With the world turned grey from snow and a cloudy sky, heading to Toronto on Tuesday felt like a chore. But once I walked through Union Station and absorbed the get-up-and-go vibe of the crowd, so rarely found in Ottawa, I was energized.
My trip to the dentist was rough, even though my last visit was only 3 months back. It boded ill for the state of my teeth despite my diligence. Afterwards, I inhaled a chicken roti ($16.95) at Pam's Roti. Odd that I could eat a dinner twice the size of my typical meal in Ottawa. I was happy that the long-time employee got her 2nd eye surgery. With the lunch special listed at $9.99, even the cheap meal here has crossed the $10 threshold. Its phenomenal price of $5.99 was a distant memory.
At The Drake Underground, a couple of American bands were playing a show. Both channelled a modern emo feel (or at least sad indie) fed through fuzzy distortion with a twangy drawl. Villagerrr came from Ohio even though they had a Canadian member. But she was laid up at the AirBnB with an illness. Their slow numbers were lightly propelled along by a touch of steel pedal guitar or a quiet riff. Teethe from Texas maintained the languid vibe but amped up the noisy palette. Their contingent of fans right up against the stage might have ringing ears the next day.
Given the rental cost in Toronto and the $35 ticket, I wonder if any young folks can afford the $35 vinyls and $40 tees. But I didn't stay for merch and left about a third of the way into Teethe's set. Unlike the show thwarted by poor Ottawa transit, I was able to go to a concert, saw most of it, and headed home on a single bus ticket (with its 2 hour validity window) in Toronto.
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