Festivals are always an exercise in compromise; seeing every interesting band is impossible, and inevitably, you don't make it to some of your favourites. The festival planning mental calculus becomes even more complicated at indoor events, where things like venue capacity and fire codes can further impede your ability to see your favourite artist.
Baroness being the major headliner for Night 1 of Toronto's Prepare the Ground festival, now in its second year, made camping out at Lee's Palace for the night seemed like the most sensible option — but with a lineup this stacked, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Kowloon Walled City kicked off the festivities to a mostly packed room, and the audience was immediately hooked. The sound was pure and heavy, the dynamics crisp, and the overall mood sad in the best possible way.
A few songs in, vocalist Scott Evans shouted out Shallow North Dakota — whetting the audience's appetite for their much-anticipated tribute set to the Hamilton band on this very stage tomorrow (May 31) — before declaring that the rest of the performance would be "about getting old." This didn't dampen the tone at all, with the opening riffs of "The Pressure Keeps Me Alive" eliciting numerous hoots from the crowd.
Earlier in the day, the festival released a teaser image for the secret show up next, which seemed to hint at Planning for Burial — a welcome addition, especially considering the fact that it was release day for Thom Wasluck's project's new record, It's Closeness, It's Easy. This theory was confirmed a few hours before showtime, and there was a palpable sense of excitement for the set.
Wasluck began the set with an emotional speech about loss, the unfortunate state of the world, and the power of community and art, while visibly somewhat shaken. From there, he then dove into crafting a truly overwhelming soundscape from what is likely to be one of the more impressive amplifier setups of the festival. The sound washed over the audience like a wave, with roaring guitars and feedback crashing to reveal more tender moments before being swept back up in the sonic maelstrom.
"You Think," the opening track from the newest record, bought the set to a close with a crescendo, the driving drumbeat, furious guitars, and anguished screams providing a cathartic outlet for both Wasluck and the audience.
A softer, more ambient loop played as the stage setup started to get taken down, and Wasluck took a moment to take it all in. The festival organizers seemed to have deliberately placed this set where they did in an effort to ensure that as many people saw it as possible, and it was truly was quite powerful.
Up next, the main event, Baroness performing both 2007's The Red Album and 2009's Blue Record in full. At this point, the crowd swelled even more, with the venue appearing mostly full well before the band took the stage. When the band finally took their rightful place before us and the opening notes of "Rays on Pinion" rang out through Lee's Palace, the audience went wild. This was precisely the moment that most people had been waiting for.
The band stormed through the first record with the power and efficiency of seasoned pros, the whole outfit exuding that natural rockstar charisma that so many bands try far too hard to achieve. Instead of the empty nostalgia-bait that modern classic album tours can tend to devolve into, this felt like a group of friends having a blast playing their earlier records front to back — a point that was further hammered home when frontman John Baizley took the time to address the audience between the two sets.
Baizley spoke of his love for Toronto and how much it meant to Baroness to be playing these records in full at the festival, even going so far as to say that much of their tour had been booked around making this show work out. The break was short-lived, though, the band soon catching their breath and ripping into Blue, with the majestic harmonies of "Bullhead's Pslam" giving way to the thunderous riffs of "The Sweetest Curse."
Despite the late hour, the audience was just as enthralled as they had been at the beginning, hanging on their every note as they stormed through the rest of the classic record, crafting a thrilling conclusion to a great night of music. While the popularity and must-see status of a band like Baroness may have limited the opportunity to explore other bands, it was certainly worthwhile, as the first night of Prepare the Ground was a resounding and inspiring success.