The Ex 2017: The Watchmen - Concert Pictures

The Watchmen are another of those great, favourite bands from the heady days of the early 90s. I remember seeing these guys so many times back then. Visions of them on The Horseshoe stage are probably most vivid. They are a super solid band with hard rocking yet melodically strong songs. The clear and strong vocals along with innovative guitar work and a solid rhythm section, not to mention the fantastic and still-incredible songs, made them an enduring favourite.

At their show this past summer at The Ex when they opened for another favourite band, I Mother Earth, I remarked that they sounded so good. It made me so happy to see the band and hear these songs coming off of the stage again. I have such amazing memories of their music including their A Capella rendition of James Taylor's "Sweet Baby James" and a specific show that I think was at the old Concert Hall. I loved that they mixed in a cover of The Clique's tune "Superman". You know, the one that everyone thinks is an REM song, in "Absolutely Anytime".

I would love to see the band again before too many more years pass, and hopefully in a headlining capacity so we can hear more of the great tunes.

Here are my favourites from their set.

"Boneyard Tree"

"I'm Still Gone"

"Any Day Now"

"Run and Hide"

"All Uncovered"

"Absolutely Anytime"

"Stereo"

The Ex 2017: Michel Pagliaro - Concert Pictures

Michel Pagliaro is a Montreal classic rock survivor who played The Ex this past summer with one of my favourite bands, The Box, opening. He and his band rocked us all with his classic tunes.

Give 'em a listen:

"Lovin' You Ain't Easy"

"What the Hell I Got"

The Ex 2017: The Box - Concert Pictures

The Box are a favourite band from my much younger days. Their songs resonate through me just as they did then, with energy, addictive melodies, positive messages and great stories. I got to catch them live at The Ex this past summer. It was amazing to hear the old favourites played so faithfully and with great passion by the band.

And singer Jean-Marc Pisapia told us something that I didn't know - that he was part of Men Without Hats. They then played us that band's biggest hit, "The Safety Dance".

Give their tunes a listen. I've arranged my favourites as they appeared in their setlist.

"Carry On"

"Temptation"

"Crying Out Loud for Love"

"Ordinary People"

"L'Affaire Dumoutier (Say To Me)"

Men Without Hats' "The Safety Dance"

"Closer Together"

Broods at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Pictures

Earlier this year, I caught Broods' live show at The Danforth Music Hall. I loved the band's polished and powerful pop music. The set ran the gamut from high energy party songs, to powerhouse ballads with soaring vocals. They then took it down to acoustic duo tunes that showcased their musical origins.

They got a big cheer for "All of Your Glory" and had a rousing singalong for their cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World". "Full Blown Love" was lots of fun. "We had Everything" was a personal favourite as was main set closer "Free". They saved one of the best for last as "Bridges" was an awesome encore opener. Sadly, this show as their only show in Canada on this tour.

Give them some time with your ears:

"All of Your Glory"

"Full Blown Love"

"We Had Everything"

"Free"

"Bridges"