Ave Maria

On Wednesday, I headed to The Velvet Underground for L.A. outfit The Marías. With all-day classes, I was too tired to come early for the opener Paul Cherry. I arrived to a packed house but I was able to sneak to the side and got a reasonable good view of the stage. At every concert lately, I am reminded how old I am now when looking at the young crowd.

I didn't know what to expect from the band; I attended on the strength of their 90s emo cover of Baby One More Time that came across my Youtube feed. I was pleasantly surprised by the Lana Del Rey (I know I've been using that reference lately) meets chill 70s soul. It never fails to surprise me how inclusive a crowd becomes compared to the usual show when there is a person of color front and centre. With the eponymous latinx singer commanding the stage, the Velvet tonight reflected the real ethnic diversity of Toronto. If she brought the quiet intensity, co-founder and drummer Josh Conway was all laid-back fun, even leading the crowd in a dance routine.

Near the end, I was once again reminded of my age when I had a small back spasm from dancing, and I was just making small movements. Hmm, no matter how much fun tonight has been, maybe sitting quietly in a lawn chair at an outdoor show is more my speed now.