Sloan

Wow, what a great show, this was my first time seeing them live. I didn't mind the cold at all, once things got going I was pretty warm, and it looked really cool when the snow was coming down. All I wanna know is... where did those Spiderman guys learn to twirl umbrellas like that?

Oh & the band that played after them was good. : P

Last night's gig was typically wonderful. I was afraid of a "Barrie New Years Eve II" fiasco, but decent temperatures, coupled with better heaters, kept the boys playing as if it were a summer festival. With sweaters.

The show kicked off with the one-two punch that kicks off NHTEOI, followed by probably the 'best of' the rest of the album. The greatest hits followed with everybody but Andrew getting their chance to sing from the back catalogue.

The best part, which I'm sure was put in for irony's sake, was seeing them sing Chester The Molester, which, under the Rowlands administration, would have had the plug pulled and the band banned for life. Oh how times have changed...

I have a bunch of pix posted at my blogsite
http://photoblair.blogspot.com/2007/01/sloancity.html

Wicked, the best part was when a fight almost broke out between a group of drunk, moshing 15-year-olds and some guy. Hardcore.

my friend and I had an awesome time! even though our toes were little ice cubes we loved it. the guys played an awesome set list (loads of singles, new stuff and a few classics). it seemed like the guys were having a fun time too which is always good.

I've got some photos and a few videos if anyone wants a look: http://users.livejournal.com/_loveorsympathy/69720.html

thanks for a great time guys! it was a blast

The show was awesome last night, but could you expect anything different? Fourth time seeing them live, second time shooting them for my school paper. Speaking of that, i need to know an estimate of how many ppl were there, any help is appreciated. Right now I'm guessing at least 8,000, i didn't really spend that much time looking at the crowd.

great show!!!
sloan always gives 100% even at a small free show like this.the set list was great.i was smiling so hard that i got a chance to hear jay croon c'mon c'mon. i wished they played waiting for slow songs...anyways,it was such a small crowd that i got to get up closer to the stage then any other sloan show i've been to.they played chester the molester which i have never heard live before.

I really enjoyed the show!Plus the awesome music kept my mind off of the fact that my toes almost froze off...lol. But yeah, I wanted to say that I was the guy in the audience near the front of the crowd who yelled out the request for 'Day Tripper', and really apreciated the confirmation from Jay and Chris, playin' a few riffs from the song. You guys rock!!!!

You guys almost played 'Day Tripper' when I yelled it out. I love that!!!

Luckily the temperature hovered around zero for last nights Sloan concert at Nathan Phillips Square, especially compared to the night before and after which were far colder. The concert was free and put on by Toronto's Winter City Festival.

Sloan not surprisingly kicked off show with "Flying High Again" the opening track off their latest effort 'Never Hear the End of It,' followed by the first single from the album "Who Taught You to Live Like That?" and two more new songs.

The band played well for an outdoor winter gig. Each member had a big space heater beside them and you could tell they weren't freezing up there since many of them took off there winter jackets and toques. Sloan also had a new fifth touring member on keyboards that was never properly introduced, who when not performing keyboard parts was hitting a tambourine or shakers and on occasion singing background vocals as well.

A few songs in Chris Murphy mentioned Kitonb Extreme Theatre Company 'Carillon - The Flight of Time' which performed their dance and acrobatics just prior to Sloan's set. Always the comedian Chris said "We were totally going to do that, but now we would look like idiots. We brought the equipment and everything." I believe Jay Ferguson immediately with a tone of surprise asked the question of Chris "New material?" before they played their next song.

The new material, both music and comedic continued later as Chris going to the drums said "For those of you who haven't seen Sloan before, we all take time singing. Just like City Hall, everybody gets a say." It's amazing what a different and unique venue can do for Murphy's improv. Andrew picked up his guitar took the lead vocals for five of the next six songs, with Patrick Pentland's fifty second song "HFXNSHC" sandwiched in between.

After Andrew went back to the drums since a good portion of the audience were there seeing Sloan for the first time the rest of the show consisted of their singles and older album tracks. Chris asked the audience who was in high school in 1996 as they went into "Everything You've Done Wrong," a single from that year. Next up Chris asked with a smile, who was in high school in 2003, and then stated "Wasn't that the year before last?" Good thing Chris is a musician and not a math teacher. The song from 2003 was "the Rest of My Life." Even though many in the crowd were there for the first time, there were enough Sloan fans to yell out the Canadian nationalistic line "One thing I know about the rest of my life, I know that I’ll be living it in Canada," lyrics that seemed quite fitting to be sung aloud in front of City Hall.

They set closed with "Money City Maniacs," but even though the show was free and the crowd had gotten smaller in the winter night Sloan came out to do an encore. Many fans up front asked for some rare songs and at at a couple of different points Jay teased a couple of riffs of songs they didn't play and I didn't get on paper as my fingers were freezing. The fans requests got this response from Chris, "You request our songs, what if we came up with pictures of fans that we wished were up front? Like why isn't she here or he here?" I'm sure that joke is an old one from Chris, but the fans just wanted to hear one of their requests and they likely got it with the performance of "Chester the Molester" before the show ended "If it Feels Good Do It."

SLOAN
TORONTO'S WINTER CITY FESTIVAL
NATHAN PHILLIPS SQUARE
SATURDAY JANUARY 27, 2007

Start time 8:06pm
1. Flying High Again
2. Who Taught You to Live Like That?
3. Someone I Can Be True With
4. Ill Placed Trust
5. The Other Man
6. The Lines You Amend
7. Fading Into Obscurity
8. Golden Eyes
9. Love Is All Around
10. Living with the Masses
11. HFXNSHC
12. Something's Wrong
13. I've Gotta Try
14. All Used Up
15. C'mon C'mon (We're Gonna Get it Started)
16. Everything You've Done Wrong
17. The Rest of My Live
18. Losing California
19. Coax Me
20. The Good in Everyone
21. Penpals
22. Money City Maniacs
Encore 23. Chester the Molester
24. If It Feels Good Do It
End time 9:25pm (Total time 1 hour and 19 minutes)

Hahaaa...this was a very fun show. I was trying to tell you guys at the end to take me with you but you can't of heard right because Chris just laughed at me. Heartbreaking. Anyways. You guys gave her and I had a special time and Patrick--do we let the security guards push us around or not?
peace and metal
penny

Yippy yoooo, it was a rockin good time...I was four rows from the front in the middle surrounded by some great sloan fans; lots of singing and jammin going on!

Keep it up!
Kelly Belly

Thanks so much for a terrific show. The sound was really good for an outdoor show and our fabulous 4 was amazing as always.

Happily front & centre,

Mandi