Omar Souleyman mixes traditional music with electronic beats

While en route to Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS) Friday afternoon, I got a text from a friend previewing what I was about to walk into, saying, “this is the best thing I have ever seen.” When I got there, Souleyman, a tiny Middle Eastern man bedecked in red and white and sporting big black sunglasses wandered from side to side of the stage. Occasionally, he would lift up his hands and motion to the crowd — he barely lifted a finger, but everyone ate it up anyway.

Half of the audience were clearly fans; a man beside me spoke in Arabic, motioning to the crowd to get people dancing. The mixture of traditional dabke music — wedding music — and electronic beats was pretty radical and really awesome.

YDS perks and quirks

I still have yet to go into the YDS VIP viewing area due to its inconvieniences — you can’t bring any beverage in, including water, and the capacity is only 100 so it fills up really quickly.

Speaking of water, NXNE sponsor MiO is practically everywhere in YDS and I have taken to just grabbing their water bottles and running away before anyone asks me to squirt “zero calorie MiO” into my perfectly delicious zero calorie water.

I parked my bike for the YDS shows at Toronto Cycle’s NXNE valet bike parking. It’s a cool idea — and, more importantly, it was free. I was nervous since they don’t lock the bikes and just keep them in a fenced off area, but when I came back, my bike was still there. I highly recommend using this service as it’s free, fun, secure and only a city block from the square (Dundas Street West between Joey’s restaurant and the Ted Rogers School of Management).

— India McAllister
 
 
Swans brings pure rage and a gratuitous drum roll

I don’t really like swans, as an animal. I suppose they hold a certain aesthetic appeal from a distance, but they are far less elegant on approach. I still have a very clear childhood memory of running in terror from a particularly angry one at Centerville.

This feeling of dislike and terror is not unlike what I felt watching Swans perform at YDS Friday night. Swans is not really my taste. I spent the majority of their almost hour-long set trying to tell who in the square was into the music and who was in my boat. Everyone maintained a somewhat angry expression throughout, with only violent head nods giving away actual interest. After what might actually have been a five-minute introductory drum roll, a guy next to me muttered, “Ok, but what if this is just a really long, awkward sound check?”

I’m not sure if YDS was the right venue for Swans, or if they’re the right band for me. That being said, they totally killed their set. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed that much intensity on a stage — the passion and pure rage of the musicians was unprecedented. It was loud, intense, and technically impressive. It wasn’t a show I or anyone else will be forgetting anytime soon, and I think when it comes to a performance like that, liking the music is almost besides the point.

— Sarah Niedoba
 
 
St. Vincent slays in the square

St. Vincent (the stage name of singer Annie Clark) began her set by mimicking a wind-up doll and moving around the stage with incredibly graceful transitions. When she picked up her guitar, she blew everyone’s mind.

In general, my thoughts about this show can only be described in all capital letters: SHE IS SLAYING. HER ACCOMPANYING MUSICIANS ARE IMPECCABLE. DO YOU THINK SHE SEES ME? TIM HORTON.

Last year’s headliners, The National, could not command YDS the way St. Vincent did. She was interactive, the sound was surprisingly great, the stage setup complemented her set, and she dominated the space. It takes a masterful performer to give a good show at such a challenging venue.

This may be a post-concert depression I won’t quite recover from. I’d also like to take this moment to offer formal apologies to anyone who was near me during the show and had to deal with my incessant squealing.

— Ayla Shiblaq
 

NXNE in review: Wednesday, Thursday