The vibe from this type of show is always typical and it never fails to change. Teens and their parents filled The Phoenix with anticipation and excitement, waiting for their favorite band to hit the stage. Waiting for the bass to bounce off the walls and the sounds of pop-inspired voices to fill the air. Faber Drive has been in the music scene for more than six years and have accumulated a large fan base across Canada and Toronto is no different. This crowd was electric. It's like when you walk into a room you can feel the air sizzling. And with Faber Drive being who they are, it's hard not to look around and see some familiar, loyal faces mixed in with the new. It's those type of fans bands long for.
First up was Jesse Labelle. With his sweet smile, soulful lyrics and laid back attitude, he definitely set the stage for the night. Even while battling food poisoning, he stoop up on stage and rocked the Toronto crowd. And while most sick musicians would retreat to quieter quarters after their performance, Labelle stood by the merch table and greeted fans. You don't see that very often anymore.
The New Cities added to the buzz with their seemingly never-ending energy. From start to finish (and seen afterward in the 19+ section) they were bouncing off the walls and each other, while feeding off of the crowd's energy. It would have taken a blind man not to see all that was going on.
Singing songs off their debut album "Lost in City Lights", The New Cities sang radio hits like their most recent "Hypertronic Superstar" and "Dead End Countdown", while jamming to other album hits like "Sinking has Never Been so Easy" and "Leaders of the Misled". Their overall performance showed their zest for life and just added to the show.
Faber Drive has had many changes over the past few years, some good, some bad. Lately the good has been standing out and they've been nothing but soaring to the top. The first thing everybody notices is their unity as a group, and as everyone well knows, that starts with friendship. None to many times have you heard stories of bands disintegrating and falling out due to fighting and conflict. These guys are a united front through and through, and it's easy to see.
The "Can't Keep a Secret" tour is the second round of touring for their second album of the same name. Their performance combined a mixture of their first album (including songs like: "Second Chance" and "When I'm With You") with their new hits including "G-get Up and Dance" "Give Him Up" and their most recent radio hit "You and I Tonight". With a mix of songs, it allowed old and new fans alike to join in unison to sing along to the familiar lyrics. There's nothing like listening to hundreds of people sing along to the same song at the same time. It must have given the band and everybody whose ever supported them from the beginning chills. It's a powerful thing to witness.
To top off a class act performance, the band came out to please their audience with an encore. It also allowed them to shed more light on the charity they support, World Vision. In recent months their lead singer Dave Faber and bassist Jeremy Liddle got the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic with World Vision and showed a video of their experiences while singing "I'll be There". They couldn't speak enough to get the importance of charities and giving back. Their dedication to World Vision is inspiring.
Overall the night was a huge success to those involved and fans left extremely satisfied. Who knows, the next time they play in Toronto their audience size may just double - again.
Written By: Taryn McElheran
taryn.mcelheran@gmail.com
Published originally on Suite101
Photo courtesy of Taryn McElheran
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