For many Canadians in the 1990’s, Our Lady Peace and I Mother Earth were two bands whose CD’s were constantly in your Discman and stereo. Our Lady Peace’s Naveed and Clumsy, and I Mother Earth’s Dig' and Scenery and Fish were some of the definitive Canadian albums of the era. On October 19^th the two bands brought their co-headlining tour to the Grey Eagle Event Centre for a night that while partly nostalgia presented two bands that know how to deliver on stage.

I Mother Earth’s portion of the show was significant in that it featured the return of Edwin to vocals for the first time in 19 years. Edwin left the band in 1997 (singer Brian Byrne replaced him) and embarked on a solo career. The significance of the 20th anniversary of their album Scenery and Fish was a catalyst to a reunion. In the past few years we’ve seen time heal old wounds and bands bury the hatchet to reunite. What form the band takes is always a question – is it a money grab or a friendship rekindled? That answer was established very quickly as Edwin and his former bandmates Jag & Christian Tanna were clearly having fun. The tone for the night was set right off the bat with Not Quite Sonic and Used To Be Alright.

In my opinion, Edwin has been criminally underrated both as a performer and a vocalist. The only thing betraying his age was his silver hair, he moved around the stage with the same enthusiasm and energy as he did 20 years ago. Vocally he was strong on hits like Raspberry and Another Sunday although at times the sound mix was a little off, drowning out his vocals. The addition of So Gently We Go for the first time on the tour felt special. Backed by a touring percussionist, bassist and keyboardist I Mother Earth’s 80-minute set was filled with lengthy solos, an impressive light show and a damn good performance. By the time the set concluded with One More Astronaut and Rain Will Fall it was clear that despite two decades apart I Mother Earth and Edwin can still deliver.

There hasn’t been a gap in the career of Our Lady Peace, although there have been band changes. Our Lady Peace was here last summer at Oxford Stomp and has played literally every venue in the city over the course of their career. Regardless of how many times they have come through town, Our Lady Peace has always delivered and this night was no exception. Also running around 80 minutes – shorter for the band but in a co-headline tour a common occurrence – singer Raine Maida immediately captured the audience’s attention, singing through a megaphone for One Man Army and leading the audience through Superman’s Dead and Innocent. The rest of the band – bassist Duncan Coutts and guitarist Steve Mazur played expertly as always.  Jason Pierce – who has drummed for a variety of artists from Paramour and Treble Charger to Justin Bieber – filled the void left by long time drummer Jeremy Taggart admirably. Taggart’s drumming was a huge part of the live OLP experience, but Pierce’s skill behind the kit made the classic songs as good as ever.

Varying between radio staples like Somewhere Out There with surprise tracks like Fire In The Henhouse & Not Enough the band played just 13 songs out of their extensive catalogue. New song Drop Me In The Water was well received, while the band paid tribute to Gord Downie by slipping in some of Grace, Too into In Repair. The audience took on vocalist duties for a good portion of 4am and the evening ended with Starseed – the only track off the Naveed album to make the set.

Bands that launched in the 90’s (or before) at times are met with derision and sarcasm and talk of it being a nostalgia trip. That certainly can be the case in some shows however with a long history in both bands, for their fans it has never been about that. With many dates, including the Calgary one, completely sold out it is evident that people want to hear this music. Whether it is connecting to their own youthful memories, experiencing it for the first time, or just a love of the band, the reaction from the audience was clearly that of love and respect.

Adding to the bill was Oshawa duo The Standstills. Those that made it for their brief 7pm set saw firsthand why both of the headliners speak so highly of the duo of Jonny Fox and Renee Couture. Touring behind 2015’s From The Devil’s Porch they are someone to keep an eye on in the future.