Silverstein Heads “25 Years of Noise” at the Bronson Centre in Ottawa
[Zachary Resnick and Melody Mahoney were on the scene. – AC]
Silverstein and friends chose Ottawa’s Bronson Centre as the 51st stop on their “25 Years of Noise” tour, celebrating a quarter century of continually evolving and refining their hardcore/emo sound. Four acts played a pulse-pounding show to a sold-out, all-ages audience of eager fans – loud, raw, and explosive.
If there’s a band out there that can open a show and get a crowd hyped faster than Greyhaven, I haven’t found them. Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, this was my first time seeing the band in the flesh – but it won’t be my last.
Lead vocalist Brent Mills thundered onto the stage, a wall of beautiful noise following him, and belted out a pair of tunes before stopping to catch a breath. His long, guttural scream during the bridge of “Sweet Machine” earning him a raucous pop of cheers and applause.
Greyhaven continued whipping the crowd into a frenzy, especially during a rendition of “Sick and Lavish,” with blacklights illuminating Mills’ sleeves as he lashed around the stage, and Nick Spencer’s guitar was all heavy licks and emotion.
Second out was Broadside from Richmond, Virginia. They were the band I admittedly knew least about in the lineup. After their electrifying set though, I’m a BIG fan. I regret my initial reaction to Ollie Baxxter – lead vocalist – who at first glance I clocked as an emo Buddy Holly, but can you blame me? The slicked back hair, the white tee and high-rise pants showing off socks, the thick-framed glasses – it was all giving Buddy.
The comparisons stopped as soon as Baxxter opened his mouth. Big riffs and heady lyrics filled with emotion, positivity, and even a touch of humour was the order of the day. Broadside, and Baxxter in particular, know how to work a crowd, as evidenced by the chorus of “hell yeah!” after “Cruel” and the bone-rattling pop after “I Think They Know,” a song which the band only released three weeks ago.
Broadside left the stage amidst a thunder of applause, Baxxter signing off to the crowd saying, “I hope you all find money on the way home!”
Third on the docket, playing their first Ottawa show, was Real Friends from Tinley Park, Illinois. A magnificent fusion of pop, punk, and emo, Real Friends grabbed hold of the audience the moment they took the stage, belting out “Waiting Room” and “Late Nights in My Car,” with lead vocalist Cody Muraro even taking a cheeky crowd surf and encouraging others to follow suit.
Halfway through the set, Muraro descended into the pit, among the fans, to slow things down with a gritty rendition of “I’ve Given Up on You,” as phone flashlights cast beams over the sea of bodies around him.
Another highlight of Real Friend’s set was when Baxxter came back out to duet with Muraro on a cover of The Used’s “The Taste of Ink,” earning another huge pop from the fired-up crowd. High energy renditions of “Six Feet” and “When You Were Here” rounded out the set, with Muraro’s vocals particularly angsty on the latter.
While all three of the previous bands put on great sets and were lovingly embraced by the audience, it was clear that this crowd was here for Silverstein. The stage was transformed with Paul Koehler’s drum kit atop a pedestal, four LED screens as a backdrop, and jets of smoke exploding out of vents on either side.
The Burlington, Ontario band started their set with a video presentation reminding us of what the music scene was like 25 years ago and where they came from, before blinding lights flashed out into the theatre and Silverstein erupted into “Skin & Bones.”
Their set was quickly developed into a sing-along, as nearly every member of the enraptured audience sang in unison with Shane Told, turning every number into a harmonious cacophony of energy. “The Altar,” “Bad Habits,” and “The Afterglow” were highlights of the first half.
After a powerful rendition of “Massachusetts” Told recounted the story of the band’s first gig in Ottawa, playing at Club SAW some 24 years ago, how green they were, and how exciting it was to play in the nation’s capital.
Silverstein then launched into “One Last Dance” before slowing things down a bit with an acoustic start to “The End.” More glorious noise, more chanting voices as the set continued: “My Disaster,” “Your Sword Versus My Dagger,” and finally “Smile in Your Sleep,” which very nearly caused the crowd to detonate.
The band walked off to a standing ovation, and the audience was granted the briefest of respites to catch their breath before Told returned, acoustic guitar in hand for a gritty acoustic solo rendition of “My Heroine.” The rest of Silverstein joined him for two more songs: “Smashed into Pieces” and “Bleeds No More” before closing the show to another standing ovation, cheers, hoots, hollers, and more than a couple of guys spinning their shirts above their heads.
If you haven’t heard any of these artists, now is the perfect time to get into them as Silverstein has a new album coming out later this year, and Greyhaven, Broadside, and Real Friends all have recent releases within the last couple years. Here’s to 25 more years of noise!
