Our Lady Peace Celebrate 30 Years Of Music in Laval, QC with Collective Soul [Photos]

“Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day.” Those famous words from The Mamas & The Papas still hold true all these years later. While I think that it is a universal fact that nobody likes Monday, the day does become a little easier to endure with the promise of a killer rock show to come. It was that very belief that helped several thousand people get through the Monday Blahs before making their way to Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, to catch a performance by legendary Canadian rockers Our Lady Peace. Celebrating their 30th anniversary, there is one of those big numbers again, Our Lady Peace have been crossing Canada to give their loyal fans a show full of their greatest hits, hidden gems and the kind of good time that we all need these days.

Along for the ride is Collective Soul, another of those great rock bands that seemed to disappear from the radar for a little while, but I was more than happy to see them come to town. Their rock albums were a beacon of light in a mid-’90s landscape that seemed to have been taken over by boy bands and pop acts. Their music is just as great today as it was all those years ago. The band hit the stage as a unit before singer Ed Roland joined them in a flamboyant outfit that immediately made him stand out from the denim of his bandmates. All eyes were on him as he danced about the stage and also pulled out some martial arts movements. His voice is still as distinct and powerful as I remembered.

“Shine” was met with a massive response, and the guitar intro to “Gel” brought me right back to listening to their tape in my car. They released a new album last year, Here to Eternity and opened their set with the hit single from that album, “Mother’s Love.” Another great song to add to a catalogue overflowing with rock goodness. It was great to be reunited with them after all these years.

Before hitting the stage, we were treated to a video retrospective of Our Lady Peace. From humble beginnings to becoming worldwide superstars, it was nice to go back in time to see the band and their evolution. The band then hit the stage and opened with possibly their biggest hit, “Superman’s Dead.” Most bands save their big hits for later in the set, but opening with “Superman’s Dead” got an already excited crowd even more pumped up. They followed that up with the one-two punch of “One Man Army” and “Naveed,” letting the audience know that this was going to be a night they were not going to forget. Our Lady Peace opened with their big guns firing and never looked back.

As part of their 30th anniversary celebrations, Our Lady Peace has released a series of EPs. OLP 30 Vol. One, Two & Three highlight all of the greatest hits while giving their loyal fans some new songs mixed in as well. This tour began in February and is about to come to an end, but there are still a few more anniversary shows scheduled to take place before the year comes to an end. When it’s all said and done, Superman may be dead, but Our Lady Peace is still out there rocking as hard as ever.

Our Lady Peace (w/ Collective Soul) @ Place Bel (Montreal, QC) on March 10, 2025

27 photos