Coheed and Cambria arrived with force in Toronto on August 24 and managed to turn Budweiser Stage into one giant party that even Mother Nature had to join in too. Between massive props, huge singalongs, fans of every kind, and a storm that soaked everyone in sight, this show had everything.
I was surprised at how fast Bud Stage explode as fast as it did when the band kicked things off with Goodbye, Sunshine. The second Claudio hit that first line, everyone was up and screaming. Starting off with a bang is the oldest trick in the book, but when it works, it works. Claudio’s curls were flying, Travis was locked in as he ripped into riffs, and the whole thing felt like a thunderclap blasting from the stage. You can tell how bought in the crowd was too by the time the last chorus came through that had them taking over some of Claudio’s vocal duties for a bit – a reoccurring pattern in this show.
From there, things got theatrical during Blind Side Sonny. The stage went almost completely dark, with only flashes of light carving out the silhouettes of the band. As Claudio crouched down beside Josh Eppard’s drum kit, horror movie-like strings began to escalate the flashes though Coheed looked totally comfortable waiting in the thick of these terrifying sounds for what’s next. Sure enough, a giant skull head materialized from the background looking like it’s straight out of a techno Mad Max. It had a spiky mohawk to match its spiky leather jacket, and its glowing goggle eyes kept flipping between X’s, dollar signs, and hearts as the band worked through the set. Totally ridiculous in the best way. It added a unique layer that’ll make the set more unforgettable for the fans than it already was. The stage setup gave the band lots of space to run around too, which kept the energy high. Claudio was everywhere, hair flying, while Josh’s drumming just kept everything locked in, and looking like he’s having the most fun out of any person at the show.
Lighting carried a lot of weight throughout the show too, and nowhere was it more fitting than during The Continuum II: The Flood. The stage washed over in blue, amplifying the song’s already massive feel. One of the darker and heavier tracks, it really has a way of pulling your ears in using a lot of epic guitar elements coming from Travis Stever’s guitars working with Claudio’s melodies. Fans clearly relished hearing one of the two Continuum cuts included in the setlist.
A cool moment of the night came with A Favor House Atlantic. Claudio asked the crowd to “build a house of sound” and basically dared Toronto to be louder than the band. The crowd was tested and passed with flying colours. Even with earplugs, the noise was overwhelming. The entire crowd screamed the chorus so loudly that Claudio barely sang it himself, standing back with a grin while thousands of voices carried the song for him. The reaction was easily one of, if not, the loudest of the night, and when the track ended, the applause rolled across the sections in the venue.
Then came The Liars Club, which was pure fun. Josh really stood out here, bass chugging along as he made sure to use every spot on the stage. It gave off more of a pop-punk vibe but still hit hard enough that you can dance to it, but also something to headbang to as well.
When In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 started, the fans erupted the instant that guitar intro rang out. Claudio looked epic performing this on their raised platform on the stage, his voice booming out across the venue under a spotlight. In the crowd, a couple sang the chorus to each other at the top of their lungs, while a young fan in a Coheed hat was spotlighted on the big screen, proving just how wide their fanbase stretches. The outro was high-spirited too, with the band teasing a stop right before the climax and letting the audience guide the rest of the song with huge “OHHHHs” as a grand finale to the main set.
Soon after, the band briefly left the stage, but the crowd knew it wasn’t really the end. What nobody expected was the sudden storm rolling over Toronto. It started raining right on Budweiser Stage and across the CNE grounds nearby. Safety concerns hovered over the show, but Travis promised the band would close things out properly. “We’re gonna move quick, and we’re gonna party, and we’re gonna dance.” That decision set up two more unforgettable moments and he couldn’t have said it better.
The first was Mr. Brightside, which has become a staple cover on this tour, and you’d think Toronto had been waiting their whole lives to scream those lyrics. Families, couples, diehards? I don’t think it really mattered – everyone must’ve done this at karaoke at one point. And if not, it’s seemed like it did. Screens featured a little girl in pink earmuffs dancing with her mother on the front row while other young fans waved homemade signs. Bedtime will have to wait until Coheed finishes their encore. Like Claudio said before the song “Let’s have some fun with this one”, and Toronto did just that.
Then the second was of course Welcome Home. Claudio walked out with his white double-neck guitar and didn’t even need to touch the mic for most of the opening verse. The audience had him covered here again! I guess you could say it was a well-earned break for writing a song so impactful to their fans. Rain visuals appeared on the big screen while the wind managed to also blow real rain around the audience despite the massive roof that towered above most of the sections on Bud Stage. Instead of dampening spirits (though it dampened band merch all around), it felt immersive, like the weather had been choreographed with the band. Nature itself just wanted in on the show, that’s all. It was a bit of chaos honestly, but the perfect kind and made the night more surreal for everyone who stuck around. As much as Claudio leads this track, Josh’s drums really drove the live performance forward here. Although, the dual guitars do also complement each other so well making the track feel larger than life compared to the studio recording. It’s truly the perfect sendoff that Coheed fans have come to expect but never take for granted. When it ended, soaked and hoarse, no one seemed to care too much about having to walk out in the rain as well. It just looked like a bunch of people that now have a story to tell about every experience that night including how long that giant skull prop must’ve taken to put together.
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