It seems crazy that this is my sixth time seeing Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings, but the first time as a support band, in a situation where they play to a crowd that is not their own. The room is barely half-full by the time they arrive on-stage at 7:30 p.m. sharp, but it doesn’t faze them at all, barrelling into the classic “I’m Not Part of Me,” and setting off a few nodding heads among those who arrived early enough. “Now Hear In” is frantic, with frontman Dylan Baldi’s snarls still as terrifying as ever, which morph into basically metal screams on “So Right So Clean.”
It’s been 14 years I’ve been seeing these guys play our city, and Dylan finds himself reminiscing too: “I remember playing here when it was called Corona Theatre!” It’s their first show here in 7 years, and it’s a loud one, the strobes adding to the chaos, and on the slow-fast “Psychic Trauma,” the ‘fast’ is infinitely faster than I remember. The churning sludge-rock of “No Future/No Past” rounds out the 35-minute set all too soon; man, I can’t wait to see them back in that headline slot!
Cloud Nothings Setlist
- I’m Not Part of Me
- A Longer Moon
- No Sentiment
- Now Hear In
- So Right So Clean
- Enter Entirely
- Psychic Trauma
- No Future/No Past
It would have to be a band with some serious clout to get Cloud Nothings to be their opener; emo titans Sunny Day Real Estate fit that description. From what I can tell, it’s their first show in Montreal in a quarter of a century, since a show at Café Campus in July 2000 (totally trusting setlist.fm on that one, that’s before my time here!), and from the roars that greet the arrival of the 5-piece, Montreal has been waiting.
Frontman Jeremy Enigk proclaims, “We’re Sunny Day Real Estate and we’re gonna play some songs for you!”, and after starting the set with “Friday,” the iconic intro of “Seven” sets off the biggest singalong I’ve heard in ages. It sounds like many people have waited many years for this moment!
The 90-minute set absolutely races by. “How It Feels to Be Something On” is the absolute embodiment of emo, from the guitars to the vocals, and shows exactly why these guys are considered founding fathers of the genre. “The Blankets Were the Stairs” is a moodier affair, spotlights swirling in the smoke as the drums pound, while “Pillars” is just downright sinister!
“Pheurton Skeurto” sounds immense, a gentle intro that absolutely explodes into life, while a rare airing of “Disappear,” apparently not played since 2000 (again, according to setlist.fm), is equally well received. The pummelling “J’Nuh” closes out the main set, guitarist Dan Hoerner hammering that same distorted riff from start to finish with gusto.
After the customary Montreal olé’s summon all back to the stage, Jeremy is again full of praise for the crowd response: “Thank you for the love, you make it all worth it!” “The Rising Tide” is another fragile riff that blows up midway through, before that unmistakable riff of “Seven” sets off the most coordinated nod-along you can imagine. “Novum Vetus” and “Days Were Golden” close out the encore, the band departing the stage during the last song one by one, starting with the guitarists, then the bass, and then lastly drummer William Goldsmith with a few last beats before he’s off too.
Midway through the set, Jeremy had declared, “It’s awesome to be back here, I don’t know how many years it’s been!”
“TOO LONG!!” is the reply from one loud voice on the floor. He’s not wrong.
Don’t leave it so long next time, guys!
Sunny Day Real Estate Setlist
- Friday
- Seven
- One
- How It Feels to Be Something On
- Red Elephant
- The Blankets Were the Stairs
- Pillars
- Guitar and Video Games
- Pheurton Skeurto
- Roses in Water
- Disappear
- J’Nuh
Encore
- The Rising Tide
- In Circles
- Novum Vetus
- Days Were Golden
Review – Simon Williams
Photos – Melih Nehir (SDRE) and Simon Williams (CN)
