Drummer Justin Peroff injured and not with the band. Currently touring without a drummer. New setlist.
Some news from Calgary. BSS just completed their Calgary set and it was...interesting and very different from what I expected with one very pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, they announced drummer Justin Peroff sustained significant injuries in an accident in Vancouver on Friday and he won't be touring with them - that's all they announced. There was no official backup drummer though someone came in and did a little drumming on a couple of songs. It was obvious the substitute was just trying to supply some rhythm to help..and it did, but that's all it was. The biggest concern is obviously the health and wellbeing of Justin.
The Good: I think it's clear the news he wouldn't be with them was very, very new - they were improvising on the spot and the set list was very, very different. It was interesting and fun to watch them improvise on the fly. We also got to hear an incredible and emotional version of Lover's Spit which Kevin doesn't perform anymore after the death of his Mom (what he told the audience). There was some improvised guitar that was new and amazing. It was the highlight of the night. Worth the price of admission for my wife and I.
The Bad: Due to the unexpected news of their friend and bandmate, the energy was totally lacking. Big points for pushing through and I think they deserve all the credit in the world for getting up on stage, but the guitarists all stayed sitting the entire show and without drums the setlist drastically changed with an emphasis towards lower-energy songs. NOT on this setlist: Cause = Time, 7/4 Shoreline, Texaco Bitches, Fire Eye'd Boy. They also tried an experiment with everyone's phones that didn't work - there was no signal with 8,000 people all trying to access the internet. It seemed like it would have been awesome. Hope it works better in another city.
Calgary Setlist:
- Charlie Opener (QR code crowd phone experience)
- Sweetest Kill
- Hey Amanda
- Can't Find My Heart
- Almost Crimes
- Hug of Thunder
- World Sick
- Only the Good I Keep
- Lover's Spit
- Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl
- Parking Lot Dreams
Otherwise, I'd say the fact that 80% of the crowd was there for Metric and not BSS was a real buzzkill. I've never seen so few people "into it" at a BSS concert. They went nuts for Metric though. I wonder if all the Canada dates are like this, or just Calgary?
Hoping the best for Justin, and hoping they get a session drummer in fast to help with the rest of the tour- it's clear they are trying their best to sort things out right now. Still worth it - but for the next few dates, I think there is going to be some experimenting and problem-solving.