{"id":13026,"date":"2010-08-05T15:37:01","date_gmt":"2010-08-05T19:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/?p=13026"},"modified":"2013-01-21T15:14:10","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T20:14:10","slug":"metric-shuts-down-front-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2010\/08\/05\/metric-shuts-down-front-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Metric shuts down Front Street"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On Wednesday night, Samsung Mobile presented a free Metric concert in front of Union Station on front Street that was intended to be kept secret, and therefore was expected to be slightly low-profile. It became the worst kept secret of the summer as media outlets across the city were able to interpret their less-than-subtle clues of who it was going to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder who this band is going to be? Is it The Beatles or could it be the Rolling Stones?\u201d was one clue, and lyrics from Metric\u2019s song titled Gimme Sympathy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Toronto Star was one of the first to publish the news<\/a> on Tuesday night and throughout the day on Wednesday, CP24 routinely announced the whereabouts and details of the show, not to mention a full page ad taken out in Metro announcing the free concert.<\/p>\n

When I arrived at 6:15, the cordoned off area in front of Union Station was already full. By the time my friend showed up at 6:30 we decided we\u2019d get a better view from the sidewalk at the side of the stage. Despite the best efforts to keep the sidewalk clear, people were crowding in as close as they could get. By 6:45 Front St. was closed in both directions due to people filling the street, sidewalks and boulevards for a better vantage point. From Bay to York, Front street filled with thousands of fans, curious business people on their way home from work and passersby who were surprised to find such a large crowd.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Free concerts that shut down city streets are nothing new to Toronto. In 2001, R.E.M shut down Yonge Street<\/a> from Dundas to Shuter to play a 75-minute set for a crowd of devoted fans standing in the rain.<\/p>\n

Personally, crowds of any size on city streets now remind me of the G20, and I wasn\u2019t alone in this feeling. Twitter buzzed with jokes of people who may get arrested \u201cG20-style,\u201d<\/a> but despite the police horses and set-up barricades, it remained a happy atmosphere \u2014 except for drivers and cabs and those trying to catch a train home. But yesterday during evening rush-hour, they were the minority.<\/p>\n

The show only lasted about 40 minutes, and afterward it took 30 minutes to open the street to traffic again, but the garbage and crowds milling around remained. A concert on it’s own has a certain level of excitement, of comradeship, but when it’s held in a public space on city streets the whole feeling will remain nostalgic for attendees as a great way to celebrate their city.<\/p>\n

While everyone loves the feeling of walking in the middle of what’s usually a bustling downtown city street, the City is looking into make the same stretch on Front from Bay to York more pedestrian friendly<\/a>, but are still in the research phases.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday night, Samsung Mobile presented a free Metric concert in front of Union Station on front Street that was intended to be kept secret, and therefore was expected to be slightly low-profile. 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