One of my favorite Canadian bands is undoubtedly The Headstones, who played the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls, NY last Friday night. Due to vocalist Hugh Dillon’s demanding acting schedule, dates for Kingston, Ontario’s power punk band are few and far between.
Taking the stage at 10:30pm, the band cranked through 22 songs including a few new tracks, “One by One” And “Fuck It.” Dillon was in a mood all night as he tossed microphones, jumped in the audience a handful of times and even participated in crowd control when he directed a few security officers to toss a group of people out due to unruly behavior. Dillon was handling it all and then some. I haven’t seen such an unpredictable Dillon take the stage since the early to mid-1990’s when he was known at that time for substance abuse, and all bets were off as to what he would do then. Yes, the spitting onto the ceiling and watching it fall into the crowd or the throwing of lit cigarettes into the mosh pit seem to have fallen by the wayside. However, the spirit of rock and roll still exists within the band and is channeled through Dillon on each and every track. The band loves Buffalo, and thanked the fans back from the days they used to play the legendary Showplace Theater multiple times a year. While Dillon jammed on the harmonica for “Something Stands for Nothing,” you won’t find a more intense bass player than Tim White. He and drummer Dale Harrison were locked and loaded and provided a solid rhythm section for Dillon and guitarist Trent Carr to do their thing throughout the show.
The band proved they were on top of local happenings. Noting the town was a buzz for The Rolling Stones concert set for the following night, they decided to play a really cool version of “Sympathy for the Devil.” They also played one of my favorite covers, The Travelin’ Wilbury’s “Tweeter and the Monkey Man.” Even though the band is still riding the wave of their latest record, released in November of 2014, called “One in the Chamber Music,” they are currently working on new material to be released later this year or early 2016. If the new songs they played are any indication, expect another high energy record by The Headstones!
Setlist:
Binthiswayforyears
Mystery to Me
Losing Control
Change my Ways
Something Stands for Nothing
Tweeter and the Monkey Man (Traveling Wilburys cover)
One by One (new song)
Look Away
Long way to Neverland
Digits
Oh my God
Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones cover)
Three Angels
Unsound
Pinned You Down
Do That thing
Smile and Wave (Eve of Destruction snippet cover – Barry McGuire)
Fuck It (new song)
Cemetery
Encore:
Cubically Contained
Fuck You
Journey to the end of the East Bay (Rancid Cover)
We would like to thank Courtney Yuctman from Bernie Breen Management for the credentials to review the show.
