Red Bull 3 days in Toronto with BadBadNoGood, River Tiber and Charlotte Day Wilson

Last week Red Bull Sound Select hosted 3 Days in Toronto: a series of curated music events in the city’s favourite venues. Friday night, BadBadNoGood with friends, took place at the Massey Hall, a legendary 2-level, all-seated, concert venue. For nearly 3 hours, with an intermission, BadBadNoGood roamed the stage in the glory of a multi-screen visual installation and colorful lights.

For the evening the band added two additional keyboardists, a grand piano, a string section, and horns, among other additional live instruments, to the set. What is typically a quartet came to life as a full, interpretive orchestra on the Massey Hall stage. Occasionally joined by River Tiber and Charlotte Day Wilson, while Alexander Sowinski was sharing stories about their collective experiences and love for this city. The interaction really made this show a personal one, despite the fact that people could not dance or participate much otherwise (having to be sitting down all night and all).

The band played songs from their most recent release, IV, and Sour Soul, some more popular covers. Charlotte Day Wilson played “Work,” “In Your Eyes,” and shared a brand new track about falling in love, while River Tiber touched on his more emotional songs such as “Acid Test.” Both performers generally perform with a much smaller band so having the enhanced BadBadNoGood gave a whole new dimension to their songs. A big surprise came unexpectedly when BadBadNoGood brought out Jay Electronica on stage for “Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)” with no introduction. A few tracks after the show wrapped up with an engaging instrumental set and an interpretive dance by Sowinski.

The friendship, passion, and sheer musical dedication were an ongoing theme this evening. The set was, needless to say, a memorable one, for every single sold-out ticket that walked through the door.

Images courtesy of Red Bull.