Past Concert Experiences - Our Lady Peace, 1994

In 1994 Our Lady Peace were just starting to make some noise and touring in support of their debut release, Naveed. The night I saw them was not in a large arena, but in a campus gymnasium with about 1000 others crammed into this small venue. I had owned their debut album and liked it very much and hoped I was in for a treat that night. A band full of energy and anger walked out on stage ready to put off a show. Over the years, the angry side of the band has waned, but that’s ok to my taste. The band was also very loud, something I rarely complain about at a concert. But it was not a good loud, the sound was often distorted and muffled. Perhaps this was not the fault of the band so much as it was the venue they were playing in. Throughout the night the crowd got livelier and livelier with the amount of alcohol being consumed no doubt playing a role. This was on campus after all, and at times there were as many people in front of the bar as there was in front of the stage. It wasn’t long before the body surfing began and the bouncers decided, or were ordered, to remove those involved from the premises. At this point the music stopped and lead vocalist Raine Maida screams into the microphone that those guys bought a ticket like everyone else and they had to come back. He said the band would not play another note until they returned. The band just kind of stood on the stage, did nothing and waited. The bouncers, for a few moments, did the same thing on the floor. They looked at each other and wondered what to do. It didn’t take long for someone to realize that the band was serious, the removed patrons were soon returned and the show continued. There was no music for about 10 minutes at least. As the band played on we heard just about the entire Naveed CD, but the sound still left much to be desired. All in all, it was an interesting night, but overall, not a great concert. I am sure Our Lady Peace put off many great shows over the years, and the many great songs they now have to draw from must help. In fact I have seen some great live footage of them over the years, but this one show early in their career did not work for me.