If you were walking around Philadelphia on Tuesday, there’s a pretty good chance you ran into a Canadian. Members of three different bands from up north descended on the city, bringing reassurance, positivity, and plenty of great music. Stars opened the evening with an uplifting set built around their trademark soaring vocals and infectious energy. Lead singers Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan smiled their way through the performance, clearly enjoying every minute onstage. Highlights included “Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It,” “Build a Fire,” and a stirring rendition of “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead.” Campbell wasted little time addressing the political climate, working in a few lines about fighting fascists before telling the crowd how much he loves Americans despite the current state of affairs. It wouldn’t be the last time this theme popped up before the night was through.
Following Stars’ set, Broken Social Scene took the stage like an endless parade of middle schoolers getting off a school bus: multiple singers, multiple guitarists, brass players, and other musicians just kept piling onstage (as a side note, it was incredibly difficult to fit 11 musicians—and over a dozen microphone stands—into a single photo!). Despite the massive lineup, their sound remained remarkably clean and focused, never muddy or overindulgent. The set kicked off with “Cause = Time,” “7/4 (Shoreline),” and “Paying for Your Love.” Metric’s Emily Haines and Jeremy Shaw were brought out to join in on “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl,” prompting even the handful of audience members who had remained seated to jump to their feet.
BSS’s Kevin Drew paid tribute to the recently departed Bonnie Tyler by weaving a few verses of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” into the latter half of “Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day),” with the entire audience singing along to close out the set. He also reminded the crowd that, regardless of the country’s current struggles, Americans are good people and shouldn’t forget that. His message that the nation will rise again was met with one of the loudest ovations of the evening.
While all three bands feel like one extended musical family, Metric were unquestionably the evening’s headliners, and they took the stage as such. The crowd erupted as Haines and company emerged through pulsing rhythms, shadows, and flashing strobes. They wasted no time launching into “Dead Disco,” “Oh Please,” “Youth Without Youth,” and the classic “Monster Hospital.” Flanked by two video screens, hypnotic visuals, and relentless lighting, Metric delivered a performance that balanced precision with raw power. Shaw’s guitar work was arena-worthy, unleashing solos that had the crowd roaring. Members of Broken Social Scene returned to the stage for “Synthetica,” “Gold Guns Girls,” and “Gimme Sympathy,” only reinforcing the collaborative spirit that defined the entire night.
Metric
Emily Haines remains one of rock’s most underrated frontwomen. Like Shirley Manson before her, she commands the stage with confidence, charisma, and attitude. She’s magnetic without trying too hard, and every song feels bigger because she’s at the center of it. Although Metric showcased plenty of material from their more recent albums, the back half of the set leaned heavily into fan favorites. Before “Combat Baby,” Haines reminisced about the band’s first visit to Philadelphia, recalling how they arrived at North Star only to discover that the show had never actually been booked. Rather than turn them away, the venue owner let them perform anyway for the devoted (and underage) fans who did show up.
The encore closed the evening with explosive performances of “Help I’m Alive” and, at this point, perhaps the band’s defining anthem, “Black Sheep.” As it ended, the audience danced their way into the rainy Philadelphia streets. Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday night.
METRIC
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
STARS
