The Damn Truth @ Corona Theatre - 19 November 2021

Every city has a local band that holds a special place in their heart. Kingston has The Tragically Hip, Toronto has Rush and Montreal has The Damn Truth.

This was made crystal clear by the beaming faces of the fans who showed up at the Corona Theatre on November 19^th.

It felt really good to be back at the Corona, not just because it’s one of my favourite Montreal venues but I was genuinely happy for TDT who finally get to tour again and play songs from their new album “Now Or Nowhere”.

(The last time I set foot in the Corona Theatre was March 11, 2020 for Blackberry Smoke.)

I was pleasantly surprised by the supporting band Guidestones whose energy level matched the crowd. Their sound ranged from upbeat 80’s pop-rock “Ground Control” to hard-hitting country-rock “Tear It Up”. I loved “Hang Tight” which a had Jackson Brown feel.

The Damn Truth wasted no time, bursting onto the stage like a gang of hyper wild love children and opened their set with the bold anthemic “This Is Who We Are Now”. Setting the tone for a high-powered and groovy ride. I was instantly transported to a timeless realm of infinite possibility, where peace and love truly existed and Covid never happened.

When a band sounds better live than on a recording, it’s a truly magical and organic thing. Lee-La’s emotional connection to the audience was as authentic as it was intense. Especially during “Lonely” when she talked to the crowd about how rough the past 2 years have been and how truly grateful she was to be performing live again.

Watching the band interact with each other, I couldn’t help but feel their infectious love for each other and their appreciation for each other’s artistry. During one of Dave’s hard-hitting drum solos that would make John Bonham jealous, Lee-La, Tom and PY all turned to face him. With their backs to the audience, they gazed and marvelled, just as we did. We were all fans of rock ‘n’ roll sharing a moment. Even when they were bouncing across the stage, striking some rock god/goddess poses, you could tell that they were fully present and grateful to be on that stage. And you can’t fake that.

When PY hit the bass line intro to “Kinda Awkward” the people lost their shit. Everyone in the room was belting out “YOU DON’T KNOW ME” as loud as they could. And when Tom played his solo, it reached a whole new level.

And just when I thought the vibe couldn’t get any higher, Lee-La and Tom’s son Ben sprung to the stage to join his rock n’ roll family. Bopping up and down with a guitar strapped to his body and a smile that could outshine any spotlight.

Although they ended their show with “Heart Is Cold”, I bet there wasn’t one single person in that theatre who felt that way.