OLP for $20?! Sign me up! That’s how much it cost for a ticket to see them at the Bronson Center on Friday night…part of the Junofest activities in town that night. Fantastic! Special thanks to Benoit who lent me a Junofest wristband which allowed Krista and I to get access to the floor level which is WAY better than the balcony level!
Krista and I started out the night at Mill Street Brewpub which finally gave me a sub-par dining experience…the burget was a little too slippery with grease than I care for…but this is a minor point…Mill Street is my #1 spot for food and drink now. It blows the competition out of the water.
We arrived fairly early (and found a new area of Ottawa…who would have thought there is an easy way to cut from Mill Street Brewpub to Bronson Street?) to secure some good seats and settled in for a band called The Pack A.D. (which I wondered it they were a Mom/Daughter combo?). They were entertaining and I think they are at Bluesfest this year.
OLP took the stage and the crowd was up for anything! I was excited to hear some new tunes from their Curve album as well as the classics. The band did not disappoint. They opened up with a few new tunes which I thought were fantastic. This was stuff that was getting me really excited for the new album.
I personally feel as a band playing new tunes to an audience, the anticipation must be high for them. Here they are, throwing out some songs that no one knows and we all know that a crowd enjoys tunes that they know and love and have formed memories around. Here is a song you’re personally excited about, but what if it flops? However, at the same time, this same song can be something that will be a hit with the crowd in the future after they’ve had the opportunity to fall in love with it.
Luckily, the crowd ended up falling in love from the first time of hearing it. It doesn’t hurt that the band was in top shape and Raine Maida is definitely the most interesting frontman I have come across.
Highlights:
- Heavyweight…Love, LOVE this new tune and the band was really killing it.
- Third song in, the band stops everything and invites people out in front of the stage as well as down from the balcony. You could tell the security people were freaking out but the band reassured them that nothing bad would happen. AWESOME!
- Julia acoustic!
- One Man Army!
Two thumbs up for the night with Krista. I’m excited to see them again at Bluesfest. By the way, their new album may be their best since Spiritual Machines. Just saying.
Setlist:
Allowance
Fire in the Henhouse
Superman’s Dead
Innocent
All My Friends
One Man Army
Is Anybody Home?
Starseed
Julia (acoustic)
Find Our Way
Somewhere Out There
Clumsy
Heavyweight
Encore
As Fast As You Can
Paper Moon
4AM