cousin and our wild shenanigans in Toronto going to see not one but TWO Metric concerts!!
1. The First Day
Okay, so I'd heard on a radio station that Metric were gonna do a free show down at Sugar Beach in Toronto, so I sent the link to my cousin, who just so we're clear is a super hardcore Metric fan, even more-so then I. We said we'd try and meet up down there sometime before it started, which was 8pm. Well I got there at around 6:30, and it was packed! I must still have the mindset that nobody knows who Metric is so that I'll be the first one there and get the best spot. Well, I may not have gotten the best spot, but when they were calling out to who one prizes, I won a copy of their new album Synthetica(on vinyl!!) when it wasn't even out in stores yet. So at around 8pm, having gotten lost, my cousins(her and her sister) both showed up(they found me on top of a water fountain trying to get a better view). Metric came on, and while I'd like to say it was a amazing show, I don't really remember too too much about what they actually played because we spent most of the time milling around trying to find a better spot. All I remember was after we found a good spot, they played "Monster Hospital" and then left after what must've been only 40 minutes. I was a bit disappointed by this, but hey, if it's free you can't really complain. Also it had been raining most of the day, and only after they left did it finally stop. Thank's for that Metric.
2. The Second Day
After a quick sleep, I was back the next day in Toronto. For this show, I had won tickets on Metric's Facebook page in a first come first serve kind of thing. This concert wasn't really planned in advance, only a weeks notice to arrange everything(not that that was too much, mind you) and I was even amazed I won them at all. So we got to this venue, the Opera House at about 5:45pm and there were about 20 people lined up already. We waited for about 2 hours in line before we were let in, and then the craziest thing happened: they were giving away free drinks at the door. I'm not joking. FREE DRINKS!! And from what I could see, only like the first 50 people got them, so lucky us. We had a spot next to a set of stairs that meant not only could we lean on a railing, we could see just over the heads of everyone, perfect spots. While we were waiting, we caught a glimpse of a few elderly ladies(instead of the usual old women) sitting in these reserved seats, and my cousin wondered "Is that their parents over there?" I though it might be, but wasn't too sure(they were about 4 feet or 1.3 meters away from us).
The concert started at about 9:15 and they played through the first 3 or 4 songs from the new album in a row before Emily Haines talked to the audience, and then they went into (I think, as I'm too lazy to look up the actual set list) "Hustle Rose", which I really got into, more then I've gotten into any song at any concert I've ever been to. This went into Empty, which once again I was jumping and dancing to this as well, like so many others around us. They then went into 2 or 3 more songs from the new album, in between playing "Dead Disco", which I'm ashamed to say I didn't recognize when I first heard it. After this, the concert kept getting better and better playing, in this order "Gold Girls Guns, Stadium Love(then coming out for the encore)Help I'm Alive, Monster Hospital" and finally finishing with a emotional acoustic rendition of their "maximum fucking hit" "Gimme Sympathy". By this point I was covered in sweat, having head banged to all these songs(well, except the last one), jumped around like crazy and really got into it, and before you ask, no I wasn't drunk or anything. It was probably the best time I'd ever had at a concert and the way they ended it, leaving the audience wanting more, is exactly how bands should be, always leaving you wanting more.
Well, believe it or not this wasn't the end of the night. We found out that indeed the people near us were Emily Haines's parents. So we were waiting for our ride, still inside the venue when all these people start having a party. It was a VIP thing I think, so we were kinda gatecrashing, but not really. So we go back to where the stage is, and all of a sudden we can see members of the band talking to family members and friends. We saw who must've been Emily's sister and mother(her sister looks just like her) hugging Emily and we were like 3 feet(or 1 meter) away! We were so excited, but we didn't want to disturb them cause we weren't invited after all and they were meeting with family and friends. But then, we saw Metric's bass player Joshua Winstead walking over in our general direction and my cousin grabbed his arm and just said thank you to him and we probably spent 5 minutes talking to us, thanking us for coming out, shaking our hands many times, talking about how important fans are and he didn't seem like he was in any rush to leave, it was actually my cousin that let him get back to whatever he was up to. After that, we ran outside, jumping with with, skipping down the street so happy that we met somebody from Metric. It was so unreal and it was very nice of him to talk to us. Big bands lose this connection with their fans, so it's quite a change to see someone from the band not only shaking your hand, but having a 5 minute conversation with you.
3. The Morning After.
At the time of this writing, it's 9:17am, almost 12 hours since they came onstage. This concert is one of the happiest moments of my life not only by the band themselves, but for who I went to the concert with; the cousin I went with was the very same cousin who I mentioned in my Beaver Reflections article, the one who put me back onto the right path with my depression. It's been almost 2 years since that day and I've always been thinking in the back of my mind of someway to repay her for her kindness, something that it in itself is impossible to do, but the way I feel right now is a feeling that I never want to go away. I was in the train station afterwards, all alone listening to "Stadium Love", knowing that I would always think of this night when I hear it and that I never want this night to end. This is my happy moment, the brightest moment inside me right now. Coming home at 2am, you couldn't wipe the smile I still had on my face. I've never been so happy that I've cried tears of joy, as I did in the station last night. Nothing will ever replace last night and that's alright by me. The combination of two things that I care/love so much is just beyond words. I still feel it right now as I'm writing this. Moments like this are once in a lifetime and are the moments you will be able to look back on and smile at 5, 10, 15 years from now. I've had the time of my life and the moments just keep replaying and replaying over and over.
And for those of you who still doubt how happy I was, just picture me dancing and jumping in front of a mirror in a train station, headphones blasting as I "sing" Stadium Love to myself. Yes, I did.
So I want to thank my cousin once again for coming with me last night. You were so much fun to be with, you made great moments even greater, and you've once again made me feel so so happy. Hopefully we can do something like this again, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm still smiling writing this(also, I still haven't eaten)
You and I have stadium love!

Old Song Review: Don't Look Back In Anger

Yesterday(or however many day's it's been since I posted it) I did a review of Wonderwall, calling it a good song that maybe gets too much praise for what its worth(figures that even quoting myself, I'm too lazy to look up my actual work). So today, I'm going to review for you another Oasis song, for your pleasure, the song that mentioned kept Wonderwall off Number One in England, Don't Look Back in Anger.
This song on the album comes right after the previously reviewed song, so for many of you, this may just be the "song after Wonderwall" on that album, What's the Story Morning Glory. For me however, this song is one of two songs on the album that I'd call as being the best.
The song is once again Beatles influenced, as the opening chords are (supposedly) lifted from John Lennon's Imagine. Is this true? Yes and no. While they may very well have been the same chords from Imagine, doesn't it seem likely that in the world of music, someone was bound to use them again at one point? I think many songs if you look hard enough have the same chords(which you can all do, cause again, I'm too lazy to list off examples this time); this song is the only one that gets attention because it was a hit song off a hit album, just like Imagine. Other then the opening chords though, there really isn't anything similar to the two songs.
The song itself is beautifully written, with an organ that comes in at the chorus to give it that feel-good feeling that we get when we hear certain songs. Noel Gallagher sings this and he never sounded better. This song was his masterpiece, the one song that he knew he could always point to when people may have doubted him as a writer/singer cause both here are spot on. I've heard rumors that the line in the chorus "So Sally can wait..." was inspired by his brother, but if this is actually true or not I'm not too sure. Noel has said that it was true and his brother was next to him, but the manner they discuss it makes me unsure. In any case it doesn't take anything away from the song and if anything, it's nice to see that Liam might have been coming to his own as a writer by giving the odd idea to his brother on his songs.
This song is the one that you have to hear it live to really understand how great Oasis were as a band as well as how devoted their fans were. Most times, the crowd would sing in unison to the chorus and when I say crowd I really mean audience, cause literally, the whole place sings along with it. I should know.
I was at one of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds shows late last year in November at Massey Hall in Toronto. He ended with this song and it was one of the coolest things I'd seen at a concert. The entire audience stood up(all 2000 of us, myself included) and basically sang the entire song with him. I remember looking around as this was going on and I don't remember seeing a single person sitting at the end. It was something not to be believed. He had done a few Oasis songs that night, including Wonderwall, but nothing got a response like Don't Look Back In Anger did. That's magic.
Overall, I'd for sure put this at the top of my favorite Oasis songs off all time(maybe Live Forever or Some Might Say being other top contenders). Everyone's always looking at the crown on the Queen's head, but only a few look at the jewels on her hands. This song is the jewel on Oasis's hand, perfect and sometimes overlooked.
Rating: 5/5

Old Song Review: Wonderwall

For last month, I was going to put up a tribute to the band who wrote today's song, Oasis. As you might've guessed, that never happened, and probably won't, like many things on this blog I lost interest in the moment I started them. Still, I owe you something, so for today I'll review a song that is the most looked up song on Google for guitar players to learn, Wonderwall.
This was Oasis's biggest hit over here in North America, it being their only top 10 hit, but over in England, this only got as high as Number 2. This was hardly a problem for them, as they had had a Number One over there, with Some Might Say(the last song with original drummer Tony McCarroll), and would go onto have a few more number ones, with such gems as D'Ya Know What I Mean, from their follow up album Be Here Now.
Now like many of the great songs, this one was inspired by a girlfriend of either lead singer Liam Gallagher or main songwriter Noel Gallagher(yes the two are related). The song was rumored to have wanted to be sung by Noel, but later relented to Liam in exchange for singing their next single, Don't Look Back in Anger(which got to Number One in England).
The title itself comes from the first Beatles solo album, called Wonderwall Music by George Harrison released back in 1966(having this album doesn't make you hipster, it makes you an obsessive fan who has access to a credit card and a basement to store this shit). As far as a song goes, there's really nothing to dislike about it; the production is very good, the singing is nice, the lyrics are very lovey-dovey and impossible not to flatter a girl into a blowjob if you dedicate it to her(not all girls mind you, I apologize[nevermind, I take that back]). The only thing that this song isn't is the best Oasis song.
Oasis were not a one hit wonder and it's a bit of a shame that they seem to be remembered only for this song. The band themselves even said it wasn't one of their best, which is a different approach from the usual way of just plain saying that they don't like the song and not ever playing it again(Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, Neil Young's Heart of Gold, Radiohead's Creep and every good Bob Dylan song are examples of this trend).
They played live all the time, but what surprises me is that it's not the climax of the show, not the song that every fan sings along to. There are far better Oasis songs that they made that came out before and after this. If you look hard enough, you'll find your favorite Oasis song. Odds are it's not Wonderwall.
Overall, Wonderwall hit with a shock of lightning and looks like it will live forever.
Rating: 4/5

The Beaver: Part 2 Reflection

Depression is something that many of us have had or are going through and many of us never talk about what happened to us, what may have caused it or how we got better. Today, in light of The Beaver, I'll be doing just this.
For about a year and a half, back in 2009, I was in my first serious relationship.I had not had anyone like her in my life at this point, being single for most of the time, having some, shall we say, nasty habits that I will not indulge into at this time that didn't make me feel like a great person. I was over the moon for this girl, doing everything that I could to make myself be a better person for this girl, doing the things she wanted to do, wearing the clothes that she wanted me to wear, eat places she wanted to, etc etc. I would do everything for her, and yet I would still screw up, and be in a constant fear of being up against the wall, unable to enjoy life going around me because of the cause and effect that was happening in my personal life.
Eventually, this strain and total bending over backwards for her took it's toll, causing us to have very frequent fight, all of this leading up towards a breakup in July of 2010.
We stopped talking for a bit, but we got back together in October, once gain I was over the moon for her. Let the reader not get the impression that I did not love her, as I did. No one can go through all the pain that I went through and not have any love for this women. This culminated in March with a second breakup, but we still continued to hang out until August, going through a almost weekly routine of fights and making up to each other, not a healthy way for anyone to live. We went back out again a third time in December of 2011, but if you can see the trend, the following few months had us fighting, making up and me literally getting sick over the whole thing and a final breakup at the end of March of this year. I haven't spoken to her since.
The depression aspect of this women in my life was that I gave her control about how I should live my life in a certain way, under a certain style and every other way was foolish and stupid...and I believed it. People are unique and like in The Beaver, should never put all their eggs in one basket when dealing with depression. It might be a temporary solution, but it won't cure you.
Now, at this point you may be wondering how I'm doing and if i'm over my depression from this women. The answer to this question is yes, but it didn't happen recently, it actually happened almost 2 years ago, right after the first breakup. Nothing was as tough as the first one, getting over the heartbreak that followed.
One day, me and my sister went to see my cousin, who was celebrating her 20th birthday. I hadn't seen her in almost a year and a half, and I always liked her, being the closest family member to my age(along with her sister who is only 11 months older then me). She was someone that I always looked to. Anyway, the way she greeted me, and the conversation that we had about music and what she had been doing in her life and vice versa somehow had a profoundly positive effect on me at that moment. It was the first positive experience I'd really had since the end of the relationship. The way her face lit up and the way that she hugged me when I gave her my little birthday present to her(it was 15$ to Chapters/Indigo Books), is a feeling that I haven't felt since that day, it was just a purely positive moment, one of happiness and love that I can still feel right now as I write this.
Now, I'm not saying that everything got better once this happened, but it was the first step towards a recovery that had many missteps and false leads, but one that looking back today, has gotten me up and away from the person not only from 2 years ago, but from the person that I was almost 4 years ago. Still, each day is another day, and there are many dark days that I've had, and will have later no doubt. Some things with me are different these days, such as I'm not as mean on my blog as I used to be, simply because I'm tired of thriving off negativity. It's not a good way to live life, and as you may be able to tell, it filters in some of my posts both good and bad(though still there are many things that I will always hate...I'm looking at you Radiohead). There are many memories that I look back to, but not that bad times, the good ones that you remember, cause in the end that is what you remember, the good stuff. No one wants to linger on the bad in their life, or it can lead you down the very path that I and many many people have gone down.
So for all depressed people out there reading this(and you have to be low to want to read this blog, jkin), if you think that this is the end, if there isn't a way out, if you can't do anything to make yourself feel good, seek help from someone who loves you, or go talk to a professional. I did eventually and it worked wonders to me. Go to a happy place that you went as a child, find a happy memory because they are all there, be it locked away or out in the open. Nothing is more important to me and should be to you, then feeling good about what you're doing. If it involves taking a couple weeks off your job, despite how unrealistic it may sound, you should really do it. It could mean all the world to you and save your life. I never tried to commit suicide(not saying I may not have thought about it, which I did at one point), but think how many depressed people think they have nothing to live for. If you think there is the slightest ray of light in your life, go towards it.
I'm sorry if this is a bit preachy, but take it from someone, you don't want to stay in the dark place forever. You can't live life like that, and nor should anyone else. That's about all I can say. I'm better now, but like I said, each day is a battle, somedays are sunny, others are cloudy(as weird as this may sound, my days can be effected by is it's sunny or cloudy/rainy nowadays, whether it will be a good day or not), but each day is a new day, one more down the road.
And to the cousin who helped me out all those years ago, I will forever be grateful for everything that you ever said and did for me. You made me happy, you made me want to live again, you helped me down the road to get to become the person that I am today. I cannot express more love and thanks for you because of this.
Thank you Sarah.

The Beaver Part One: Review

This is going to be a 2 part review due to the content of the film is something that hits a chord inside me. This will be the usual funny(if you call it that) review(if you call it that too) while the second part will be a little more, well personal/serious.
To be honest, I only wanted to see this movie because Jennifer Lawrence was in it, because ever since Hunger Games, I've become somewhat of a fanboy for her. When I saw the trailer for this, I, like many people laughed at the idea of this film and especially given that it had Mel Gibson in the starring role as a depressed husband who finds his ray of light in a beaver puppet. This is the movies weakest point, ironically. I think playing up this aspect of the film ruined it's chances of being taken seriously by anyone, when there is so much more to the film besides it. The main theme of the film is depression, how we deal with it and what it costs us in return. Almost everyone suffers here, be it Gibson, his wife(played by Jodie Starling, uhh I mean Foster), son (played by Anton Yelchin, who I am jealous of simply because he has gotten to make out with both Kat Dennings and Jennifer Lawrence, though not in the same film) and Jennifer Lawrence's character, who lost her spark when her brother died some time ago. The ways of dealing with the depression in this are different for each character, be it throwing people out, banging your head against the wall, sleeping the day away or simply ignoring the underlining factor. It may be a bit weak in some mines that everything is just cured at the end, and that how he ends up getting rid of his problems way bit a bit extreme, but for the most part, the movie handles itself quite well.
Overall, The Beaver may be just another movie for you. It may be a joke to even consider watching something like this. Well, believe me, I thought the same and I was wrong. Maybe you will be too. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Rating: 4.5/5