Playlist Rewind: Our Lady Peace at TLA

Apparently it was "90s Alt Rock Radio Weekend" here in Philadelphia. Not only did we have our favorite cornflake girl, Tori Amos, mystifying the Tower Theater, but we also had the Canadian post-grunge quartet Our Lady Peace rocking the TLA on Sunday. The fact that Philadelphians who yearn for the good ol' days could see both these acts on back-to-back nights was enough to bring back many happy memories of flannel and long hair for this Phillyist. And with a newly-formed Alice in Chains hitting Philly Labor Day Weekend, Dinosaur Jr. making a stop in October, and Pearl Jam finishing off the Spectrum with four epic performances, it appears as if those of us who reminisce about the awesome music of the Bush-Clinton era will have our fill this fall as well. Just like those toothy actors in the McDonald's commercials, this Phillyist is lovin' it.

So given the soft spot in our heart for 90s rock, we bought our ticket and didn't expect to write a review, but OLP rocked so hard that we wanted to show them some love. The combination of the band's wailing guitars, matching drums, and the vocal power and range of lead singer Raine Maida (pictured) shook the cozy South Street venue, so much so that my ears are still ringing a day later. OLP's unadulterated rock sound, a nice reprieve from the uber-produced stuff that passes for rock music today, won us over from the very first chorus.

However, it was clear from the start that the crowd needed some hits before it was going to rock with OLP, as the band admitted it had been far too long since its last visit to Philly. While it continues to rock Canadia, the band has largely been off the American mainstream map since 2002's lackluster-yet-financially-successful Gravity album. So the audience was much pleased when the band ripped through "Superman's Dead," the hit single off 1997's Clumsy (still considered the band's best effort to date) that put them on the map. The crowd sang along to every word—the male-dominated audience struggled to hit Maida's high notes, but we were happy to try nonetheless.

The band is currently touring to support its seventh studio release, Burn Burn, which was released last month. This album is long-in-the-making, as the band hit the studio over two years ago. Maida says it's a "proper rock album again," and everything the band played last night seemed to match this claim. However, much of the audience was more interested in talking about Michael Vick (Maida brought it up...he did not seem to approve of the signing) than hearing new songs, and instead looked asleep the entire show, only to be awakened when they recognized the opening cords to one of OLP's many hits from over the band's 12-year career. For example, there was a girl who this Phillyist assumed was an ice sculpture until Maida sang the first verse to the saccharin love song, "Somewhere Out There," probably OLP's biggest mainstream hit to date. At this time, the ice melted and she actually danced for a good three minutes before resuming her previous stance.

Though toned down from his younger days, Maida remains the star of the show. His unique voice, highlighted by his signature falsetto range, is unmistakably melodic, the strongest and most powerful instrument in the band. Maida wails louder than the guitars on many tracks, which says a lot as the band now showcases guitarist Steve Mazur's solo-crunching abilities more than ever. But each time Maida hits the same high notes as his rhythm section, a dove is born in Ontario. At times, the merging of the guitars and Maida's vocals are elegantly surreal. Ladies had a chance to gaze into his steely eyes up close when he reached into the crowd during the band's blistering performance of "One Man Army."

Thankfully we did have some true fans near us to enjoy the concert with, as opposed to a bunch of people who had already started counting down the minutes 'til they got to return home and watch the season premiere of Madmen on DVR. The cute blond girl to my right was groovin' to every song, and wouldn't even talk to this Phillyist until she confirmed that she was speaking to, as she called it, "a pre-Gravity fan." We certainly are, as it was the older songs such as "4AM," "Clumsy," and "Is Anybody Home?" that made the show for us. In fact, we're still waiting to hear "Carnival" and "Automatic Flowers," but alas, it looks like we will be waiting for a while.

After the show, the aforementioned girl (did I mention she was really cute?) waxed about the time she saw OLP on their last promo tour four years ago, and described Maida climbing on the amps and through the rafters during the band's performance. Sadly there were no such antics last night, but regardless, OLP brought some good old-fashioned loud to South Street, and let's be honest: is there a better way to spend a Sunday night? Well, not unless you're a Madmen fan, of course.

Image credit: Flickr user Scott Penner