Franz Ferdinand w/ Futurehead, The Delays
Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 @ The Docks, Toronto

Having never attended a concert at The Docks in Toronto, I was a little unsure how this thing was going to work. Any other concert that I had heard of there was outside, and that concerned me. On the water, a chilly day in October, would we really be outside freezing our asses off? Anyone that I talked to wasn’t exactly sure if there was an inside to this venue, but it turns out to be this pretty cool place on the inside. The set up there is good, the only thing that disappointed me was the size of the stage. I prefer a wider venue with a wider stage; this allows the crowd to be a little closer to the band and makes it all easier to see. Bottom line: Why go to the concert if you can’t actually see the band playing?

While the first band, Futurehead, was playing we were outside, getting familiar with the place. Their music was a good backdrop to our conversation. We went in to catch the last of their set, and it turned out to be their final song. The last song is definitely not the way to make a good judgment on a band, because they are either tired from playing so they suck, or they are really fired up on the energy they get from the crowd. Nonetheless, Futurehead’s last song rocked, and I would be interested in seeing them again.

Up next was The Delays. Impressed by the end of the Futurehead set, I didn’t want to miss out seeing the Delays in action. We settled on a good spot, closer to the stage and in line of sight with the lead singer, who I think is named Greg Gilbert. A fellow concertgoer described him and his band as Bon Jovi with a keyboard and Brit Pop hair. I, on the other hand was more optimistic. I had heard an interview of the Delays on the radio earlier in the day and was looking forward to seeing them live. Here they are on stage, playing their instruments, and I’m feeling it. These guys are going to be good. That is until Greg Gilbert starts to sing. Maybe he thought he was performing with the Three Tenors as a soprano. Under normal circumstances, I don’t have a problem with males switching to their falsetto voice when necessary, but in reality there is no need for falsetto to dominate a song. Unless, of course, your name is Adam Sandler and you’re singing about a Jewish holiday. Bottom line, Greg, write your songs in a lower key or sing an octave lower. The thing that was most disappointing is that they had such potential to be good, or at least I think so. The guitarist, keyboardist, and drummer were really nothing to complain about. I think the biggest problem, aside from the lead singer, with The Delays, is their lack of passion, or at least their lack of ability to communicate this passion to their audience. No passion equals crappy concert as far as I’m concerned.

One thing that attracts me to a band like Franz Ferdinand is their energy and passion. I was hopeful that they would be able to deliver this energy and passion in a far greater way at a live performance, and I was not disappointed. Alex Kapranos has a great ability to interact with the crowd, and I think the band as a whole feed off the energy of their audience. Such an important factor at a live show. The whole time they were playing I was impressed with musical and vocal abilities. Many times it is easy to be displeased by the actual talent and skill of the live performer. Franz Ferdinand, however, were so fantastic live. They were tight, really tight. I didn’t hear any musical mistakes at all and they were all extremely good at what they were doing. I am pretty certain that they played every song on their CD, only better, and that was exactly what I was looking for.

It was a good show, all in all. You can’t expect every band to be great when there are three on the bill. I would see Franz Ferdinand again if I ever get the chance. Hopefully next time there will be a new CD with new songs to hear, a better opening band and a higher platform for the drummer. I hate it when you can’t see the drummer. — Andrea