Metric turns Fantasies into reality for the lucky few at Chicago’s sold-out show

June 14, 2009, at the Metro

By Selena Fragassi
Published: June 17th, 2009 | 2:00am

“This is our national anthem,” singer/synthesist Emily Haines declared, as she tried to interpret the citizenry of her half-American, half-Canadian band, Metric, before leading the quartet into a solid version of “Stadium Love,” the last song before the noticeably mellowed-out encore. “It’s an ode to the complete fuckdown of the planet. All those generations who didn’t think about the water and air and those of us who would be here after. You don’t need to tell us things are fucked — we know!” As she realized the gravity of her statement that weighed heavily on the dance-happy crowd who had just relished in the beauty of the near-perfect ten songs before it, she quickly joked, “And this was supposed to be our optimistic record!”

If not a positive record, judging by the themes of world disrepair, the obliteration of the music industry, and a paranoid fear of being insignificant, Metric’s long-awaited Fantasies (Metric Music International) at least received a positive reaction from the eager crowd at this sold-out show whose catcalls and mesmerized glares gave further weight to the seam-busting festival sound the band hunted after. In the ten-plus years the band (completed by guitarist Jimmy Shaw, bassist Josh Winstead, and drummer Joules Scott-Key) has been together, they’ve grown considerably in recognition — especially on their latest effort that dares to be the most accessible yet, with radiating electro anthems that have matured into an admirable sound akin to pop music’s cooler, older sister.

From the attractive vulnerability of “Help, I’m Alive,” to the guilty sweetness of “Gimme Sympathy, ” Haines banked on a subtle sexual appeal that disguised itself behind the mask of come hither vocals that coerced unlikely suspects into submission. As Haines clapped her hands, everyone from front to back, side to side, followed. On the strobe-heavy “Empty,” when she sang, “Shake your head, it’s empty / Shake your hips, move your feet,” not one dared to disobey.

Haines undeniably has leading lady charm, and it’s likely because your eyes can never stop following her. Dressed in a white tank with ripped jeans and ankle boots, it was a far cry from her more showy outfits and better equipped her to be able to zip from one side of the stage to the other, dance to the syncopated beats she simultaneously played on her double synth set, and literally cardio box her way through the set in the most entertaining workout since Carmen Electra’s Striptease videos.

Although Haines declared, “And all we get is / Dead disco / Dead funk / Dead rocknroll” on “Dead Disco,” all three were fully alive in this show, as the band harmoniously blended the rhythms of new tracks and old favorites. By the time the encore arrived, and Haines introduced the ever-popular “Live it Out” as “Metric’s Freebird song,” she was lying on the ground, speaking one-on-one with the mass of people before her. “Sometimes I think it scares you when I look you in the eye, but I see you,” she said. “We have so much in common. You know, people you put on a pedestal are like you. People like Kim Gordon who is totally genuine and not a big drug addict. She’s my hero. And not because she makes me want to be like Kim Gordon, but because she makes me want to be like Emily Haines.” After this show, there will be many who will want to be like Emily Haines, too.

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For more photos from this show visit Venus Zine’s Flickr page

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