‘LONELY PEOPLE WITH POWER’ TOUR 2025

This Thursday evening, the Opera House in Toronto was packed to capacity for a sold-out show featuring three distinct bands, each offering their unique spin on their genre, drawing a massive crowd for an unforgettable night of metal.

TRAUMA RAY

Arriving at the venue, Trauma Ray was halfway through the set, even though online sources and the confirmation email had a start time of 8 pm. Unfortunately, an uncommunicated decision at the last minute pushed the show forward by half an hour. I wanted more from what little of this band I heard. The guys brought a huge sound and depth to their performance that I’m sure, with more time and more touring, will unlock new gigs, avenues, and bigger venues for the band to play in. Next time they come to Toronto, I will drop everything to see them to make up for this timing mishap.

Setlist
‘Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind (George Strait song – intro)’, ‘Nühevan (w/ Liftoff Intro)’, ‘Bishop’, ‘Bardo’, ‘Chameleon’, ‘Breath’, ‘Träumerei’, ‘Tubthumping (Chumbawamba song)’

GATECREEPER

Gatecreeper has always stood out to me, and this performance proved why. Their brand of death metal hits with both precision and personality—every member was locked in, delivering each track with ruthless finesse. Frontman Chase commanded the crowd like a drill sergeant, barking into the mic, “HEADBANGERS TO THE FRONT,” the pit responded accordingly.

The setlist leaned heavily on 2024’s Dark Superstition but pulled from across their discography, delivering a relentless barrage of headbanging riffs with no weak spots or slowdowns. Chase’s repeated calls to the barricade kept the momentum surging as the floor filled. Ending with ‘Flamethrower’—the very song that first hooked me—was a perfect, full-circle moment.

And the cherry on top? They closed the show with the ‘GTA: San Andreas mission passed’ sound effect. It was unexpected, hilarious, and genuinely brilliant. After all these years, Gatecreeper still knows precisely how to hit that craving for heavy… they don’t just play, they deliver!

Setlist
‘A Chilling Aura’, ‘Caught In The Treads’, ‘Dead Star’, ‘Ruthless’, ‘The Black Curtain’, ‘Patriarchal Grip’, ‘From The Ashes’, ‘Rusted Gold’, ‘Mistaken For Dead’, ‘Flesh Habit’, ‘Starved’, ‘Sick Of Being Sober’, ‘Flamethrower’

DEAFHEAVEN

After years of bad timing, I finally caught Deafheaven live—and it was everything I’d hoped for. Seeing them at Toronto’s packed-to-the-edges Opera House, the crowd erupted from the first note of ‘Incidental I’, especially after those gospel-like spoken words rang out. The band met that energy with sheer, relentless movement; honestly, even a stage 3x the size wouldn’t have contained them.

This tour is in support of their March 2025 release Lonely People With Power, with most of the album played in order, though not in full. They mixed a few older tracks to break things up and give the set a second wind. The new material, already one of the year’s strongest releases, was executed flawlessly. Both guitarists and the bassist locked in as a unit, trading spots at the front of the stage and hammering out the album’s melodies with style.

Their nearly 90-minute set consumed the room. By the end, everyone—band to audience—was drenched in sweat, fully absorbed in the moment.

Setlist
‘Incidental I’, ‘Doberman’, ‘Magnolia’, ‘Brought To The Water’, ‘Sunbather’, ‘The Garden Route’, ‘Heathen’, ‘Amethyst’, ‘Incidental II’, ‘Revelator’, ‘Dream House’, ‘Winona’