It’s no surprise that Winnipeg is a big city of rock fans and would pack into the Burton Cummings Theatre for the first night of two back-to-back sold-out shows on the current Our Lady Peace, Matthew Good, and Ellevator twenty-date tour across Canada. Our Lady Peace is currently touring to promote their ninth studio album, Somethingness, and Matthew Good is promoting his twelfth album, Something Like a Storm.
Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.
The Hamilton, Ontario indie rock/alternative rock band, Ellevator opened the night with a pretty stellar thirty-minute performance for the Winnipeg audience. I was unfamiliar with this band going into the show, but I recognized their song, “St. Cecilia,” immediately as they began playing it. I still can’t place where I’ve heard the song prior, but it’s a great tune everyone should check out if they get the chance to do so. Ellevator has an upcoming self-titled EP to be released on April 20th. Big things are coming for Ellevator, so make sure to watch out for them soon.
Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.
Next to the Burton Cummings Theatre stage needs no introduction. Matthew Good was welcomed with an extremely loud warm welcome from the Winnipeg audience immediately as the lights went low. This created massive energy in the room that you could feel. A feeling that will give you goosebumps that instantly you knew it was going to be a great show from here on out. With how long Matthew Good has been on the Canadian rock scene, which has been since the mid-1990s with the Matthew Good Band, before disbanding following a falling out and going solo in the early 2000s. It was no surprise a majority of, if not all, of the crowd, knew a tune or two from the Canadian rock legend. Good has also performed in this theatre countless times over his career, which he referenced on stage during his performance. Good performed an hour-long set featuring songs new and old. Including in no particular order, “Bad Guys Win,” “Apparitions,” “Decades,” and “Load Me Up,” to name just a few. Lastly, the light design for Matthew Good on this tour is insane but beautifully done to match each song packing a hell of an extra punch to the show. I’m sure it won’t be very long before Matthew Good returns to Winnipeg and brace the Burton Cummings Theatre once again.
Photos by Samuel Stevens Photography.
Headlining the show was Our Lady Peace from Toronto, Ontario. Going on a big twenty-sixth year as a band, they do not fail to own the stage and deliver a hell of a performance. Our Lady Peace shows no signs of winding down, just releasing their ninth studio album, Somethingness. This was the first Our Lady Peace headline show in Winnipeg in six years, which vocalist Raine Maida apologized for a few songs into the band’s set, but the last time Our Lady Peace were in Winnipeg was just seven months ago opening for Guns N’ Roses at Investors Group Field on their Canadian tour last August. Also like Matthew Good, Our Lady Peace performed a primary nostalgic set making sure to cover their extensive catalogue performing such songs as “Angels/Losing/Sleep,” “Innocent,” “One Man Army,” “Clumsy,” “4am,” and performed the two songs, “In Repair” and “Somewhere Out There,” acoustically. The band performed a few new songs as well, including their single, “Drop Me in the Water.” The band’s encore of three songs was fun, the band started with the song, “Ballad of a Poet,” off their album, Somethingness. This is about when vocalist Raine Maida first saw The Tragically Hip live in Toronto and set his path to becoming a musician. Following was when the band really had fun, by performing a cover of the Matthew Good Band’s “Hello Time Bomb” performed with Matthew Good and his entire band. As soon as the song hit, the audience went into the wildest of cheer. That same feeling from Matthew Good’s set returned, leaving me with goosebumps. Our Lady Peace proceeded to end the night with their popular song, “Starseed.” I predict Our Lady Peace will be back to Winnipeg soon enough, hopefully, this time not with a six-year wait.