Maybe it is because in a recent radio interview, Our Lady Peace vocalist Raine Maida remarked that their loyal fan base would understand that the band had to make money on their new record, "Gravity." Or maybe it is because this new album is an exercise in mundane rock futility. Either way, expectations were lowered as Our Lady Peace took the stage Thursday evening at the Burt Flickinger Center.
After generic but steady performances from opening acts Finger Tight and 30 Seconds To Mars, a curtain was drawn to reveal a silver Our Lady Peace logo in all its "bling-bling" glory. It is great that the band had the presence of mind to bring this garish sign, or they would be indistinguishable from Nickelback, Default or Puddle of Mudd.
When the Canadian rockers finally made their entrance, the chords of the first song, "All For You," erupted deafening and bass heavy. Maida took the microphone in hand and delivered his easily recognizable voice to the masses.
Several elements of the show seemed awkward, from the aforementioned black attire and generic sound of the new songs, to the absolutely uninspired and off-key melodies Maida vocalized. Songs like "Innocent," "Somewhere Out There," "Bring Back The Sun" and "Not Enough," were mundane, repetitive and drawn out.
Even such seminal hits like "Starseed" and "Naveed," from their first album were not on par with the high quality Our Lady Peace usually emphasizes in their live shows. One argument is that the younger fan base the band has attracted with pop-driven hits like "Somewhere Out There" and "Innocent," has eroded the band's connection to their old catalogue of music.
This was not the case at all. While fan response was not as high for first-album hits, appreciation for other old songs like "Clumsy" and "Superman's Dead," was undeniable. The enthusiasm they exuded easily rivaled their response to the band's latest hits.
But the evening certainly had its bright spots. Many of the older songs, like the touching "Are You Sad," the uplifting "In Repair," and the chilling "One Man Army," ripped through the stale air with a cool breeze of emotion and integrity. Songs like the title track from their groundbreaking album "Clumsy" and "Is Anybody Home" were performed as if written a few hours before the show - with urgency and class.
In fact, Maida, bassist Duncan Coutts, drummer Jeremy Taggart, and new guitarist Steve Mazur took particular pleasure in performing their previous hits, inflecting desire and intensity that were well below the surface in the drawn out, radio tracks off "Gravity."
What Our Lady Peace gave was a mixed performance. Perhaps the trip from Washington had exacted some immense toll on the touring rockers from Toronto. Whatever the case, it was a bitter pill to swallow: Our Lady Peace had played a show that was nearly indistinguishable from any of the common bands on the radio today.
But this does not have to be the definitive interpretation of the group's performance. The crowd's enthusiasm certainly revealed that Our Lady Peace's concert deserved acclaim.
The intense connection came out most in the final number the band played. As usual, Maida did not have to sing a word. The audience knew the lyrics of "4am," a song regularly featured in the band's encore, without any confusion over the words, even obscure lines like "I walked around my room not thinking/Just sinking in this box." Let's just hope to God the band figures out what's wrong with some of the elements that marred the show. (cq: reference to band's lyrics)
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
