Finger Eleven kicked off a full weekend of Canadian rock at the Great Canadian Resort Toronto on Friday, December 5, delivering a punch of new material and nostalgic favourites inside the still-shiny, just-opened Etobicoke theatre.
Fresh off the release of Last Night On Earth – their long-anticipated return to full-length albums – the Burlington band is deep into its biggest Canadian tour yet, sharing the bill with Headstones and The Tea Party.
“We are here to kick things off this evening,” vocalist Scott Anderson told the early-arriving crowd. “We’re going to play some… what do you call it… classic? You be the judge. It’s pretty old stuff. We’re also going to play a little bit of new stuff.”
Guitarist James Black wasted no time revving up the room, rallying the packed house to its feet before the band tore into ‘Together Right.’
Across the stage, his duelling partner Rick Jackett delivered the kind of showmanship Finger Eleven fans live for – twirling his guitar around his body, pushing the limits of physics and patience as his long rocker hair and beard narrowly avoided tangling with the strings. He kept it up all night, a blur of motion and precision.
Anderson’s vocals cut clean all the way to the back of the 5,000-seat venue, powering through heavy hitters like ‘Falling On’ and ‘Quicksand,’ then shifting into the melodic lift of ‘One Thing’ and the new album’s title track, ‘Last Night On Earth.’
‘We finally finished the record and it is finally out,’ Anderson told the crowd before the ballad. ‘I think this is a perfect opportunity to get your cell phone flashlights out and make this a great big concert moment.’
The triple-headliner setup proved its strength early, as Finger Eleven played to a rare completely full house for an opening slot, though it was clear any of the three bands could have closed without losing momentum.
“Do you feel sufficiently warmed up for the rest of the night? I sure hope so,” Anderson said as the set wrapped.
“Are you ready for the Headstones? Are you ready for The Tea Party? You think you are, but you’re not. Thanks so much for being here. We really appreciate it.”
SWOMP’s Finger Eleven Photo Gallery:
Before the tour launched, Anderson spoke with SWOMP about the new record and tour:
For tour dates and updates, visit fingereleven.com.