Review from Saskatoon. I just remembered to look it up now, so it's over a week late.
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/entertain ... story.html
"Playing songs from an old album -- top to bottom -- is a risky move for a bunch of rockers who should be concerned about proving they are still relevant.
But it worked for Our Lady Peace during a Thursday performance at TCU Place.
The house was nearly full. The youthful, excited crowd was on its feet from the beginning, chanting "OLP" intermittently and loudly through the night.
Fans voted online to help the band decide which albums to play in their entirety while on this tour. They hit the road with both 1997's Clumsy and the 2000 conceptual album Spiritual Machines. Hardcore OLP fans may love the originality and message found on Spiritual Machines, but this reviewer was pleased to hit a night where Clumsy was on the menu.
Arty and surreal film clips and restrained lighting helped create the atmosphere lead singer Raine Maida said the band wanted to create with the collection of songs: "Sonic experimentation."
Clumsy was Our Lady Peace's second release and proved that the band's successful debut (Naveed) was more than a fluke.
A total of five songs from the album were singles for the band: Superman is Dead, Clumsy, Automatic Flowers, Carnival and 4 a.m.
Superman is Dead kicked off the night, a fortunate beginning as the song showcases Maida's vocal range and the edgy, emotional quality of his voice.
Let's face it, Maida's lyrics, unique sound and charisma are what set Our Lady Peace apart from other grunge rock acts in the mid '90s. As time has marched on, those qualities are also what keep the band in the game.
Guitarist Steve Mazur wasn't with the band back in the day, but you would never know it from the ease with which he doled out the moody guitar melodies found in the songs on Clumsy. These are not over-the-top hard rock songs where you can get away with replacing quality musicianship with volume and energy. Mazur showed the band made a good trade in putting him in the lineup.
Drummer Jeremy Taggart and bass player Duncan Coutts don't look the least bit road weary. Taggart has the chops that gave him the reputation as one of the top drummers of the '90s.
Of the songs on the album that did not get radio play -- Big Dumb Rocket, Shaking, Hello Oskar, Let You Down, The Story of 100 Aisles and Car Crash -- Let You Down was the most memorable. The drumming is impressive and drives listeners to the edge when combined with Maida's punches of falsetto.
A burst of energy with the driving song Monkey Brains and an amped-up light show marked the start of the second half of the show. There was also a return to a more standard concert format.
The set list also included much-loved hits such as Somewhere Out There, Starseed and, OLP's most recent hit, All You Did Was Save My Life.
Our Lady Peace is often dismissed for having done its best work at least 10 years ago. This concert, which highlighted such early material, did little to diffuse that criticism.
But the band clearly still has much to give, and there is hope that by returning to their roots they may find the passion and perspective that made their early work exceptional."
Also, Riley, note this part:
"The house was nearly full. The youthful, excited crowd was on its feet from the beginning, chanting "OLP" intermittently and loudly through the night."
I lol'd for two reasons. One: youthful? Hahahah! Two: Thank goodness for our drunken friend Tyler.