Lacuna Coil @ Annex Wreckroom, Toronto, ON, November 20th 2009

 

Lacuna Coil, previously already in Toronto this year on tour with All That Remains, was back for a special show that was added last minute as an end to their current North American tour. The Good: it was a Friday; it was only $10. The Bad: it was an early show which meant everybody needed to be out by 10pm, so the set was not going to be that long. Waiting in line to get in we were all informed that it was important to buy our merchandise when we get in, as there wouldn’t be any chance after the show. The place wasn’t close to being sold out but there was still a reasonably sized crowd.

Local band Conflicted was conscripted to open. My first thought when they started playing: This is a really strange choice of opening band. Speed metal isn’t what I would have expected to be a complimentary act. They did have a keyboard player but 80% of the time it wasn’t audible. The singer was good sport, acknowledging to the crowd that no one was there to see them.

Lacuna Coil started playing around 8:30 pm. The band looked almost squished on the stage as if it was a little small for them. They had some lights set behind them that blinded everyone, from time to time. Cristina Scabbia, who I could just see over the top of the audience, had much more presence then her male vocal counterpart Andrea Ferro. Both of them did however seem quite fond of jumping.

The band managed to fit in all the big singles from their last two albums: “Spellbound,” “Within Me,” “Our Truth” and their cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence.” “Heaven’s a Lie” was played as well and cited by Scabbia as from the band’s ‘classic album.’ It was as if any album before 2002’s Comalies release never existed.

The set lasted only slightly longer than an hour with no encore. Sadly, I didn’t even miss not having an encore and I was just as happy it was time to go across the street and get some drinks.

There are many ways in which a band can measure their success, the number of albums that they have sold, or the capacity of venue they can sell out or the fact that one of their songs has entered the ranks of Guitar Hero. Judging from Lacuna Coil’s November 20th show at the Wreckroom, it would seem they are leaving their originality behind in hopes of finding a wider audience. [Good luck to them! – Ed.]