"Torontonians don't know how to have fun at shows."
That's the typical complaint lobbied against this city's avid concertgoers. We all know just how often bands chide us on stage for standing completely still with our arms crossed, sometimes not even moving a step throughout an entire set. We'll nod along at best to the beat, but it often seems like we just aren't into a band's set even though we are… for some reason we're just not keen on expressing it. Hipster irony and the "I'm too cool for this" mentality have become pretty pervasive in this city.
The Specials destroyed this stereotype with their set at Toronto's Sound Academy on Friday. The gig, which was their first performance in Canada in over 29 years, was originally supposed to take place in April, but was cancelled due to an "unforeseen medical emergency ailment." That was a bummer and meant the show was pushed back four months, but it was worth the (even more extended) wait.
Fans had to wait even longer after getting inside the venue, though, since there was no opener after the 8 p.m. door time and The Specials didn't take the stage until nearly 11 p.m. But really, how could you pick an opener for a band like this, whose status is legendary, who are universally recognized for their contributions to popular music because they helped create a whole genre (ska punk) and who haven't played this country in nearly three decades?
The crowd was diverse, featuring forty- and- fifty-year-olds who probably grew up on the band's music and younger punks who'd gotten into the band's music through their parents or who'd discovered it on their own. By the time the band went on, the Sound Academy was packed to the back and people near the front had occasionally been yelling "rude boys!"
The Specials came on stage to "Enjoy Yourself," from their 1980 More Specials album and then immediately launched into "Do The Dog," from their 1979 self-titled debut. They would play it in entirety, with the exception of "Too Hot."
Right at the beginning, the Sound Academy erupted into a storm of arms, legs and heads bobbing up and down, with kids from the front to the back skanking. This wasn't really that surprising considering how long many of these people had probably been waiting to see the band, but it was really refreshing to see as it broke the stereotype of stoic, humourless Torontonians.
Also surprisingly, the songs that got the loudest singalongs weren't the band's most well-known tracks like "A Message To You, Rudy" and "Concrete Jungle," but tunes like "Little Bitch," the band's anti-racist "Doesn't Make It Alright," "Nite Klub," "Monkey Man" and "Stupid Marriage."
There was little to no banter from singer Terry Hall or the rest of the band, who seemed keen to keep things simple and get through the set. A slight mishap occurred when rhythm guitarist Lynval Golding appeared to stumble or nearly fall into the crowd (I couldn't completely see what exactly happened from where I was standing), but after ensuring he was OK, the set continued without further incident.
The entire club was transformed into a sweatfest, and the dancing didn't let up throughout the set, even during the slower "Ghost Town." That tune came during an encore that ended with "You're Wondering Now." At the end of the set, Hall wittily quipped that the audience should go "have some crisps," and simply said, "Alright, that's it. We're done. Bye."
This was one of those shows that seemed to fly by and was over much too soon. It seemed almost an injustice given the extended absence, but the hour-long set had proven worth the really, really long wait in every way.
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