Shad

Shad's set at the Indies Awards relieved all in attendance of dime-a-dozen rock-band overload, with the exception of headliner Janelle Monáe and an earlier performance by Hannah Georgas. Scaled back instrumentation revealed just how good a poet Shad really is, particularly on "A Good Name" and "Rock to It," while "Rose Garden" turned the regal Royal York ballroom into a sea of hands waving in the air. Shad's charisma and spot-on lyrics made this show a CMW highlight, no easy feat when sharing a bill with the likes of Monáe.