Fig. 1 Read description of BSS’s Lollapalooza performance.
Fig. 2 Take the energy of the Lolla show, cram it into the 500-person capacity Vogue theater. After that subtract a few of the band members, leaving the tally at 9 for that night, but add whiskey and some sort of barbiturate to lead singer Kevin Drew’s diet. Our spot directly in front of guitarist Andrew Whiteman, also the front man of Apostle of Hustle, allowed us to see the equal parts emotion and insanity that make Broken Social Scene so imaginative. The amount of musicianship within each band member, but especially the tightly woven core of Drew and bassist Brendan Canning performing that night, was outstanding; their facial expressions and elasticity while playing were bordering on metaphysical and out-of-body experiences. After perching on one leg during his solo, could Whiteman position himself any more awkwardly? Can Drew look any more uncoordinated while he melts his fret board and mic at the same time? How could Canning play such intricate bass lines while hopping from atop monitors and into the crowd? But holy shit, man, the auditory atmosphere sculpted out of the dark inside the bar was richer than cream cheese. Unrivaled. No contest.
