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The last time Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab For Cutie were in Toronto they played separately, three days apart, in October. This time around, they decided to play together, last night at Ricoh Coliseum, as part of their much anticipated co-headlined North American tour.
Great idea in theory but, in reality, the show was a disaster. Not really their fault, though, as it needs to be made clear, once and for all, that Ricoh Coliseum is just a dreadful concert venue.
The place is cold, the general seating is chaotic at best, the sound is muffled and the atmosphere, even with a full house, is just plain hollow.
But Franz Ferdinand should know better by now. The Glasgow natives fell victim to the same venue during their last show, which, by the way, was the same in almost every way as their set last night. Same minimal stage design, very similar set list and even the exact same between-song banter.
“I must say, I’m glad to be back in Toronto,” guitarist/ vocalist Nick McCarthy said. “Canada is like the Scotland of North America.”
He said the same thing last time. Except, this time around, he admitted the obvious: “I love Toronto, but I must say, I hate this bloody room — it’s awful.”
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Despite the obvious setbacks, the dance-rock foursome pounded flawlessly through a mix of songs from both their debut self-titled album and their sophomore effort, You Could Have It So Much Better. After they played their two hit singles (Take Me Out and Do You Want To) early in the set, the mostly teenaged crowd got bored and restless.
Until Death Cab’s arrival, that is. Oh, the screams that pierced the ears when singer-songwriter Ben Gibbard hit the stage.
Surrounded by a deliciously creative Tim Burton-esque set that included two small, mushroomy white houses and a backdrop of barren white trees, Gibbard opened quietly on the piano with Passenger Seat, from the band’s 2003 breakthrough album Transatlanticism.
In a wash of purple lights, the rest of the band, guitarist/pianist Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer and drummer Jason McGerr, joined Gibbard and promptly broke into a gorgeous performance of The New Year.
Gibbard’s confessional lyrics are repetitive and simple, but completely affecting.
Suddenly, the sound seemed better and Ricoh Coliseum didn’t suck anymore.
This feeling didn’t last.
Before long, a random, ringing fire alarm went off and continued distractingly through several songs, promptly and understandably angering the band — especially Gibbard.
“Can somebody find a way to turn off that f---ing sound?” he yelled. “Does Avril Lavigne have to deal with this?”
He gave the audience the option of leaving for five minutes and returning once the alarm is stopped, or having them play through the annoyance.
The audience chose the latter; Gibbard asked for the monitors to be turned up to “ear-piercing levels” and the foursome broke into their new single, Crooked Teeth.
Somewhere in there, the alarm stopped, Gibbard insulted Toronto’s fire department for the slow response and the show went on.
Unlike the poor fellows of Franz Ferdinand (who would be much better suited to a small Scottish pub than an unwelcoming arena), Death Cab For Cutie refused to succumb to the suckiness of their venue.
Somehow, they made the room feel warm and intimate and gave what felt like a very special performance.
I have no doubt the legions of striped-and-scarved emo kids loved every minute of it.