metric

i did not realize that stars and bss would be opening for metric, i thought they were all co-headlining for some reason. as soon as metric came on though you could definitely tell they were the headliner, their stages (and music) were just so much better than the other two, or maybe it was just emily haines singlehandedly bringing the roof down. the entire show was 4 hour long and such a delight; all the leads kept reiterating how special it was to be performing with friends they’ve known since grade school (and these people are 50, so), and all that joy and gratitude leaked out of them palpably.

highlights from metric were victim of luck, youth without youth, now or never now (craziest song to hear performed live btw, the heavens opened up), loyal, gold guns girls, combat baby, help i’m alive, black sheep OK BASICALLY EVERYTHING THEN! it was a pleasure seeing anthems performed live…it’s an iconic song for many reasons, but i actually never connected with it the way everybody else seemed to, never really understood the lyrics on an emotional level, until i heard the i saw the tv glow version by yeule, and then it clicked. something about the distortion…the electronic flatness as though reaching out through a screen…the voices almost drowning in static…recontextualized by the themes of the movie, of dreaming up a different, truer self than who you are now, going to sleep longing for it…i mean, yeah. it clicked.