#Broken social scene cause time full

A few times throughout the night, certain songs opened with fewer interlocking parts than recorded, teasing potential disappointment, but sure enough, summoning immense amounts of power for the remainders of the songs never seemed to pose much of a difficulty. Luckily, Broken Social Scene generally overcame this issue.

The natural consequence of having so many different voices shape a full sound is that the quieter parts in a live setting can feel sparse without all the members. Studio albums are their own beasts however, and adapting a huge array of musical components from a decades-spanning discography to a live performance understandably has its challenges. Smiling widely as they switched off instruments, the members seemed to be proud in recognition of the feat. The sheer amount of fan favorites they played, while still leaving out a considerable selection of their discography, speaks to how much meaningful material they’re produced over the years. The group played twenty songs spanning their past four albums, mostly spurring the momentum with thunderous favorites, such as opener “KC Accidental” from You Forgot It in People (2002), but occasionally easing the energy with steadier, moodier songs like “Sweetest Kill” from Forgiveness Rock Record (2010).

Regardless, each one of them had notable (and surprisingly discernable) contributions, even with almost everyone playing guitar at some point in the night. Given, with members as busy as Leslie Feist, Metric’s Emily Haines, and Stars’ Amy Millan, (and the list really does go on exhaustively), the touring group lacked the three just mentioned, but was able to bring eight of its core contributors to this tour-which is still a ton of people on the stage by any measure.

The whole night felt celebratory, which makes sense considering how difficult it must be to still assemble their army of musicians for twelve tours over the past sixteen years. Regardless of whatever the reasons may be, Broken Social Scene drew a devoted audience at The Fox Theater Thursday night, and delivered a euphoric performance that made me proud to still be a fan.

What is it about them that seems to not age well for some past listeners? Is it the adherence to general “indie rock” tropes without a more specific sub-genre to make them seem instantly unique? Or the adolescent associations that come from sentimental songwriting (see: Bright Eyes)? Maybe it’s the earnest ambition that they clearly embrace? The combination of what can be seen as an edgy band name and their hopeful attitude on this year’s Hug of Thunder probably doesn’t help their popularity with 2017’s pessimistic college kids, at least. Right now, if I were to mention Broken Social Scene to the friends I listened to music with a few years back, the sad reality is that many would probably dismiss them as a band they “listened to in high school.” This is a bit unfair to the Canadian indie collective, whose five studio releases have been consistently engaging and dynamic, from their 2001 debut Feel Good Lost through this year’s Hug of Thunder, all the while maintaining as many as 19 members over more than a decade and a half.

#Broken social scene cause time full