One Night, Three Bands, and a Sunday to Remember: The Band CAMINO at History in Toronto
Written and Captured By | Zach Hood
On a Sunday night in downtown Toronto; ironically enough one of the opening acts was called Almost Monday, however the atmosphere inside History, as a venue, felt like the beginning of a long weekend. You know the kind of night that makes you forget what tomorrow will be? That was this night.
The night opened with In Color and their calm vocals, they drew the crowd in quietly and easily. They sounded pure, unhurried, sincere, the kind of music that stops conversations dead in their tracks so you can listen. The vocals were also amazing, rich sounding without being overly dramatic, their songwriting had that special quality of being simple yet memorable. About midway through their performance, they went into an acoustic setup for their song “Lighter”, they dimmed the lights and the front man traded his electric guitar for an acoustic and the entire crowd swayed together in hushed unison. This gave the whole moment a warm and personal vibe, and it was wholesome to see family members yelling from the crowd between songs.
See more photos of Almost Monday HERE
Next up was Almost Monday, and the mood shifted dramatically. The San Diego trio is obviously designed for large stages and they showcased that right away with their alt-pop/surf-rock grooves and got the crowd moving almost immediately. The lead singer may have broken the world record for most movement during a set but made it so effortless he barely broke a sweat, constantly spinning, sprinting and leaping into every beat. At one point he even busted out some karate-style moves mid-song, and finished them with a perfectly-timed jumping roundhouse kick to the drums. It was wild, funny, and somehow perfectly in sync. You could literally feel the happiness coming from the stage, that authentic “Can’t believe we get to do this” energy that makes live music so addictive.
When The Band CAMINO finally took the stage, the anticipation in the room was electric but controlled, that sense of anticipation that is just beneath the surface until the first note is played. When the first note was hit, the floor erupted. Based out of Nashville, but originally from Memphis, the band has developed a reputation for creating songs that exist between heartbreak and euphoria, and experiencing those songs live explains exactly how they’ve done that. The band played all of their fan favourites, I Think I Like You, What Am I, 1 Last Cigarette, Know It All and every single one of them felt like an anthem.
About halfway through the set, the band slowed things down and brought the crowd closer in. The lights were lowered and the band sat down next to each other and they performed a string of stripped-down acoustic songs that made History feel like a living room. Next came the curveball, an acoustic rendition of Justin Bieber’s “Daisies”. It was a complete surprise, heartfelt and somehow fit seamlessly into their set list. For a few minutes the chaos dissipated and all you could hear was the crowd singing softly with the band. Jeffrey Jordan traded off between keyboards and guitar, keeping every song grounded and precise, while Spencer Stewart used the stage as his own playground, jumping, screaming, grinning from ear to ear like he was having the time of his life. There’s a great balance between the two, one is methodical, one is wild, but they’re both connected. It seemed like the band fed off of the crowd’s reaction to every song.
The Band CAMINO didn’t just come to Toronto, they reminded us all why live music affects us the way it does. It wasn’t just the sound or the lights or the perfect Sunday irony, it was the experience of being a part of something that only exists for a few hours and can never be replicated again.
