Metric Wrap US Tour in Chicago

Canadian group Metric are bound to have a busy summer with their song for the 'Twilight Saga: Eclipse' soundtrack coming out, a string of Lilith Fair dates and a European tour. But before jetting off to London, they performed to a sold-out Chicago audience Thursday night at the Vic. Opener Bear in Heaven announced it was their final show with the band, and after non-stop touring for three months, they were looking forward to taking a break to "see our apartments" and then resuming their tour later in June.

Throughout Metric's 90-minute set, they culled from last year's 'Fantasies' but occasionally stepped into older material. Frontwoman Emily Haines perched herself at the keys and played opener 'Twilight Galaxy' as her wispy hair covered her face and spotlights rotated back and forth. On 'Front Row,' she literally sang to the front row of fans and posed for the photographers all the while jogging and jumping in heeled boots. "This is nice, Chicago," Haines spoke to the dancing crowd. She grabbed a guitar during 'Gold Gun Girls' and wailed on it along with the rest of the band. Before transitioning into 'Gimme Sympathy,' the band covered the first couple of lines of Neil Young's 'Hey Hey My My' singing 'rock 'n' roll can never die.' During 'Dead Disco,' the band slowed the speed down to almost a whisper but quickly rammed it back up with crashing drums and a blitzkrieg of strobes.


As Haines acknowledged the set was winding down, Metric performed 'Stadium Love,' which made her fall to her knees at the end. The band came back for a two-song encore including older track 'Monster Hospital,' after which Haines told an anecdote how earlier in their career, Metric played two "atrocious" and "painful" shows at tiny Chicago venue the Empty Bottle in town. She then dedicated the final song of the night to "all of the people who came to see us when only 10 people were there." From the vault, Haines and guitarist James Shaw, who was armed with an acoustic guitar, played a stripped-down version of 'Combat Baby' from their first record, 'Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?' Huddled together onstage, the four smiling band members stood before their whooping crowd, hopefully realizing how far they've truly come.