The following article was submitted by Nicole DeVita of It’s On The Brink:

This past Saturday, the 18th of September, we took to Rumsey Playfield in Central Park to see Broken Social Scene in what would be one of the final Summerstage shows of the summer.  The Canadian collection of all-star musicians have been around for ten years and counting, making it impossible to predict what songs from their immense catalog would be played. Fun!

The opening act, Chicago band The Sea and Cake, was lackluster.  Their calm, breezy tunes created a nice ambiance for a gorgeous summer evening, yet it was simply background music for the anxious crowd. Their last few songs were more of what I’d expect out of a Broken Social Scene opener, but these final tunes were still not enough to win the crowd over.

Just before 8pm, Broken Social Scene hit the stage. The sun had set, the lights dimmed, and the feature presentation began. Kevin Drew emphatically announced, “we’re here to play our guts out for you and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do. We’ve got two hours and we’re gonna play it right to the end for you, everyone.” They proceeded to make good on their promise 24 times over.

They serenaded the crowd with all their greats, spending an ample amount of the set playing their unspeakably good album Forgiveness Rock Record.  Though Broken Social Scene has an ever-changing lineup, their live show brilliantly conveyed their finest intricacies. “Fire Eye’d Boy” and “Chase Scene” were beyond intense, while “All to All” showcased the ghostlike echoes of Reverie Sound Revue’s Lisa Lobsinger.

For the later half of the show, Kevin Drew reiterated, “we’re not gonna stop, we’re just gonna go, we’re gonna plow through New York, we’re gonna plow through. we’re gonna play as many songs as we can from this point.” It wasn’t until we were specifically told, “this is our last song”, that we realized every song had the magnitude of a “final song”.  Just like the intensity of a fireworks finale, Broken Social Scene played every song as if they were leaving the stage for the final time.

This was a show offered up with love, gratitude and humility abound. Before walking off Summerstage, they offered a parting message. “We’re Broken Social Scene and we believe in every single one of you, thank you for everything, enjoy your lives, be good, be safe.”

Set List:

1. KC Accidental
2. Texico Bitches
3. 7/4 (Shoreline)
4. Fire Eye’d Boy
5. Forced to Love
6. All to All
7. Stars and Sons
8. Cause = Time
9. Sweetest Kill
10. Art House Director
11. Hotel
12. Romance to the Grave
13. Guilty Cubicles
14. Superconnected
15. World Sick
16. Lover’s Spit
17. Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl
18. Ungrateful Little Father
19. Meet Me In the Basement

Encore:

20. Looks Just Like the Sun
21. Water in Hell
22. Chase Scene
23. Pacific Theme
24. Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)