By: Aaraksh Siwakoti
There were no diesel-fueled vehicles or stunts performed at the Monster Truck concert on March 26, at The Observatory. There were, however, huge guitar riffs and excessive head banging that accompanied the show.
The Juno-nominated band from Hamilton rocked the crowd with their heavy brand of music, playing songs from their various releases including their hit single Seven Seas Blues from The Brown EP.
The intense energy from the band resonated with the audience. Breaks between songs had the crowd chanting the bands name in unison.
Before the concert, fans were excited and curious about the fact that Monster Truck was performing at The Ob.
“Monster Truck opened for Deep Purple on their last tour, so I’m surprised they are playing here,” said Braeden Dill, a first-year introduction to music industry arts student.
The Students’ Association held a contest prior to the event, in which students got a chance to have a VIP meet and greet session with Monster Truck and Yukon Blonde.
Andrew Martin, a first-year general arts and science student, was one of the winners. He thought that the experience of meeting the performers was great. Having met other bands in the past he thought the bands were “extremely down to Earth.”
“They both were awesome to meet,” said Martin. “It was awesome for them to approach us, not often I’ve had that happen.”
The opening band No Sinner played a small set to kick things off for the night. Singer Colleen Rennison’s stage presence and voice dominated the venue from start to finish.
Special guest band Yukon Blonde followed up with an equally impressive performance.
“I’m definitely looking forward to Yukon Blonde,” said Marc Pallascio, a first-year introduction to music industry arts student, before the concert. “I saw them at Folk Fest and they were great.”
Playing up to the energy set by No Sinner, the band had the crowd singing along to their songs Stairway and 1000 Years, which the audience demanded they play at one point.
All the bands put on a strong show for the fans, who were ecstatic about them being at The Ob sharing the stage.
“This was the concert of the year in my books,” said Zach Gauthier, one of the winners of the SA contest. “To have both Yukon Blonde and Monster Truck on the same stage is crazy, to confine them in The Observatory was insane.”