Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON June 22, 2014
There are some folks, like myself, that are not terribly familiar with these bands entire repertoire but only what they've heard on the radio. Then there are those that know every word to every song of their favourite band. I had heard such glowing reviews of these bands, and this tour in particular, that I thought I must check it out.
The headliner, OneRepublic, with frontman Ryan Tedder who is such a prolific songwriter, played a multitude of songs that have had radio play even I was familiar. I was blown away by what Ryan can do with his voice as I gravitate towards vocals over everything else. Although some of the set changes seemed to interrupt the flow and feeling of their set, it was really just the little subtle things that made it interesting to watch. Having mirrored guitars and, later on, just a single mirror reflecting strategically placed spotlights were one of the most memorable effects. They showed a video clip of driving down the usual highways in Toronto to get to the venue with a view of the iconic CN Tower ending in a Canadian flag really made it feel personal. They seemed to be genuinely appreciative of the Toronto crowd and mentioned they have crew members from Toronto and Canada. It seemed as if they hadn't played to such a large crowd in an open air summer venue in Toronto before.
[Setlist OneRepublic]
Prior to OneRepublic's set was the much loved Irish band, The Script. Their set did not have a lot of lights and flash which would have been unnecessary anyway and would not have been as noticeable as it was still light out. They just seemed very down to earth, very inclusive and at one point called a girl's ex-boyfriend and sang 'Nothing'. Although they've done this before it was still hilarious to witness it firsthand. They also seemed to show heartfelt gratitude at the reception they got in Toronto, much the same sentiment as from OneRepublic.
[Setlist The Script]
Opening the night was American Authors. I was only familiar with the one song played on the radio, 'Best Day Of My Life', but the rest of their set was equally catchy. There were even some hints of down east flare, even though they are obviously American, met in Boston and based in New York City.
[Setlist American Authors]
Three bands that compliment each other with their mixture of musical influences and genres. Heartfelt and seemingly genuine gratitude for their audience goes a long way. Just an awesome experience!
[Photo Gallery]
