Photos and a review of Our Lady Peace, Collective Soul, and Wintersleep in Ottawa

[After nearly losing his house in the LA wildfires, Raine Maida and Our Lady Peace are on a cross-Canada tour. Melody Maloney was at the Ottawa show for us. – AC]

On March 7, Our Lady Peace brought their 30th anniversary tour to Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre with guests Wintersleep and Collective Soul.

Wintersleep was up first. Being a group who often plays intimate venues through their decades and decades on the Canadian music scene, Wintersleep showed us they can command a stage in a large arena. All while still making the audience feel like they are one with the band, within reach, and can feel the experience. 

Starting off strong with ‘In Came the Flood’ and ending with the popular ‘Amerika’. From playing their popular songs and deep cut fan favourites, they reminded us what Canadian music is all about: an intangible feeling that connects us all through music.

Next up was Collective Soul. Dressed in a bold and wild suit topped off with a matching cowboy hat, vocalist Ed Roland ran onto the stage to start off the set. Collective Soul had brilliant energy.

Getting right into it, they performed ‘Mother’s Love’ from their most recent 2024 album and received such a positive reception from the audience. Taking it right back to their beginnings, they jammed out to big hits like ‘Heavy’ and ‘Shine’ within the first 20 minutes of the set. The band continued to give us even more with extended jam sessions and a cover of ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’, dressed up in that deep Collective Soul sound.

The crowd gave their energy right back even with the tempo taking a slower pace. At one point, the audience became an integral part of the performance as they sang the chorus to ‘The World I Know’ and back up vocals on ‘December’. The band created an immersive experience with deep and heavy guitars, groovy rhythms, and delicate melodies that brought the energy.

By the time Our Lady Peace took the stage, the crowd had an exciting energy buzzing in the air. Before the band stepped onto the stage, a video was played. This video looked to be from 30 years ago or so, with a very young lead singer and frontman Raine talking in what appeared to be some sort of interview in Toronto. In the video, Raine spoke about Our Lady Peace’s sound and the music they just made as a new band on the Canadian scene.

As the video played, it was clear that the main message of the video was all about the fans. How Raine wanted the fans (even interrupting himself to clarify if they have any fans at all) to grow with the band as they found their sound. To grow together, learn together, and listen together. Before the band even stepped onto that stage, the connection was recreated. A reminder that the last 30 years of OLP have been an experience. An experience the band has had with fans.

Starting strong with ‘Superman’s Dead’, the band sounded as good as they did all those years ago when recording their albums. Song after song, they played fan favourites like ‘One Man Army’, ‘Innocent’, ‘Is Anybody Home?’, ‘Sound the Alarm’, and ‘Somewhere Out There’.

The band even debuted a more recent song, ‘Drop Me in the Water’, live for the first time on this tour. Raine’s strong stage presence went beyond performing their songs. Connecting with their fans even further, the band took the time to share stories throughout their set. Sharing experiences while writing songs or what was happening with the band when a song was created. Advocating for mental health and opening up about their inspiration when they were teenagers looking for guidance and looking to “chase the art” were topics they touched on.

During these story time moments, Raine mentioned how they found a band who sparked that chase for them. Leading up to who truly inspired the band, who gave them their “a-ha” moment, without mentioning the band’s name, Jason on drums, Duncan on bass, and Steve on Guitar starting playing the lead up to the Hip’s ‘Locked In a Trunk of a Car’. The crowd erupted in response. Exploding into the song, Raine’s vocals not only sounded incredible, he sounded like he was truly connected with this song, this band, Canadian Music, and their fans with every extended note.

Playing another recent song ‘I Wanna Be Your Drug’ right after a classic Canadian cover gave us a fresh look towards Canadian music. Letting us know they’re still here, have been here and not going anywhere as they continue into their third decade together as a band.  Raine mentioned how this whole experience of OLP, 30 years of the band, has felt like a fever dream, continuing to talk to the audience and thank them for the up to thirty years of support. The real fever dream may have been taking place on stage at that very moment as Paul Murphy of Wintersleep came out to play ‘In Repair’ with OLP. Continuing to give us a truly Canadian set.

Musically, OLP gave us a full experience. This show was loud and proud. With heavy riffs, incredible vocals, new music, covers, and classic OLP hits. Ending the main set with ‘Clumsy’, the Canadian Tire Centre was full of fans waving their hands. It didn’t stop there. For the encore, Raine led the way as the band walked through the general admission crowd. With a spotlight on them, they walked to the middle of the arena on the ground floor where a piano was waiting for Raine.

Somewhere along the way, Raine took the mic and continued to talk and share with the crowd, reminding us how connected with the fans this band is and has always been. Now surrounded by fans in GA, Raine talked about his wife Chantal singing the Canadian National Anthem at the Four Nations Hockey Tournament a few weeks ago. An already Canadian music night turned into even more as the crowd broke out into song. Singing the Canadian National Anthem conducted by Raine himself. What a moment that was.

Eventually getting to the encore, the band continued to play in the crowd. ‘Not Enough’, ‘4am’, ‘Automatic Flowers’, and ‘Starseed’ were on the menu for the encore. Finishing off an incredibly sounding show, with so much energy and connection with a fantastic encore. Our Lady Peace showed us they are Loud, Proud, and Canadian.