My first, but not my last
by MashlexWinchester on 2015-10-25Métropolis - MontréalRating: 4 out of 5When I learnt that All Time Low would be going to the Metropolis in September of 2015, I was ecstatic, being a big fan of pop-punk. It was after an almost four month wait that I go to see them live. Generally speaking, as soon as the concert started, my appreciation was leaning more towards the negative side, then the positive, that is, until I decided to stop complaining, be appreciative of this rare opportunity and just enjoy the show.
The first part of the opening act- Nova Rockefeller- instantly hit off with the audience but not with me. Her careless attitude and non-respect for the fans (referring to us with inappropriate names) didn’t really strike me as being entertaining. In fact, the latter discouraged me to listen to her music in the future. However, there was something positive about her set which was the acoustics. They were amazing perfect even. Yet, that came at a price. The perfection of the latter only emphasized Rockefeller’s horrible rapping, singing skills and nasty lyrics, such as ``Who’s Dr. Dre cause he know I can’t do stitches``. To make matters worse, Rockefeller’s sound wasn’t even genuine. Her bandmates were playing their instruments but a backing track was clearly heard and Nova’s live vocals were joining the already recorded ones. I lost all form of respect for her because the whole part of a concert is to be live, not recorded in studio beforehand! Needless to say, during her 45-minute set, I was completely miserable due to the low quality music and unhealthy atmosphere of the floor section of the venue. To be honest, I was constantly checking the time, just waiting for the next band to come, hoping they’d be better than Nova Rockefeller was.
Set it Off- the last part of the opening act- answered my prayers and proved to be completely different. While doing research beforehand, I had discovered that this band are good friends with All Time Low. In fact, they all went to the same high school before joining different bands. With this being said, Set it Off’s sound is similar to All Time Low’s but pop dominates, contrary to what I expected. In fact, I see baby-faced lead singer Cody Carson as being the frontman of a boy-band, not a punk band. Yet, that didn’t disadvantage the band’s performance but just made it more diverse. The setlist was a good balance of angsty breakup songs such as `` Why Worry`` and ``Ancient History``, ballads like ``The Haunting`` and finally a number that made us reflect on today’s problems. ``Wild Wild World`. The latter was by far my favorite anthem out of the set because it was calming, made us think and with the cell phone lights brought on a different atmosphere. I admire bands who are able to combine energy and strong messages all together, which it was they did. Overall, their performance was great, respectful, well-filled and a perfect choice as an opening. Also, I have to say that in 45 minutes time, I was enchanted with their stage presence, infectious guitar riffs, catchy melodies, personalities and even regretted not buying the album the band was selling!
Yes, it’s true. Opening acts are great but there’s nothing like that initial feeling of seeing your favorite band live especially for the first time, like it was in my case! They first performed, ``Satellite``, the static- chanting opening track on the Future Hearts album, which in my opinion was a weak choice because it gave me a wrong impression of the setlist.
Perhaps that was the band’s choice because after that one small mistake, they showered us with different surprises that left us screaming, jumping, dancing- and no one really wanted to go home- including me!
In their hour and a half set, the band compacted a surprising (but ideal ) setlist consisting of old and new fan favorites from EVERY album, including hits like ``Missing You``, ``The Reckless and the Brave``, ``Time Bomb`` (where fans were invited on stage), ``A Love like War`` ``Lost in Stereo``` and ``The Irony of Choking on a Lifesaver`` As soon as those favorites were heard, fans screamed and jumped, including me. I actually screamed`` what? really? They’re playing this song? `` with a huge smile, every time I recognized a song I wasn’t expecting. It was a positive thing, really! Even the encore was pure.
Props to sound tech who managed to create a marvelous sound that was heard over the loud screaming of thousands of fangirls. That great sound permitted us to hear the infectious music and fall under lead guitarist Jack Barakat, and lead singer Alex Garskath’s charming personalities. Fans were even able to assist to a few romance moments, a flashlight show, the occasional joke and seeing Barakat without a shirt. A rubber duck and a Québec flag were even brought on stage. What I appreciated the most was that the band invited you to act silly and have fun with them for a little while. That’s what I did, anyway!
Overall, from the starting chords of ``Satellite`` to the ending chords of ``Dear Maria, Count Me in`` All Time Low delivered a stunning, intimate and entertaining performance. However, I would have appreciated the show better if I was standing on the side bleachers or at the tables of the Metropolis, instead of having front row tickets, where I was being pushed and showed. I would have preferred it if the first opening act was more like All Time’s Low musical style. But apart from that, I absolutely enjoyed my night and you can be sure, this will not be my last ATL concert!