CMW Day Two: Good Charlotte

The Phoenix Concert Theatre has to be one of my personal favourites when it comes to venues in Toronto. To those who have never been there before, it may in fact look small and dingy from the outside. Set in a neighbourhood where you wouldn't expect a concert venue, it's hard to find. I myself walked by it the first time without realizing that it was right in front of me. Once you walk into the building though it opens into a large area with a big stage and even a balcony. It's nothing fancy or spectacular but it has housed some great music in the past and it continues to do so to this day.

Friday was a somewhat more relaxing day when it came to things we had to do. Besides the CMRAs all we had was the show in the evening with Good Charlotte featuring Canadian up and comers These Kids Wear Crowns, This Century and Forever the Sickest kids. I'll be honest, lately I've been feeling rather old when I am going to shows due to the many young fans that seem to take over the show. While there were a lot of kids this time around I felt right at home with the Good Charlotte fans. Seeing as GC came out when I was just a teen myself, a lot of their fanbase was a tad older then the average  age of 15 and 16.

You may have heard of These Kids Wear Crowns from their recent stint on Much Music's Disband, or their catchy single "Jumpstart" all over the radio, but one thing is for sure, they are definitely entertaining. Recently purchasing their new album, I was impressed but not extremely wowed over (if you know what I mean). The songs were catchy and seriously amusing but there was something missing. What was lost was soon found though when they first hit the stage as the opening act for a series of great musicians. They were catchy, upbeat and FULL of energy. They were sinscere in every song they sang, involved that crowd as much as they could and just had an overall great time on stage. Singing songs off of their EP and their new album Jumpstart they had the crowd singing and dancing the entire set. Favourites of the night would have to be when they sang the cover "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", "Jumpstart" and their very first single "Break it Up".

This Century is a band that originated from Arizona, have a distinctly pop-rock sound that is catchy and fun to listen and dance too. Although this was my first time seeing (or even hearing of these guys) I was intrigued and found myself dancing and keeping a beat even though I'd never heard the songs. Songs like "Hopeful Romantic", "To Love and Back" and "No Way Out", have a hopeful, optomistic approach to the lyrics and are positive. I feel that this band, while anybody could enjoy them, are geared towards the younger generation.  With their positivity it allows their fans to enjoy their music while being able to really listen to the meaning.

Up next came Forever The Sickest Kids. I've heard of them on and off for a couple of years, but never really listened to them until their song "Woah Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" bombarded the Cineplex TV/movie screens for a couple of months o (I go to the movies often so I was exposed to the song, multiple times) a few years ago. And while they were entertaining, they had to be my least favourite act of the night. There was nothing special about them that jumped out at me to make their performance memorable. There sound was ok, and the songs were okay but it was just...eh. And to be honest, I couldn't really understand half of what they were saying. Maybe it was because I didn't know the songs, or maybe the sound was bad, but it just seems as if it were all a blur.

And finally the reason why I wanted to cover this show for Canadian Music Week. Good Charlotte has been on my radar for quite some time now and although many people say they are washed-up, they still manage to put on a great show every single time. Prior to the show starting both twins Benji and Joel Madden were tweeting like crazy, pumped for the show, but also put out some bad news that a few shows had to be cancelled. Explained more onstage, both boys needed to take a well deserved break to rest their voices as per doctor's orders. There's no denying that they both sounded rough around the edges but that didn't keep them from putting on an energetic, chaotic and fun show. One review I read said that the boys compensated their lost voices by using the crowd as back-up singers. Yes, that could be partially true, but truthfully, who doesn't enjoy singing along to the songs and hearing others do the same?

Lucky for the Madden boys, they were able to spend their 30-something birthday with a totally hyped Toronto, and were even surprised by the boys of FTSK and This Century with a birthday cake and a rendition of their single "Like it's Her Birthday". While they did sing songs like "Silver Screen Romance", "Like it's Her Birthday" and "Last Night", they decided to blow off promoting their new album Cardiology (because it was their birthday) and stick to old crowd favourites that had everybody jumping. Performing hits like "The Anthem", "Emotionless", "My Bloody Valentine", "Hold On" and many more, they kept the crowd entertained as well as themselves. While I admit that Good Charlotte is mainlly a band for the original and dedicated fans (I saw a lot of original band merch from years ago), I saw a large group of teens who wanted to give their heart to the band. Many people and critics may agree that Good Charlotte has come to their end, there are many more who will support them through and through until the end.

Check out the video of Benji Madden singing their hit "Emotionless: