Twilight’s Last Gleaming: Broken Social Scene, Electric Factory, November 9th, 2006 [Flickr]
EVA SAYS: Canadians are nice people. Nice people with good bacon, good whiskey, and yes, even better bands. Which is how I’d describe a Broken Social Scene show: nice n’ good, but no more and no less. Like Canada, their songs are pleasant and familiar enough, but live, they lack anything particularly unique. Sure, Kevin Drew was nice, endlessly thanking Philadelphia as if he truly believed we were largely responsible for the band’s success. He then graciously thanked the sound guy, all nine of the other band members, and brought on stage two random kids who helped the band haul equipment at the Khyber four years ago — to thank them. He was really thankful that he didn’t lose his passport while crowd surfing, less he’d get stuck in this country. Then he congratulated us for the recent change in our political direction, crying “don’t fuck it up!” Like I said, Canadians are nice guys. But it’s too bad nice just never sexy enough. Starting off all pleasant and pretty, they looked like ten modest folk having fun. But by the time they started to get a little creative, improvising towards the end, the show was dragging and so was the crowd. When asked if they should play another song, the general response was characterized by one exasperated girl in front of me who threw up her hands in ambivalence and said, “Sure, why not?”
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