Placebo rock The Haus in Toronto
Placebo, April 9, 2007, Kool
Haus, Toronto
I'm going to start this article out with a little disclaimer, this article may contain a very slight bias in favor of the band due to the fact that they are one of my all-time favourite bands and that I have been waiting a very long time to see them. I had very big expectations going into the show but was definitely not disappointed by any means.
Initially the show was scheduled for The Guvernment, but due to demand the show was moved to one of Canada's best club venues, The Kool Haus in Toronto.
After opening act Evaline finished their set anticipation started building. The crowd grew increasingly anxious, the energy of the fans filled the room, then the lights dim and the intro to “Infa-Red” started to play with the band making their way to the stage.
Singer Brian Molko's stage presence and vocal abilities really caught me off guard. I have seen a lot of live footage of them, I have their Live In Paris DVD, but actually seeing them live was better than I had imagined. Molko has the ability to put a lot of sincerity in his voice, the ability to control his unique sound and added a few slight lyrical changes, which helped make this a great performance.
Straying from the record version is what I like to see in a live act. I go to a lot of concerts, probably more than anyone should, and the one thing I don't like is a band that sounds exactly like they do on the CD. Those bands often lack the live energy that it takes to put on a great rock show. I do respect the fact that a band can be that tight to recreate their art to that extent of perfection, but I would much rather see a band that brings the CD to life, a band that has the ability to take a song you know and make it so much more. Placebo played a lot of songs of the new album but also played a lot of songs from their large catalogue of material. They performed tracks such as “Twenty Years,” “Without You I'm Nothing,” “The Bitter End,” “Special K,” and an entirely revamped version of “Every You Every Me,” which was definitely one of the highlights of the show.
My personal favourite portion of the show came in the encore where they played their cover of the Kate Bush classic “Running Up That Hill,” which has garnered the band some recent attention. The set list was well planned out and provided fans with an array of new and old songs, mostly filled with their more rock-infused tracks, but a few of the slower ones to round out the mix.
I'm going to start this article out with a little disclaimer, this article may contain a very slight bias in favor of the band due to the fact that they are one of my all-time favourite bands and that I have been waiting a very long time to see them. I had very big expectations going into the show but was definitely not disappointed by any means.
Initially the show was scheduled for The Guvernment, but due to demand the show was moved to one of Canada's best club venues, The Kool Haus in Toronto.
After opening act Evaline finished their set anticipation started building. The crowd grew increasingly anxious, the energy of the fans filled the room, then the lights dim and the intro to “Infa-Red” started to play with the band making their way to the stage.
Singer Brian Molko's stage presence and vocal abilities really caught me off guard. I have seen a lot of live footage of them, I have their Live In Paris DVD, but actually seeing them live was better than I had imagined. Molko has the ability to put a lot of sincerity in his voice, the ability to control his unique sound and added a few slight lyrical changes, which helped make this a great performance.
Straying from the record version is what I like to see in a live act. I go to a lot of concerts, probably more than anyone should, and the one thing I don't like is a band that sounds exactly like they do on the CD. Those bands often lack the live energy that it takes to put on a great rock show. I do respect the fact that a band can be that tight to recreate their art to that extent of perfection, but I would much rather see a band that brings the CD to life, a band that has the ability to take a song you know and make it so much more. Placebo played a lot of songs of the new album but also played a lot of songs from their large catalogue of material. They performed tracks such as “Twenty Years,” “Without You I'm Nothing,” “The Bitter End,” “Special K,” and an entirely revamped version of “Every You Every Me,” which was definitely one of the highlights of the show.
My personal favourite portion of the show came in the encore where they played their cover of the Kate Bush classic “Running Up That Hill,” which has garnered the band some recent attention. The set list was well planned out and provided fans with an array of new and old songs, mostly filled with their more rock-infused tracks, but a few of the slower ones to round out the mix.
