Photography Reviews

Concert Review: Mod Sun @ The Phoenix Theatre in Toronto, ON on 3/10/23

By Taylor Cameron / March 14, 2023

A snowy Friday night in the city, fans of all ages excitedly lined up outside The Phoenix Concert Hall for Mod Sun’s God Save The Teen Tour. This being Mod Sun’s second time in the city in the past six months, opening for Palaye Royale back in September, fans were excited to welcome him back. As the doors opened at 7:00pm, everyone made their way inside, happy to escape the cold and ready for a fun-filled night.

Starting off the night was Hip-Hop artist Pardyalone. Fan excitedly cheered as he made his way onto the stage that was lit up in magenta and purple lights. His contagious energy pumped up the crowd perfectly for what was to follow. Dancing and singing along throughout the entire set, the audience gave Pardyalone a very warm welcome.

Up next were Australian punk-rock band Stand Atlantic, the crowd going wild when they hit the stage, immediately ripping into the ultra-fun track “Jurassic Park”, off their 2020 release “Pink Elephant”. The audience radiated a contagious energy, the band visibly feeding off of it throughout their set. Singer Bonnie Fraser energetically jumped around the stage, every fan in the audience singing along to the words she sang.

“Let’s get a big circle going on here in the middle” Fraser spoke, wanting the crowd to form a mosh pit. “I want to see you bumping into each other safely” a smile adorning her face before the band kicked into the heavy track, “Switchblade”.

Miki Rich (bass), David Potter (guitar) and Jonno Panichi (drums) carried the tracks perfectly, helping keep the energy high in the room with the thumping drum beats, funky guitar melodies and driven bass lines. “We’re about to bring it down a bit” Fraser announced to the audience. “I hope you’re okay with that. This is my favorite track off our latest album so even if you’re not we’re going to play it anyways” she laughed before Potter played the piano intro to “Bloodclot”.

The audience cheered loudly, signifying that they were indeed okay with the band playing the track. As their set came close to a close, the band stated they wanted to make the biggest mosh pit ever, everyone stepping back against the venue walls. “We’ve done it” Rich cheers, “where’s the alpha male who normally runs through it” he laughed. “I want to see a backflip” Fraser said, before a few fans stepped in the circle and granted her wish. “I didn’t know Canada liked doing acrobatics” her voice giving off an impressed tone, “that was cool”.

 The vibe in the room stayed on that level for the rest of their set, everyone was disappointed when it was time for them to leave the stage, however, there was no questioning that they were now pumped up for Mod Sun’s set. 

A spotlight shines on a lone chair and small table with a typewriter sat upon it, the crowd erupting into cheers as Mod Sun made his way onto the stage. Sitting down in the chair, he typed on the typewriter for a minute, before his band, Kyle McGrail (drums) and Brennan Peirson (guitar) joined him and kicked into “Eyelids”, the first track off his latest release “God Save The Teen”.

 If you’ve seen Mod Sun before you know his energy is always at 110%, this night being no different. Being his birthday, the smile on his face was a prominent accessory throughout the set, happy to be spending his special day onstage with his adoring fans. “We’re going to call this one Toronto’s song tonight” the crowd cheered as he introduced “Avril’s song”. Jumping, spinning and even purposefully falling down onto the stage, Mod Sun’s performance was no short of entertaining, not being able to take your eyes off him.

Before performing a medley of some fan favorite songs, the tech taps Mod Sun on the shoulder, him turning around to Stand Atlantic and Pardyalone sitting on the stage with three birthday cakes to celebrate while singing happy birthday along with the crowd. “This next song we’re about to play changed my life, it’s actually not even mine. If you know it, sing it with me, this is Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls” cheers being heard throughout the entire venue as everyone sang along. As his set starts coming to a close he sang the fan favorites “Rich Kids Ruin Everything” and “Battle Scars”, a song he dedicated to everyone dealing addiction and mental health issues, the crowd cheering loudly as he stated that he’s currently over three years sober.

Closing out the set with “Flames” Mod Sun and his band leave the stage, leaving the crowd wanting more. A few minutes pass and their prayers are answered, as they make their way back out to the stage to perform “Perfectly Imperfect”, a song a lot of fans hold close to their hearts. Overall, this night was one full of excitement and high energy that kept the crowd on their toes at all times. Each artist brings something unique to the stage to give everyone an unforgettable night.

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