Skip to content
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Derek
    • Gary
    • Halley/Celeste
    • Paul
    • Ricky
    • Vik
  • Concerts
  • Reviews
    • Albums
    • Venue
    • Movies
    • Year End Reviews
  • Festivals
    • Canadian Music Week
    • Hot Docs
    • North By Northeast
    • Planet in Focus
    • Primavera
    • South By Southwest
  • Contact Us
Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Derek
    • Gary
    • Halley/Celeste
    • Paul
    • Ricky
    • Vik
  • Concerts
  • Reviews
    • Albums
    • Venue
    • Movies
    • Year End Reviews
  • Festivals
    • Canadian Music Week
    • Hot Docs
    • North By Northeast
    • Planet in Focus
    • Primavera
    • South By Southwest
  • Contact Us

Concert Review: Primal Scream, November 4, Danforth Music Hall

Posted on
8 Nov 2016
by
Ricky
Photo by Sarah Rix
Photo by Sarah Rix

Playing an eerily similar set to what they played at Danforth Music Hall just over a year and a half ago, the Primal Scream show last Friday was short on surprises but to a liquored up Friday night middle aged crowd, that was just fine. Sometimes the best things in life are the comfortable things, like a sip of your favourite scotch or the pleasant feeling of getting that bi monthly paycheck. At the risk of going off the rails here are some comments. I’m not gonna bother introducing the band because you aren’t reading this thing to know what a band you haven’t heard about sounds like live anyway. If you disagree, I ask you to go read an episode recap of some TV show you don’t watch.

Movin On Up – I’m uncertain as to whether or not I like this as the first song of the set or as the first song of the encore. As a lead song it gets you into a great mood and everyone is into it, but as a downside you don’t get Bobby Gillespie yelling, “Are you ready to testify!” while everyone is already dancing before launching into the song.

Swastika Eyes – this song is a beast live. I mean it sounds nice live but to hear it with a full band in all its loud glory is a different experience all together. You compare this with Screamadelica material and it’s amazing how it comes from the same band

Rocks – “Rocks” was a bit disappointing. To me, “Rocks” is just a blistering rock tune that’s full of swagger and just a track that makes you feel cool. However, Bobby kinda just hung back and didn’t deliver the song with as much gusto as I would have expected. It was at this point I was wondering – Is he tired? Are we old? Is this an end of the tour kinda show? I couldn’t place it, but it was definitely lacking the punch you normally expect.

Come Together – The glaring omission from last years show was a good enough reason attend this years show. One of the many great tracks off Screamadelica, “Come Together”‘s dreamy sound soothed all the souls in the house if only for a few minutes and left everyone in a feel good mood. There’s something calming and uplifting about singing “I’m Free! You’re Free!” with a room full of people.

Whatever reservation I might have about this show, which I put as slightly inferior to last years, the crowd still ate it up. Frankly, even if I feel like this show had a little less energy then last year’s show, I also have a little less energy than last year so it’s probably fitting in a macro kind of way.

PrevPreviousConcert Review: Lydia Loveless, November 5, Adelaide Hall
NextConcert Review: Pool Holograph, Sports, BRONCHO, November 5, Empty BottleNext

SEARCH

FOLLOW US

Facebook Twitter Flickr Foursquare Rss Inbox

THE PAST

Archives

TAGS

Tags
British Music Embassy (10) Canadian Music Fest (11) canadian music week (20) cmf (10) cmw (42) concert (9) el mocambo (9) fringe (26) Great Lake Swimmers (10) guelph (9) horseshoe tavern (23) hot docs (103) jazz (12) Joel Plaskett (10) jukebox the ghost (15) lee's palace (27) marina and the diamonds (10) Massive Attack (10) mod club (12) NXNE (94) of monsters and men (11) Phoenix (15) play reviews (11) Pulp (11) Roskilde Festival (16) rural alberta advantage (10) sharon van etten (10) suede (12) summerworks (34) SXSW (479) SXSW 2022 (11) SXSW 2024 (11) SXSW Online (18) the antlers (11) the cure (9) the national (10) the xx (11) Tokyo Police Club (9) Toronto (25) toronto fringe (14) Toronto Jazz Festival (55) turf (13) tweeview (10) Video (9) zeus (10)
The Panic Manual

We are a collective of individuals bringing you the latest in concert reviews, indie, britpop, Canadian, twee and all sorts of other music, movies, tv and everything else you like. Follow the manual to live a pleasant and fulfilling life.

All rights reserved