Metric - Los Angeles 03/26/10

On a spring night in LA, a warm wind blew into town and carried Metric along with it. In anticipation of the band's headlining at the Hollywood Palladium, ecstatic fans wrapped a line around the block. The Toronto/Montreal/LA/London based four-piece; arrived after a whirlwind of tour dates in the states, including an appearance at SXSW. Though for this particular Friday night: if there were any room left in the Palladium, it must have been with the ghosts in the rafters.

The show began on a darkened stage, only sprinkled with pinpoints of blue light. Shimmering, the frontwoman Emily Haines' keyboard intro and lyrics formed the perfect embarkation point for the emotionally textured opening, "Twilight Galexy". (from their 2009 album "Fantasies") Supporting their eclectic musical stylings; were guitarist James Shaw, bassist Joshua Winstead, and drummer Joules Scott-Key; which lit the aural path for Haines' lush vocals and quirky-polished presence.

As the concert built in intensity; the lights shone down, glowing of a thousand different shades of blue. Haines' lyrics seem to lend her voice to a generation's pain, joy, wit, and social relevance. The band oscillated between slower/dreamy tunes, and indie-pop gems like the well known "Help I'm Alive", and the catchy alt-hits "Sick Muse" and "Gold Guns Girls".

Haines flitted about the stage like the green-fairy painted in blue, while having unmistakable command of the stage and the audience's attention. The audience swaying with every move of the band, the evening was further punctuated by such witty tunes as "Gimme Sympathy" posing questions about the nature & even relevance of stardom with lines like: "who'd you rather be the Beatles of the Rolling Stones?"

Closing the night was another pinnacle from the 2003 album "Old World Underground"; asking the difficult relationship question: "how I miss your ranting - do you miss my all time lows?..." The ironically poppy, yet thoughtful "Combat Baby" had the Palladium's packed dance-floor bouncing in ecstasy until the last note of the night...


Photos/Review: Clovis IV