LIVE(STREAM) REVIEW: Silverstein @ Out Of This World – Greatest Hits

This new age of livestreamed shows has opened up new presentation possibilities for every band in the game, and the rock and metal world has seen it’s fair share of creative gimmicks and wild stage productions. But weaving an entire sci-fi storyline in between three different nights of material is certainly among the more ambitious and unique ideas to come out of the forced ingenuity of the stay-at-home show genre. And post-hardcore stalwarts SILVERSTEIN aren’t exactly the first band that would come to mind when presented with this idea.

It certainly shows that this is a band that really wants to take the notion of an “experience” for their three shows (night one is a greatest hits show, night two is their seminal Discovering The Waterfront album in full, and night three is an all acoustic show) and dial up the theatre factor to what would otherwise be a fairly normal livestream. And after watching the first night of Out Of This World, the storyline the band creates, while simple, is intriguing and builds a fair bit of curiosity for the next instalment. That, and their performances on night one were as solid as the band has always been in their now almost 20 year career.

Starting off with a wonderfully 80s, Stranger Things-esque vibe from the start, SILVERSTEIN starts their stream with the beginning of their story. As they begin to get ready to play, guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau spots a strange figure watching them from off in the woods. It’s cheesy, goofy, and a nice bit of lighthearted suspense before the band launches into an absolutely blistering rework of My Disaster off 2007’s Arrivals and Departures, and which is also featured on the band’s latest Redux II album, which features reworked versions of hits across the band’s discography. That’s the theme of this first night, and the band covered a fair amount of ground, aside from some of their biggest hits from 2005’s Discovering The Waterfront, which is being saved for night two.

But there was also a big focus on the band’s newest material, with three songs each being played from 2017’s Dead Reflection and last years’ A Beautiful Place To Drown, the latter of which unfortunately doesn’t stack up as well as their back catalogue. However, it should be noted that lead vocalist Shane Told sounds just as good today as he did in the heyday of the band and remains one of the most steady and stalwart voices in post-hardcore. Bad Habits and Retrograde don’t jump out as much as tracks later down the line, but it gives the audience a chance to grasp the setting, with the band playing in the round amidst a circle of strobes and coloured lights that creates a music-video like effect. It’s not the flashiest setting, but the focus is really on the song choice and the interwoven story.

The band’s performance of Whiplash sounds great, with the band really picking up the pace and showing their fangs before launching into their first hit ever, Smashed Into Pieces off 2003’s When Broken Is Easily Fixed. It’s a song of pure nostalgia with a hook that is still enduring, even if the teen heartbreak lyrics sound a bit odd now that the band is approaching middle age. Next up was the excellent A Midwestern State of Emergency, with the band highlighting its massive ascending hook and huge guitars amidst the flash and spin of the lights surrounding them. At this point the story continues with Rousseau telling bassist Billy Hamilton about what he saw in the woods, and he is soon met with a quick dismissal. Probably just a scarecrow or something, right? After all, they are on a farm.

Infinite, another new track, doesn’t leap as much as other material, but it the instrumentation is mixed thick and heavy with electronic elements mixed in. But it’s soon back to the nostalgia with another When Broken… two-fer of November and Hear Me Out. The very compositions of these song feel pleasantly warm and inviting, like a hug from a bygone era. The early 2000s certainly had a vibe to them with the way melodies were written for voice and guitar, and the band does a great job at capturing that spirit as they are awash in red and blue light. It’s an escape to the music of youth, and not every band can translate it, but because SILVERSTEIN has maintained their sound for the most part over the years, they pull it off very well.

Now comes one of the highlights of the night, as the band focuses on one of the strongest records of their career, 2009’s A Shipwreck In The Sand. They begin with an excellently put together medley of the first third of the record, A Great Fire, Vices, and Broken Stars, all of which land with a huge sense of urgency and fury, which is perfectly befitting the story and spirit of that record. It should also be mentioned that SILVERSTEIN is featuring live keyboards and a live violin as well, which adds a ton of interesting texture to this live show. Each member is absolutely ripping here and the fun they’re having here is palpable as the songs roll into each other, before they break into American Dream, one of the hookiest and most swaggering cuts to be performed. The band kills it, and without a lot of flash or distraction from the stage show. The focus truly is on the strength of these hit songs, and for the most part, the band shows in their rollicking performance shows just why these songs hit so hard. Told, especially, sounds great and shows no signs of weakening as the show rolls on.

We get another story break as the band goes to investigate a spooky light in the sky approaching the farm. Though acting certainly isn’t the band’s strong suit, it reiterates that this is meant to be more lighthearted romp than dark thriller. Burn It Down, is another new cut, and the harmonies the band employs live are spotlighted on this song. In fact, the rest of the songs could have done well using more of the band’s trademark harmonies, especially with talented backing vocalists. After a headbanging breakdown, the band enters the homestretch with a one two punch of songs from one of their strongest albums, 2013’s This Is How The Wind Shifts. Stand Amid The Roar is heavy and slamming, with it’s dissonant riffs assaulting the room and landing as the most chaotic and cathartic of the band’s performances of the day, while Massachusetts stands among the best tracks of the band’s career, rivalling and sounding like material from their glory days and with a hook so sticky, it’s a wonder the band didn’t finish with this song. But, in an interesting choice, they end with The Afterglow off Dead Reflection, which isn’t as strong an ending as it could have been but it’s a catchy enough song with enough tempo to at least leave the show with some energy.

But then, as Shane Told finishes and remarks on the performance, the band members suddenly freeze, with only the lead vocalist left moving, wondering what has happened. Suddenly, the band disappears and Told bolts for the door and begins to run, sprinting his way into the woods, chased by an unseen force…and the story is left to be continued. It’s been an entertaining and lighthearted night, with both a chance to relive the songs that made SILVERSTEIN a force and a mainstay on the iPods of countless highschoolers, and a part of the Spotify playlists of today. A fun story and an energetic, if stripped down, performance gives night one a thumbs up with a curious wondering to what will befall the band in night two.

Rating: 7/10