The Bravery: 6 October 2009 – The Opera House, Toronto

After what seemed like an interminable wait for the sound check to complete, New York City rockers The Bravery took the stage to an anxiously waiting crowd at Toronto’s Opera House on Tuesday night. It was well worth the wait. The rich sound unleashed right from the get go was nothing short of monumental and worthy of a stadium-sized sound system. Lead vocalist Sam Endicott strutted all over the stage sporting a white suit over a prison-stripe undershirt, completing the look with a white flower in his hair. His voice was reminiscent of The Cure’s early era Robert Smith, a feature that complements the rock/electronica sound of the band. It wasn’t until Endicott had half a dozen songs tucked away that he stopped to breathe and share with fans a story about the now-closed Brooklyn bar, Magnetic Field, a place the band once liked to frequent. He added that their next song was about that place and launched into their hit “Believe” much to the delight of the wildly clapping crowd. They kept the flow of songs steady and energetic for the rest of the set which included the current radio single “Slow Poison” as well as “Time Won’t Let Me Go”, and introduced some new material from their much anticipated upcoming album Stir The Blood. An already great performance was capped off with a brilliant version of “Honest Mistake” and a short but sweet three-song encore.