USS live in Ottawa

Hidden Beats

We Are Story Tellers

It was a great weekend for the music and today we are Reviewing – USS live in Ottawa. This is the first time I’ve seen USS live and what a show it was. Algonquin Commons Theatre, which is practically my second home for shows, played host to back-to-back shows on the Final Freakquency tour. Sadly, this is also the farewell tour marking the end of a standout career. I forgot some of the amazing tracks these guys put out so getting to hear some of them live was awesome especially after coming off this last 2ish years barely getting any live music. I sure I can speak for most people live music is just a different feeling, the bass pounding, the energy of the crowd, it’s a different thing altogether.

Vissia

Opening the back-to-back nights for USS is Edmonton native Vissia with the full band along for the ride. Being described as a force to be reckoned with, Vissia peppers her music with outstanding storytelling along with a great tone and stage presence. This was the first time me seeing Vissia live and I can’t say I was disappointed. The band hit the stage and the crowd’s energy started to build as she took the stage. As a photographer, I’m always looking for a great shot and Vissia rocked an amazing, bedazzled jacket that just sparkled in the lights. Rocking out a 10-song setlist including tracks like The Cliffs and On My Mind, Vissia made sure to start the night off on the right note.

USS

Now on to our main event of the night – USS. Having no idea what seeing these guys live all I could do it get ready for the party. Hailing from Toronto the tag team of Ashley Buchholz and Jason “Human Kebab” Parsons have been absolutely killing it for years. Known for his energy, Jason started the night out on max and kept it going from start to finish jumping around and just pumping up the crowd. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ashley hurt himself with how hard he was rocking out that acoustic guitar. The guys make sure to leave it all on the stage every night using every part of their bodies while playing and the drummer making sure to keep the pace moving.

Jason not only jumped from one end of the stage to the other, but he also used his knees and even his face to spin the decks. He even did a handstand while clapping his feet together like hands as he is reaching up to mess with the decks more…. like a machine! The guys also took time to interact with the fans who might as say are some of the most dedicated. Ashley even went as far as dedicating a song to Live 88.5 DJ Noah which just shows their connection to the city. Rocking out some of the signature tracks like Work Shoes and Who’s With Me had the fans out of their seats dancing the whole time.

Closing thoughts

As a fan of music, it’s amazing to get to see these shows and do things like Reviewing – USS live in Ottawa. The guys have earned their accolades, to say the least, and I for one am stoked to get to see them live before they hung it up. I will always remember the fun I had seeing them. Vissia was a great new face and fun to see and as always, the crew at Algonquin is stellar and always makes for a great night.

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