Hedley Will Never Let Toronto Down

“It’s good to be home,” MAGIC! frontman Nasri told a packed crowd at the Molson Amphitheatre, a venue he explained they always dreamed of playing, on a misty August Wednesday. The hometown heroes and perhaps spiritual successors to Bedouin Soundclash subdued the already relaxed audience with their reggae fusion tunes, injecting a “no shirt, no shoes, no problem” attitude into the air which somehow didn’t smell anything like weed. Nasri looks like a teen heartthrob who just fell out of a ‘90s coming-of-age movie, all sweaty and blissed out, long greasy hair, painted on jeans and a disposition so loose it’s like he could turn the concept of being chill into a profession. Which he sort of has. They pulled out some interesting covers of Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” and had most of the crowd on their feet and moving by the time they pumped up the volume for “Don’t Kill The Magic.” And of course, for the send-off, they got some hands in the air for their globally humongous hit “Rude,” and, the crowd now given what they wanted, turned in for the night.

In no way did that prepare anyone for what Hedley was about to do, except maybe for helping everyone save up their energy. The band took the stage to an ear-blasting recording of “The Imperial March,” better known as Darth Vader’s theme song. From then on the band was relentless, packing their nearly two-hour set with as much fun as possible. Singer Jacob Hoggard only stopped moving when he sat down at the piano, like some demented pop star in punk clothing, an insane ball of energy, spinning around the stage in a camo vest and short denim cut-offs. The audience spent the entire time on their feet, not wanting to miss a second of what the band had planned, which amounted to basically having an idea that seems like fun and then just doing it: a tiki bar with a daisy dukes and bikini top clad bartender, bubble machines from the side of the stage, a high-powered t-shirt gun with ammo provided by , and confetti cannons. Hoggard couldn’t stop expressing his appreciation of the fans, saying “Toronto, we’re never gonna let you go,” on more than one occasion. By the end of the climactic “Anything,” Hedley had made it clear that they’d been right all along: they didn’t need school or real jobs, and if Hoggard’s moves are any indicator, they’re not slowing down anytime soon.

@MattGeeWilliams also thinks, somewhat naively, he can do anything.