A blast of Guelph nostalgia played a final show on Nov. 28, 2015 at Dstrct. Lifestory:Monologue had their farewell tour in 2012 and came back together for the last time to embark on a mini tour ending in Guelph. With their fan base still prominent, the show was sold out. Fans from all around came to see them to have one last taste of that special mid-2000s Guelph sound.
Rich Gregor, Vida, and Race Well Run shared the stage. The start of the night opened up with Rich Gregor, an upbeat indie pop band. Their style was a satisfying opening to the show; getting people warmed up through some dancing and catchy tunes. They are talented in what they do and are worth having a listen.
Second up, a personal favourite of mine, was Vida. The set was awesome from beginning to end. Their sound resides in the energy they offer, held together by a punk grounding with hints of some original post-hardcore, such as At The Drive In. They have just released a single for download, “Modified Snake Eyes”—something definitely worth checking out and experiencing for yourself. I have yet to see them perform anything but a great show.
The third band was Race Well Run. As soon as they started to play, the whole room was transported back to 2006. They unearthed a time vault of sound which induced flashbacks of my 14-year-old self attending local metal shows. At first there was confusion as to how I should react to such an old and distinct sound; it was then revealed that the band broke up nine years ago and were only getting together to play this mini tour. Their set was spot on and as heavy as I always remembered. It was the distinct Southern Ontario metal sound that has been lost to the progression of music. They played perfectly. It was refreshing to hear that all too familiar genre in a venue that was not The Shadow. Finally, there was Lifestory:Monologue. There is not much to be said about their performance other than it did exactly what it set out to do: please the fans. The performance was tight, and they gave their all for this hometown show. The room was packed with people singing along with every song. The fans were engaging the band as much as the band engaged the fans. As a reunion show, everything went as it should have.
The show as a whole was a representation of the generational development of the city’s music—upcoming talent playing alongside Guelph music scene veterans. The opportunity for bands in Guelph now comes from an emphasis on local bands, which is reflected by having venues for them to play. Many comments by Lifestory:Monologue and Race Well Run are about how they are glad to be playing in Guelph and not exclusively at The Shadow—the old go-to place for alternative, heavier music to play which no longer exists. The future is much brighter now that Guelph has stepped out of the shadows with better options like Dstrct.
The show demonstrated the dynamic music scene to come through Guelph and its lasting power on the people of the surrounding area. Selling out a show after three years of inactivity is an impressive feat well deserved for Lifestory:Monologue. It was, overall, a memorable night and a perfect passing of the torch to keep the lively music scene moving forward.