Comeback Kid @ The MOD Club (May 9th, 2014)

For a guy who has been listening to Comeback Kid since their "Wake The Dead" era back in 2005, I was surprising myself that I have never seen them in concert.  So the opportunity came around when Victory Records announced the band's return to Toronto for Canadian Music Week.  With a new album freshly released, the band was ready for action back in the big city and the fans seemed to be just as eager, if not more.  A big thanks goes out to Lena from Victory Records for tossing me a ticket and a press pass for the event!  One of many great labels that show love to the bloggers as well as the mass media.

So my timing on the TTC was typical.  Trying to make it in before some of the opening acts started, but arrived only to see about 1/2 the set of fellow Canadian group (and fellow label mates) Counterparts.  The group had the right tempo for the crowd and seemed to fit the bill quite well.  Paraphrasing here but I believe vocalist Brendan Murphy citing Comeback Kid as one of their band's main influences.  Not too shabby to be on the bill of an influence.

I want to quickly get this off my chest too because it was something that I noticed quite a bit at the show.  Hardcore dancing was one of the most annoying things about this show, and for most shows that I attend mind you.  The video below is one I found off the net that can give you a little bit of an understanding.  You'll see it start around the 0:33 second mark.

The entire place was covered with these little minions that feel the need to swing their arms around without cause or concern with others.  While this may be a hardcore/metal show and should expecting a few bumps and bangs, I didn't appreciate having to hold my camera gear in one hand and having to fend of flailing round house kicks with the other.  I am very surprised that the kids doing these kinds of moves did not get into a scuff with other concert goers as I was borderline looking to throw one tiny kid in a grey shirt halfway across the room.  It's a dick move, plain and simple.  Want to act like a tough guy?  Start a moshpit or slam dancing.  See how you measure up when there are close quarter spaces where your windmills and kung-fu kicks are useless.  Still feel like a tough guy?  OK, rant done.

So back to the show.  I have been a long time fan of the MOD Club not only for it's layout and capacity (approx 1,300) but in my opinion, the BEST sounding mid-sized venue in the city.  Each note was clearly heard and with a band playing together for this long, you could expect some exceptional timing from all five guys.  They ripped through a massive set list (that and the fact they have short songs) and covered all bases from their discography.  Andrew Neufeld's energy was extremely high and resonated to the fans who jumped at any opportunity to make a stage dive or even front flips off the stage.  I even felt the vibes towards the end of the show where that eagerness of jumping into the pit was getting to me.

"Here, watch my stuff" were the last words I told my buddy Luis before I even had to dive in.  Funny those hardcore dancing kids seemed to disappear when the moshing started. ;-)

So in closing, I HIGHLY recommend seeing Comeback Kid live as they are sure to entertain.  The tunes were good, the brews were good, the company was good, basically all of it was great!  Enjoy the snapshots and try your best to imagine yourself immersed in that energy.  Cheers!