Concert Review: Marianas Trench plus Guests [The Beside You Tour]

Beside You Tour

October 23rd 2009; Bronson Centre (Ottawa, Ontario)

Marianas Trench featuring The Mission District, Carly Rae Jepsen, and The New Cities

A long day to say the least, yesterday I attended the sold out “Beside You Tour” that featured Marianas Trench as the main act, with The Mission District, Carly Rae Jepsen, and The New Cities opening. Although the doors didn’t open till 6, I was at the venue at 3 as I had a pass for a meet and greet. Consequently, I was able to get front row centre right in front of the stage and had one of my most “up close and personal” concerts to date!

It all started with the meet and greet with Marianas Trench around 3:30. 5 other people and I were sitting in the lobby of the Bronson Centre (while a million other fans were waiting lined up outside in the cold) waiting for the band to come out. Around 4:00 they came out and starting saying hello to all of us. Josh Ramsay, the lead singer, was losing his voice so he was in whispers and barely talking, but was still all smiles. They were really humble; they interacted with us like they were one of us (I spoke to Ian about cities in Canada) and when I introduced myself they would give me their name as well. Most celebrities would just expect you know them. It was awesome. I got them each to sign my Marianas Trench CD (Masterpiece Theater) and spoke to them all for a little bit. When I got a chance to talk to the lead singer, Josh Ramsay, I asked him if he could make a shout out video for this blog. He pointed at his throat and I realized how stupid I was for asking him that. He then whispered in my ear that “I’m sure if you ask one of the other members they will gladly do it.” It was really nice of him to say. I then spoke to Matt (he asked if I was from Ottawa and I told him how I’ve been all over Ontario), and finally Mike who after talking to him and getting him to sign my CD I asked if he could make me the video. He was a little confused by the request but agreed and made the video with Josh and Matt beside him (Ian was talking to the other fans). I got a group picture with the band, and it was time to say goodbye. This was my first time meeting a whole band, and they definitely set the bar high, especially after I saw that Josh Ramsay “tweeted” on Twitter about the meet and greet and said: “just met some very sweet fans at a meet and greet. love Ottawa!”

After they left we were allowed to stay in the venue and be the first to let into the show. So it was another hour and a bit of waiting, before we were let into the auditorium and when we were, I got dead centre in the front row. On top of that, it wasn’t like most concerts I’ve been too where at the front row there’s a gate between the stage and the concertgoer, but front row at this venue was being right at the stage itself! It was really exciting. There were hundreds of girls in attendance all screaming for the bands, and even in first row, I was the only guy which made it awkward, but also made it noticeable for the bands to see me.

The show finally started with Montreal based band, The Mission District as the first act. They were a typical pop rock band and weren’t anything amazing, but still put on a great, live show. In the middle of their 6-song set list, they performed a rock cover of Just Dance (Lady GaGa) and incorporated elements of Disturbia (Rihanna), Billie Jean (Michael Jackson), and Love Lockdown (Kanye West). It was their most entertaining performance of the night.

The next performer was Carly Rae Jepsen who performed with two band members. I had briefly heard of her before, but I learned that night that she was a Canadian Idol finalist who was now touring with Marianas Trench. She had an amazing performance, and was just incredible live. She was really down to earth when performing, and made cute introductions to her songs. She made it really intimate and close, and her voice just made me head over heels for her. Her performance was brilliant. Some highlight songs she performed were Hotel Shampoos, Sour Candy ( a duet originally with Josh Ramsay, but at the concert was performed with her band mate Tavish), and her single Tug of War. She had me longing for more after her performance!

The final opening act before Marianas Trench took the stage was a Quebec based band called The New Cities. They are a 6 member band and mixed a lot of synths with their music creating a dance rock type of sound. Their sounded reminded me of Mobile (another Canadian band), and well known Metro Station, but they were still able to make themselves unique in their performance. They gave off high energy and were really into their performance. Their best performance was of their single, “Dead End Countdown.” Overall, they put on a fabulous show.

After a short break, Marianas finally took the stage and opened the show with “Masterpiece Theater I.” The song was an amazing choice as the opener, as it is the same song that opens the album and sets the stage for what’s to come. Being one of my favourite songs on the album, it was great to see them open with that song. They continued with “Shaketramp”, their popular single from their debut album, Fix Me, and continued with other songs including “Celebrity Status.” It was evident that Josh was losing his voice as he was a bit soft at the beginning of the show and let the audience help him out with the main choruses, but he really pulled the show off despite that. It was full of energy and interaction. They recognized me from the Meet and Greet and made eye contact and acknowledged my presence as well. It was an awesome feeling. The band interacted with the fans; Josh went out in the crowd, and they brought stage crew members on stage and performed little stunts with them. The fans were crazy and they threw up some crazy things including a signed jock strap, bra, and underwear with phone numbers and sexy messages on them. For each thing thrown up, the band would stop their song and read and /or discuss what was thrown up. As well, they recognized me from the Meet and Greet and made eye contact and acknowledged my presence as well. It was an awesome feeling. They continued with performances of “Beside You”, “All To Myself”, and closed with “Masterpiece Theater III.” It was a perfect song to close with as it is the album closer, and being a concept album, it wraps up the whole album/concert perfectly. Of course they needed an encore, and they came back performing “Good to You”, and their biggest single, “Cross my Heart.” It was obvious they wouldn’t leave without performing that song, and they definitely created anticipation for it. They really knew how to put on an amazing show, and despite losing his voice, Josh still did amazing on vocals. They always kept momentum during the show and it was “never a dull moment!”

After the end of the show, I saw Carly Rae Jepsen’s band members at her merchandise table and I went over and said hi to them. I told Tavish how he did a great job, and asked if Carly was going to come out. He told me that she disappeared on them, but there was a possibility that she may come out. I told him to give her a message saying a “handsome man” was looking for her. He asked my name, and after telling me how cool it was, he wrote it down and promised me he’d let her know. I walked away from the table and saw members of The New Cities and as I was going to go say hello to them, I saw Carly and ran up to her. I was super excited as I was really blown away by her and her performance. I quickly reached in for a hug and before completing the hug, I asked if I could actually get it. It was funny in my head. I then told her how amazed I was by her performance, and though I hadn’t heard her before, she got me head over heels for her that night. She was in awe, and told me thank you multiple times. I was so excited around her; I saw Tavish looking and I told him “I FOUND HER” and he laughed and so did Carly. Carly asked if she could sign her CD for me, and I said sure. She said she wanted me to remember her and if she could sign the actual CD itself. I agreed and while she was looking for a marker, I gave her my golden one to make everything more special. She asked how to spell my name, and Tavish showed her the paper he wrote my name on. She got stumbled after the I, and I told her Z is next. She signed it, and told me that she really hopes I enjoy the CD, and I assured her I would. I said bye to her and Tavish and head back over to The New Cities. My favourite member in the band was the keyboardist, and luckily he was still in the lobby and I was able to meet and greet with him, and the guitarist as well. After that, I went to the merchandise table of Mission District, and they were at their table as well. I bought their EP, and the lead singer signed it, and I was able to get a picture with the band as well. Talk about intimate and interactive!

As a whole, the Beside You tour was mind blowing. Being right in the centre of all the action was an even better experience, and getting to meet everyone was the cherry on top. Anyone who likes the rock, punk rock, pop rock, dance rock, and acoustic genre, would love this show, and I do recommend anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, to get tickets to go.

P.S. Here is the shoutout video made by Marianas Trench to this blog: