by wesetfires on 2013-04-02Kool Haus - TorontoRating: 5 out of 5 On Easter Sunday, most people are sitting at home and eating a large dinner with their family. This year, however, that was not the case for the Bad Religion fans of Toronto.
I arrived at Toronto’s Kool Haus shortly after the doors opened at 8 PM. The queue, which was filled with a diverse fan base of all ages, moved at a slow yet steady pace that wrapped around the block. There were people well over fifty wearing Bad Religion t-shirts they purchased decades ago, young adults with dip dyed hair and patch-covered denim vests, and even a pre-teen boy with a short mohawk who was accompanied by his father. Though our length of existence greatly varied, it was clear we all had one thing in common: we were here to see a great show.
POLAR BEAR CLUB arrived on the stage promptly at 8:45 PM. Though their over rehearsed synchronised jumping was cheesy, the band was full of energy and put on a fun show. Singer Jimmy Stadt appeared to be very grateful to be the opening band and stated, “I know you all came to see Bad Religion, but the fact that you’re standing here paying attention to this band of idiots… that’s not something we take for granted.” Their set was short and sweet, just as it should be. 7/10
THE BRONX began their set earlier than expected. Thankfully, that also meant they finished earlier. While they seemed to have many fans in the audience, I found their music hard to listen to as the distortion seemed to over-power the music. While the band’s fifth studio album, IV, is full of catchy-yet-agressive tunes, the songs do not translate well live as the melodies were nearly impossible to hear. 3/10
When BAD RELIGION took the stage, the entire atmosphere in the Kool Haus changed. The venue suddenly filled more than I could ever imagine possible, and the entire room became one large mosh pit. The band started with “Past Is Dead”, a song that starts off with a melancholy introduction, but abruptly changes pace at the first chorus. Bad Religion continued to played a near-perfect set which included songs such as “Generator”, “21st Century (Digital Boy)”, and “Suffer”. Surprisingly, the band also played “Sinister Rouge”, a song that means a lot to me personally as it was the first Bad Religion song I listened to in my early teens. It was the song that introduced me to punk rock.
The concert was filled with witty banter in between songs. Early in the show, singer Greg Graffin asked the audience, “What if I told you [our new album] True North is number one on the charts worldwide?” Without questioning Graffin’s words, the audience cheered. “Bullshit!” interrupted bearded bassist Jay Bentley. “Don’t be so gullible.”
Graffin had an authoritative and strong (yet unintimidating) presence on stage. His constant pointing and exaggerated hand movements made the audience alert and aware of the fact that what he was singing was extremely important.
There’s no denying that Bad Religion is a band of living legends. After thirty-three years of constant recording and touring, the band shows no signs of slowing down. “We don’t have any joint replacements!” Graffin joked. Guitarist Brian Baker corrected, “I have a new knee!” But even if the band ends up using canes and walkers, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll have another thirty years of Bad Religion playing great music with fans in the audience screaming, “Ya hey!” 10/10