Fresh off the release of his third album, INTERTIA, Canadian rocker grandson played through both old bangers and new tracks at a hometown pop-up show in Toronto on September 11th. This marks this first album as an independent artist, and third to date.
Although there was no entrance fee, fans were encouraged to donate to The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Despite the surprise announcement, the line wrapped against the sidewalk and down the street, buzzing with anticipation for the night ahead.
This was a true grandson show: an eager crowd of all ages (well, over the venue’s 19+ rule) and walks of life. Despite INTERTIA only having been out just shy of a week, it may as well have been full of fan favourite classics. This crowd had no issues at all singing, screaming, and shouting the words back as if they’d had the album on repeat for years, while grandson and the band commanded the stage from beginning to end. Kicking the night off with “BURY YOU”, it set the tone for the night, sending the energy through the roof. Other standout fan favourite tracks from INERTIA were “SELF-IMMOLATION” and “YOU MADE ME THIS WAY”, within a few songs, fans had opened up the pit and were thrashing it out together.
Grandson has proven that he doesn’t just captivate a crowd, whether it be a warehouse pop-up like tonight or a festival set. He becomes a part of it and isn’t afraid to do so, whether it be walking through the crowd to the stage before opening up the night with , or wrapping the show jumping into the crowd with his classic “Blood//Water” as a finisher.
It was clear that grandson is an artist who connects with his audience, and is absolutely here to stay. He has never shied away from speaking up against injustices in the world, and in doing so, inspires his audience to do the same. This fearless pursuit is prevalent in his music, among collaborators such as Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for him in his new journey as an independent artist.
If you’re not listening already, grandson will make sure that you hear him — and have an unforgettable, head banging time doing so.
Feeling inspired? You can catch grandson on tour this fall, and experience it for yourself.
What are your favourite tracks off INTERTIA? Let us know what you think on our CelebMix socials!