Metric Remind Calgary That the Moment Is Now
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary June 28, 2026
Some concerts are built around spectacle. Others succeed by reminding you why live music matters in the first place. The All the Feelings Tour, uniting Canadian indie institutions Metric, Broken Social Scene, and Stars, delivered both. More than three celebrated bands sharing a stage, it became a celebration of friendship, resilience, and the community that has shaped Canadian indie rock for decades.
Stars opened the evening by leaning into the emotional intimacy that has long defined the Montreal group. Drawing heavily from Set Yourself on Fire, "Ageless Beauty" floated through the Jubilee with quiet confidence before "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" inspired one of the night's first full-audience singalongs. When the opening notes of "No One Is Lost" rang out, thousands of voices filled the theatre, turning one of the band's defining songs into a communal celebration.
Newer material from From Capelton Hill sat comfortably beside the classics, exploring themes of family, aging, and resilience that resonated with an audience that has grown alongside the band. Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell's effortless chemistry, coupled with Campbell's thoughtful and often humorous banter, reinforced the feeling that this was less a nostalgia tour than a reunion of lifelong friends.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Stars
Broken Social Scene arrived under difficult circumstances after drummer Justin Peroff was seriously injured only days before the Calgary performance. Rather than cancelling, the collective reimagined the evening as a largely acoustic set, trading their signature wall of sound for something more exposed and intimate. The result wasn't a compromise, it was a reminder that beneath the layered arrangements has always been remarkable songs.
The stripped-back performances brought new clarity to familiar material. Harmonies floated to the surface, lyrics landed with greater emotional weight, and decades of chemistry between the musicians became impossible to miss. At times, it felt less like a theatre performance than an invitation into the band's rehearsal space.
One of the night's most inventive moments came courtesy of Charles Spearin. Rather than asking the audience to silence their phones, he invited everyone to take them out. QR codes projected behind the band transformed hundreds of devices into instruments, filling the theatre with shifting tones and waves of colour. The technology that so often distracts from live performance instead became a tool for collective participation, with the audience itself completing the composition.
Kevin Drew introduced "Lover's Spit" by recalling how his late mother always questioned its famously obvious lyrics, drawing laughter before the song took on new emotional weight. Later, Emily Haines and James Shaw joined Broken Social Scene for "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl," earning one of the loudest ovations of the evening and perfectly capturing the collaborative spirit behind the tour.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Broken Social Scene
By the time Metric took the stage, the night's central message had become clear.
Throughout the performance, Emily Haines repeatedly returned to the importance of being present. She spoke about the temptation to experience life through a screen and encouraged the audience to put their phones away - not as criticism, but as an invitation to fully share the moment together.
That idea came into sharp focus during "Pass the Torch," when Haines reflected on the importance of supporting the next generation of women in music, reminding the audience that the future of any music scene depends on each generation making space for the artists who follow.
Metric's performance balanced precision with emotion. Their live production remains among the strongest in alternative rock, with dramatic lighting, silhouettes, and projected lyrics complementing the band's seamless blend of electronic textures and driving guitars. James Shaw moved effortlessly between guitar and electronics, continually reshaping the band's sound while giving familiar songs renewed depth.
Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Metric
Haines also acknowledged how difficult it had been simply to get the tour on the road, joking that "circumstance is a bastard." Her comments carried genuine gratitude for finally bringing together what she described as a dream lineup of Canadian bands. That appreciation became tangible as members of Broken Social Scene and Stars returned throughout Metric's set, transforming the evening into something that felt far more collaborative than a traditional triple bill.
Metric has always occupied the space between polish and vulnerability. Their songs are built for large rooms, but they never lose sight of the human connection at their core. At the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, the band didn't simply revisit a remarkable chapter of Canadian indie rock, they celebrated where it continues to go. After everything it took to make this tour happen, the message resonated long after the lights came up: be here, be present, and appreciate the moment while it exists.
