OTTAWA -- Is it a curse or just sheer coincidence that louder-than-loud live acts mercilessly destroy their voices before coming to Ottawa?

It happened to Deftones lead singer Chino Moreno last November, which caused an all-out cancellation, with 2,000 fans settling for a meet-and-greet and ticket refunds.

A similar situation plagued last night's MuchLoud Tour 2001, when headliners Godsmack had to cancel because lead singer Sully Erna threw out his voice, therefore denying fans a chance to hear these Boston metal-rockers make their Ottawa debut.

But unlike the Deftones' forced cancellation, the MuchLoud Tour went ahead with its remaining two acts -- Econoline Crush and opener Kardinal Offishall. Attendance, however, took a beating: Around 1,800 tickets had already been sold for the trio of acts. After Godsmack's cancellation, that number was just shy of 1,000.

At least those who remained managed to catch a well-rehearsed Econoline Crush, who capably held their own as headliners despite the cavernous and echoey surroundings of Lansdowne Park's Coliseum building. (If truth be told, the stage side of the sound board provided prime aural insanity.)

The larynx-tearing prowess of Trevor Hurst gave him confidence as frontman for the Vancouver group, delivering his evil grin and Bono-esque poise from opening number Surefire onward, while crowd surfers revelling in their glory throughout hitmakers Sparkle and Shine, The Devil You Know, along with newer material off their latest, Brand New History (particularly first single Make It Right and You Don't Know What It's Like).

Only the blatantly commercial May I Go sounded out of Econoline's character, considering it followed not long after the industrial strength T.D.M. and Wicked, which featured a snippet of Nine Inch Nails' Head Like A Hole.

And T-dot rapper Kardinal Offishall and his three live crew had their work cut out for them as openers, resorting to playing teachers to the Coliseum classroom, grading them for noise value. His "C-" likely hit the mark.

Advance ticket buyers who attended last night's show will get a $5 refund up until May 15 from the Ticketmaster office at 112 Kent St., providing they show a yellow voucher.

Fans who didn't attend due to Godsmack's cancellation will receive a full refund, providing they show their full ticket stub to Ticketmaster's Kent St. office before July 20.

JAM! Rating: 3 out of 5

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