2013.04.25 - Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy

[Leviathant]

Someone on Twitter was saying this place has horrible acoustics.

[ItsJustDave]

I'll be there.

[shagg_187]

Sound Academy is a fun venue. It has replaced Kool Haus (in my opinion) in being the destination for a lot of musicians.

[Canuckle]

My god... leave it to the SA and Toronto prices to give us a $51.75 ticket

Looks like they are doing VIP as well, but I'm not sure if the presale covers that?

(and sorry shagg, but I disagree a lot. I wasn't the biggest fan of the Kool Haus until the past two years and the dozens of horrible sounding concerts I have had to endure at the SA)

[somewhat_]

Ticketmaster link. (http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/10004A5ADB148F79?artistid=1837616&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1)

Is the VIP balcony going to be the best place to hear/see the band or should I stick with trying for just regular GA?

[Canuckle]

Ticketmaster link. (http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/10004A5ADB148F79?artistid=1837616&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1)

Is the VIP balcony going to be the best place to hear/see the band or should I stick with trying for just regular GA?

So the good news is the VIP balcony gives you access to GA as well, so if you want to head down and don't like the view, you can. The VIP just gives you the ability to go upstairs where there are more bars and a bit of stadium seating if you want to sit for the show. My girlfriend is smaller so we generally head on up so see can see more of the show.

If you can afford the VIP, I'd highly recommend it.

Google around to hear other opinions.

[somewhat_]

I failed :(

[Canuckle]

Pre-sale sold out in less then 5 minutes... had 2 in line and when I was paying was told it was out of stock.

[somewhat_]

How come they aren't up on ticketmaster?

[botley]

Someone on Twitter was saying this place has horrible acoustics.
It does... basically a long, concrete, rectangular box. Some bands have enough gear and good enough crew to overcome this, however. I've seen both good shows and really awful ones there.

Sadly, it is one of the few remaining venues in the city (along with Danforth Music Hall, which is great, but somewhat less flexible for big productions) not controlled by the bullshit Live Nation monopolizing machinery. Oh and it's within walking distance of my apartment — so yeah, I'll be there!

[somewhat_]

Just scored a VIP ticket through ticketmaster. Go get them!

[Canuckle]

Just scored a VIP ticket through ticketmaster. Go get them!

YOU'RE A LIFE SAVER, I OWE YOU A BEER. Snagged two VIP tics!

[jessamineny]

Got a VIP ticket through Ticketmaster as well. Why am I so unhappy? :P

[Canuckle]

Got a VIP ticket through Ticketmaster as well. Why am I so unhappy? :P

Because it was $25 more then the presale? :)

[somewhat_]

YOU'RE A LIFE SAVER, I OWE YOU A BEER. Snagged two VIP tics!

I'm glad you were able to snag the tickets. I appreciate all of your advice on the VIP balcony. Maybe we can buy each other a beer?

I will be going solo from the Detroit area. I will probably get to the venue around 6 pm or 7 pm. How important do you think it is to grab a front row seat on the balcony? I wonder if I really need to even get there that early considering all of the HTDA presales (early entry) were for GA.

[pequena]

I'll be there! I managed to nab 2 presale tickets. I was also wondering what the difference was between the ticketmaster VIP and presale, because, generally, aren't the tickets used for presale the better seats? I mean, it doesn't really make a difference considering all the VIP tickets were GA, but for venues with reserved seating, they would keep the better seats back for presale.
But yeah, my first thought last week when the dates and venues went up was "SOUND ACADEMY? Ugh, vomit..."

[Ash512]

Thanks for that Ticketbastard link. I'll be there then.
Is the Sound Academy easily accessible by public transportation? I'll be coming from Montreal and I'm wondering whether to take the bus or the car...

[Gewalt Warten]

Picked up a couple GA tickets for my wife and I. Looking forward to it! Hope to reconnect with some old ETS friends too (IJD?).

Hopefully sight lines are good. The venue is a flat floor box so might be hard for my wife to see over others' heads (she's shorter and I'm not sure we have any desire to push our way up to the rail ... too old for that now).

[pequena]

Is the Sound Academy easily accessible by public transportation? I'll be coming from Montreal and I'm wondering whether to take the bus or the car...

ennnhhh, depending on where you're starting out you can get there by one (TTC, 72 Pape (http://www3.ttc.ca/Routes/72/Northbound.jsp#allstops)) bus. If I recall correctly, there is paid parking at the venue. If you can drive, I'd say go for it. I'm not exactly looking forward waiting for the bus to go home afterwards. It's cold down by the lake.

[Gewalt Warten]

Thanks for that Ticketbastard link. I'll be there then.
Is the Sound Academy easily accessible by public transportation? I'll be coming from Montreal and I'm wondering whether to take the bus or the car...


Public transit isn't great to this venue from what I hear. It's not downtown ... but it looks like there is a way. You'll need to walk about 700m. http://goo.gl/maps/qF1Z2 (updated link)

They provide some info on how to get there here --> http://www.polsonpier.com/altpages/view/7/site:polson

A cab may also work, but could run you +$20 depending on where you are coming from.

With the car, you'll have to pay for parking (about $20) and you can wait a long time to leave the parking lot (there is only one driveway out and everyone has to leave via the same road/route (the venue is at the end of the road).

[shagg_187]

Thanks for that Ticketbastard link. I'll be there then.
Is the Sound Academy easily accessible by public transportation? I'll be coming from Montreal and I'm wondering whether to take the bus or the car...

If you're taking Greyhound, I believe they'll drop you off at Yonge/Dundas Terminal. I'm not sure if they can drop you off before the stop but if they do, you'll be much closer.

http://goo.gl/maps/ZVjGR

It's going to be 50 minutes walk (a very fun walk), so have fun sight seeing! :)

[Deepvoid]

There are still tickets available ... I'm so on the fence about this show.

But I just realized it's during the week so I'll have to pass.

[Gewalt Warten]

There are still tickets available ...

Perhaps in part due to the hatred of the venue by many folks in the Toronto area. Ranked very poorly on most review sites.


I'll be there! I managed to nab 2 presale tickets. I was also wondering what the difference was between the ticketmaster VIP and presale, because, generally, aren't the tickets used for presale the better seats? I mean, it doesn't really make a difference considering all the VIP tickets were GA, but for venues with reserved seating, they would keep the better seats back for presale.


Congrats on getting the pre-sale. Getting in 15 minutes earlier than the rest of us (and getting the tickets cheaper) is a nice perk. I think the Ticketmaster VIP tickets are for the "VIP area" of Sound Academy. There is a 2nd floor area that overlooks the stage and main floor area, but it's off to the one side and I hear the band's sound/light gear often obstructs the view. Could be better than the floor however and I've been told you can come and go between the floor and the VIP area if you've bought those tickets. For all ages shows (which I think this is), I've also read that the VIP area is the only area you can buy/drink alcohol. Could be wrong on that point however. I don't have any personal experience with that.

[Canuckle]

You can buy booze in the GA but need to obtain a wristband outside before you enter to prove you are 19+.

Upstairs, no wristbands are needed.

The best place to watch and listen is centre floor downstairs, but that's difficult given the box like venue. Plus, no sloping means anyone who is short has trouble seeing.

[dave_destruct]

Got 4 pre-sale tickets here, feeling lucky about it ! Hope we have access to balcony and floor... We are coming down from Montreal,any other people from Québec?? We are thinking about taking Megabus to avoid 6 hours drive... and get drunk on the bus = )

[Ash512]

Got 4 pre-sale tickets here, feeling lucky about it ! Hope we have access to balcony and floor... We are coming down from Montreal,any other people from Québec?? We are thinking about taking Megabus to avoid 6 hours drive... and get drunk on the bus = )

Moi. I've thought of Megabus as well but looks like the venue's pretty far from the terminal...

[AgentofChaos]

I'm about 95% sure pre-sale tix will NOT have access to the VIP area upstairs for those who were wondering.

[dave_destruct]

Salut! Finallement nous y allons avec mon auto si tu as besoin d'une place!

[dave_destruct]

I'm about 95% sure pre-sale tix will NOT have access to the VIP area upstairs for those who were wondering.

Oh that sucks, i would have sit for DIIV :P

[Ash512]

Salut! Finallement nous y allons avec mon auto si tu as besoin d'une place!
As tu de la place pour 2 ;)

[Ash512]

DIIV c'est vraiment un bon live band, by the way.

[dave_destruct]

DIIV c'est vraiment un bon live band, by the way.

Je peux vous donner un lift si j'arrive a avoir une Van, sinon il me reste juste une place...

[NIN4EVER]

to those of you who are planning on attending the show by themselves, would any of you be interested in trying to get a group together off of here and partying before/during/after the show? i've always hated going to shows with my friends in the past cause none of them are hardcore NIN fans (or, in this case, definitely not HTDA fans) and i think it would be so much more fun to get a group of FANS together who actually know the lyrics to songs, etc.

P.S. also interested in doing this for Lollapalooza but I know that's another thread :) DM me if anyone is interested, please!!

[theyellowdart]

I'll go to a meetup, if there is one. I will be coming in from out of town.

theyellowdart

[dave_destruct]

Who have pre-sale tickets here?!? We enter 15 minutes before the door open :) Will you go directly in front or grab some beers for DIIV?

[quantumepiphany]

If there is something happening, I'd love to get in on that too.

I'm probably going to be the only Filipina in the crowd, so I probably won't be that hard to pick out. Feel free to say hi.

[NIN4EVER]

I'll go to a meetup, if there is one. I will be coming in from out of town.

theyellowdart


If there is something happening, I'd love to get in on that too.

I'm probably going to be the only Filipina in the crowd, so I probably won't be that hard to pick out. Feel free to say hi.

I PM'd you both my number so let me know if you guys are still down and we can arrange something :)

[becomingtom]

So I read in the Chicago Tour Journal that they were allowed to record the show, I have a camcorder and would like to record it as well. Does this mean I will be able to?

[jessamineny]

They were hooked up with official working passes from the band. But you can always try...

[Ash512]

I may have an extra ticket to sell. I know it's not sold out, but I can sell it under face value, I'd be happy with 30$. It's a print-at-home ticket so I can just email you the PDF.
Please, if you've got a friend who still hasn't bought his/her ticket, send 'em my way : pier_philippe88@hotmail.com

[becomingtom]

They were hooked up with official working passes from the band. But you can always try...
Well I would really like to record it. I have a nice HD camcorder but I don't want to get kicked out because of it, hmmm

[botley]

Yeah — the venue staff are NOT going to let you in carrying that unless you have a pass.

[somewhat_]

Leaving from southeast Michigan at 8:00 tomorrow morning. I'm very excited for the show. I hope I can sleep tonight.

[Gewalt Warten]

Am I reading this right? Doors open at 8 p.m.? So that puts set times at 9 for DIIV and possible 10 for HTDA?

http://www.sound-academy.com/inside/events/?event_id=454

[richardp]

Heads up guys, merch booth was CASH ONLY in Chicago. So if you want a poster, have cash in hand so you're not scurrying about the venue desperately looking for an ATM.

[timmer]

That's what I am seeing on the Facebook events page.
https://www.facebook.com/events/223919084418244/

[timmer]

Heads up guys, merch booth was CASH ONLY in Chicago. So if you want a poster, have cash in hand so you're not scurrying about the venue desperately looking for an ATM.
I asked on Twitter and they said "Merch will be accepting debit, credit & cash tonight"

[timmer]

Am I reading this right? Doors open at 8 p.m.? So that puts set times at 9 for DIIV and possible 10 for HTDA?

http://www.sound-academy.com/inside/events/?event_id=454

Set times from the Facebook events page (confirmed by HTDA PR)
Set times:
9pm DIIV
10pm HTDA

[ItsJustDave]

Leaving Buffalo now. I'll be the guy in the grey Bob-Omb shirt.

[somewhat_]

Anyone in line yet?

[botley]

That was great!! Yay @pequena (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=14) Morad !!!

[jessamineny]

It was great! Amazed I got a signed poster even though I didn't have presale.

[richardp]

It was great! Amazed I got a signed poster even though I didn't have presale.

Just curious, how are they doing posters now since the first 6 shows/posters have passed? Did they just randomly have one of the 6 for sale, or was it a mixture of the bunch?

[la_mer_27]

Actually, yes, I'm also wondering this. There's still a few more shows to go, and it sounds like the signed posters are still up for grabs. If not, there's no pressure to try hard getting one...still, it's worth the effort.

On that note, is DIIV staying around for autographs, or is have they had any merch available at the shows?

[ItsJustDave]

It was great! Amazed I got a signed poster even though I didn't have presale.

You must have been in line in front of us. Were you amongst the first few people in the non-presale line? Thought I recognized you at one point, but wasn't sure.

Had my eyes open for ets friends. Found Gewalt and his wife, but that was cheating as we'd exchanged cell numbers ahead of time.

Amazing show on all counts. Mariqueen owned the stage. Anyone who says otherwise is just sour grapes.

[ItsJustDave]

On that note, is DIIV staying around for autographs, or is have they had any merch available at the shows?

Don't know about autographs, but they had some shirts and CDs available

[la_mer_27]

Okay, that works well. It seems like it would be a bit tricky to meet people in between sets with a larger crowd coming in and all. Shirts are always good. Thanks for responding so fast.

[Ash512]

On behalf of TOIOU/RITC for our HTDA live video : If you shot anything in Toronto last night, please email me : ppchevigny@filmssix.com
We are most specifically looking for higher quality footage (1080p minimum, shot with DSLRs or pro cameras), closeups if possible, to help us cover for angles we may have missed in Chicago but at this point we'll take everything.

We would need you to be able to upload the whole original, uncompressed data to your own DropBox account (or any hosting site for that matter) and then send us a link with your full contact info (name, address, email, telephone).

[jessamineny]

You must have been in line in front of us. Were you amongst the first few people in the non-presale line? Thought I recognized you at one point, but wasn't sure.

Had my eyes open for ets friends. Found Gewalt and his wife, but that was cheating as we'd exchanged cell numbers ahead of time.

Amazing show on all counts. Mariqueen owned the stage. Anyone who says otherwise is just sour grapes.

How did I not see you? : / I was right at the front, with Flo.

Yeah, Q had me in tears during "Ice Age." Phenomenal.

[jessamineny]

Just curious, how are they doing posters now since the first 6 shows/posters have passed? Did they just randomly have one of the 6 for sale, or was it a mixture of the bunch?

They repeated Poster No. 1, the "ice."

[AgentofChaos]

The show really was magical. I absolutely loved every minute of it. I took a few friends who weren't that familiar with the music and they all raved about it.

Everything sounded so tight. I was never all that attracted to Q previously but I was crushing hard last night not gonna lie. Her curves, her moves, her pipes. She oozed sex appeal all night long. She was confident, but honest, passionate, and vulnerable. She really powered through and brought the house down at some key moments.

The visuals were a perfect accompaniment. Unique and stunning. There was always something going on.

The set list had something for everyone. They had the bass pounding dance tracks, crunchy glitchy drone sessions, and stripped down organic mood pieces. Felt paced very well.

It was a shame Too Late, All Gone didn't make the cut, but that can be a little nugget to look forward to next time around. It will be very interesting to see where this band goes now with NIN on deck for the foreseeable future. I don't know if I am just on a high from last night, but I would prefer TR's main focus to stay on HTDA instead of touring endlessly with NIN in 2014. Feels like this group are just having a ton of fun together and I'd very much like to see where they go with their next record. I'd be crushed, even NIN album or otherwise, if we didn't see or hear from them for a few years. Hopefully that's not the case.

Highlights;
- And the Sky Began to Scream. When TR's brings it home at the end as the screens opened up, I was fucking floored.
- Between the Spaces. KILLER remix. Worked so well to bring that song alive in a live setting. It was a very cool way of putting their "secret weapon" into action. You could feel Ally all over it.
- Believers. The visuals here will trip you the fuck out and I thought it translated live in a very cool way.
- Parasite. Just because I love this track.
- Welcome Oblivion. Was on the fence about this track and the live version took it up several notches.
- The Loop Closes. Epic.
- We Fade Away. Bad ass closer.


Even songs I wasn't crazy about originally fit beautifully into the set list i.e How Long?, Ice Age. I have a few very small criticisms but I can't even be bothered to be negative at this point.

I feel very lucky to have seen this tour, especially in an "intimate" club show. If you still have a chance to check it out before they're done I highly recommend it.

[Anxdiety]

Absolutely amazing show. My apologies to anyone who got stuck behind me. The stage in that place was way too low and for some reason everyone 6' and taller decided to get as close as they could. Everything was awesome except for that lone douche bag that decided to get absolutely wasted and thought he could start a pit. I'm sorry to anyone who got hit when I threw him on his ass for going retarded in front of my gf.

[Gewalt Warten]

My two cents ... amazing. Production value alone would have been worth the price. Truly felt that the music came to life even more through the visuals and hearing the songs live.

DIIV did a very respectable job for an opening band too.

Great to see you and your wife again IJD. Always nice to reconnect with old friends from ETS. Miss the good old days ;) Too bad about the Sasquatch but hope it worked out for you after that.

[FernandoDante]

This is a badass review:

http://www.antiquiet.com/shows/2013/04/how-to-destroy-angels-toronto-sound-academy-show-review-concert-picture/

[Morad]

This is a badass review:

http://www.antiquiet.com/shows/2013/04/how-to-destroy-angels-toronto-sound-academy-show-review-concert-picture/

Wow, I just saw that you posted this! Thanks so much, Fernando!

[pequena]

Absolutely amazing show. My apologies to anyone who got stuck behind me. The stage in that place was way too low and for some reason everyone 6' and taller decided to get as close as they could. Everything was awesome except for that lone douche bag that decided to get absolutely wasted and thought he could start a pit. I'm sorry to anyone who got hit when I threw him on his ass for going retarded in front of my gf.

I was only 3 people away from the stage and as someone who barely scrapes 5 feet, I very much noticed the field of tall people at the front.

[Anxdiety]

I'm amazed that a bootleg hasn't surfaced yet of the show. I noticed that a lot of the camera/cell phone pics have turned out terribly as the auto focus on them was completely confused as to what to focus on. No images I've seen thus far do the show any justice. I'm hoping an audio recording surfaces as I can't wait to hear the versions of the songs again. I'm not sure if it was the audience singing along or the reverb at times but that portion was extremely moving. It was also awesome by the second half of the show as the audience relaxed and got into it. At first everyone seemed uptight and uncertain but by the latter half it was a sea of people grooving along. It was probably because they realized they were getting shit for pictures/video.

[gladcarrot]

I'm amazed that a bootleg hasn't surfaced yet of the show.

Be patient. The show was just three days ago. I know for a fact it was taped. Give the taper time to transfer and upload the recording. :D
It wasn't me by the way.

[NIN4EVER]

To those of you who live in Toronto: I have 2 extra Welcome Oblivion records (brand new, sealed) that I'm selling for $20 each ($27 + shipping from the website). PM me if you're interested. Pick up preferably at Yonge/Eglinton but I'm somewhat flexible.

[Ash512]

LAST CALL

The editing process will soon begin on RITC/TOIOU's project (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/threads/1463-2013-04-23-Chicago-IL-The-Vic?p=82924#post82924). If you haven't sent in your footage yet, please contact me : ppchevigny@filmssix.com
You can upload any footage you have on DropBox or WeTransfer and send me a link. We need the original, uncompressed data.
Please include your full contact info so we can get in touch if we need to : name (or username if you'd rather remain anonymous), full address and phone number.

[gladcarrot]

I'm amazed that a bootleg hasn't surfaced yet of the show.

Here is becomingtom's recording. It's from an iPhone, which did a surprisingly good job of recording live concert audio!

http://rapidshare.com/files/2609890001/HTDA_2013-04-25_Toronto_becomingtom_mp3.rar

[becomingtom]

Here is becomingtom's recording. It's from an iPhone, which did a surprisingly good job of recording live concert audio!

http://rapidshare.com/files/2609890001/HTDA_2013-04-25_Toronto_becomingtom_mp3.rar

Thanks for all the help gladcarrot I appreciate it!

[Anxdiety]

Thanks a ton for the link. Greatly appreciated.