#BGReviewer: Our Lady Peace & Matthew Good

What an amazing evening!

We arrived fashionably late (7:15pm) thinking that the starting act, Ascot Royals, was to start at 7:30pm but that wasn’t the case – what we did hear from the concourse was spectacular.  A fresh sounding pop/rock edginess that will propel their career however they wish it to.  I look forward to following their story and listening to their music for years to come.

After a quick 30 minute intermission to find the fastest beer cart and location of the closest bathrooms (important concert strategy) we found our seats (section 109 Row G seats 1/2).

Matt Good 1st Act:
I’ve seen Matt Good in the past as a solo acoustic artist but never with his band. The moment the house lights went down and his pyrotechnic lights came up Matt Good was a musical force to reckon with.  He came out hot and heavy with Bad Guys Win and Alert Status Red, but kept an even balance with Strange Days and then a new song of his, Something Like a Storm (which I really liked!).  While Matt Good’s voice resonated throughout the arena his band gave him strong legs to stand on.  The guitar riffs and solos complimented Matt with his musical storytelling.  As a fan that celebrated Matt’s earlier works I appreciate the past and present music intertwined in his set list.

Matt Good may be pushing 50 but he is definitely like a fine wine, he is just getting better with age.

SET LIST:
Bad Guys Win
Alert Status Red
Strange Days
Something Like a Storm
Born Losers
Decades
The Future is X-Rated
Load Me Up
Apparitions

Our Lady Peace (OLP) 2nd Act
OLP took to the stage a quick 30 minutes after Matt Good and didn’t take long to have the crowd singing along with their classics, Superman’s Dead and Innocent.  Raine’s voice echoed off the rafters song after song only stopping briefly to “try something different” bringing the rock concert to an acoustic serenity with In Repair and Somewhere Out There. Of course the night would not be complete without paying homage to the Canadian greats, Neil Young and Gord Downie.  The highlight for this fan was the final two songs of their set, Clumsy and 4am that had everyone young and old singing along and making new friends.

With the dimming of the lights the chanting and stomping for an encore was not fallen on deaf ears.  OLP came out for a triple threat, bringing out Matt Good and band for their rendition of Hello Time Bomb that had the crowd on their feet singing at the top of their lungs, bookended by a song dedicated to the late great Gord Downie and concluded with Starseed.

SET LIST:
Hiding Place for Hearts
Superman’s Dead
Innocent
Drop me In The Water
Is Anybody Home?

Paper Moon
In Repair
Somewhere Out There
One Man Army
Nice to Meet You
Clumsy
4am

ENCORE:
Ballet of a Poet
Hello Time Bomb (with Matt Good!)
Starseed

I would like to thank Canada Life Place for allowing me the chance to review Saturday night’s rock show.  All opinions are my own as is my grammar and spelling mistakes! Here’s to Canada Life Place bringing back Matt Good and OLP again someday!

Thank You
BG Reviewer: Tammy Fidler
Photography: Bill Woodcock