Show Review - Neal Francis 9/20/22

Earlier this week, I had the awesome opportunity to finally catch Neal Francis live as he stopped in Toronto as part of Marcus King’s Young Blood tour.

Taking place at HISTORY, a new venue opened by Drake, the show was a high-energy affair that left many in the audience astounded and eager for more.

Neal took the stage for a 45-minute opening set just before 8 o’clock and opened with Alameda Apartments, a feel-good and energetic rocker to get the crowd going. As Neal pounded away at his Yamaha CP-70 piano, the crystal-clear notes reverberated around the inside of the venue, displaying its great acoustics.

Problems came next, beginning a run of songs where the band would stretch its legs a little bit more with each successive play. The standout jam of the night came in the extended Prometheus, featuring Neal on some phenomenal whammy-bar clavinet and deep synth playing.

Changes (Parts 1 and 2) and Sentimental Garbage continued the strong set before singalong Can’t Stop The Rain closed out on an absolute high note.

The main performance on Tuesday night, Marcus King, was an absolute fireball of a set – incredibly loud guitar and blues for over two hours, melting faces of all in the packed venue. His band features a unique duo that pulls double duty on percussion and horns, blowing minds with their musical fluidity and aggressive playing style.

Those in attendance who were hearing Neal for the first time were absolutely blown away by the tightness of the band and incredible songwriting, no doubt eagerly awaiting his next headlining stop in Toronto (please come back soon!).