Sunny Day Real Estate Hit The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto [Photos]

Since the reunion of Sunny Day Real Estate in 2022, they have been actively touring, and 2025 is no exception. In March 2025, they announced their 2025 tour taking place in America, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It kicked off with shows in Montreal and Toronto.

Toronto’s show was opened up by Ohio group Cloud Nothings, who delivered a loud and fast set. At the beginning of their set, I could feel inspiration from Sunny Day Real Estate. But that thought quickly changed once they kicked into the second song, delivering a noise rock and psychedelic-fused sound that had me mesmerized.

Cloud Nothings make themselves heard; there may only be one guitar on stage, but the pedal work from the guitarist makes it sound like two or three. The drummer also makes himself seen. I have never seen a drummer move so quickly and with such a simple kit, but everything he played fit the mood of the songs.

Cloud Nothings played a great set to help open, although it was on the shorter side, with how fast the drummer plays, it’s understandable. Half an hour after they finished, Sunny Day Real Estate took the stage.

Sunny Day Real Estate kicked off by playing one song from each of their albums. They began with “Friday” from their album LP2, followed by “Seven” from Diary, then “One” from The Rising Tide, and “It Feels To Be Something” from the album of the same name. After these four songs, Sunny Day Real Estate let the crowd know that they would be playing songs from all of their records, a shift from their 2024 tour, where they celebrated Diary and played most of the record.

One thing that you can’t ignore about Sunny Day Real Estate is their guitar work. Having three guitarists on stage will always create a strong sound, but there’s something about hearing the wall of guitars in person that makes it sound so much better than the record.

One of my favourite moments of the show was during “The Blanket Were The Stairs,” which is a personal favourite. In the intro, frontman Jeremy Enigk perfectly played the guitar feedback while guitarist Dan Hoerner came in during the feedback playing the intro riff. It was a sign of great guitar and pedal work, and hearing it in person was powerful.

Later in the setlist, Sunny Day Real Estate played “Disappear,” a song that hadn’t been played before the 2025 tour since 2000. This wasn’t a song that many expected to be on the setlist, but it was received well by the crowd.

As the band ran through the setlist, playing hits from all their albums, people were eager to hear their biggest hit, “In Circles.” But before that, they played their first song recorded since the reunion, titled “Novum Vetus,” which was released in 2024 as a bonus track for the re-recording of Diary.

With two songs remaining, the band made sure to waste no time. Kicking off into In Circles with a simple “Sing this one with us” from Hoerner, causing the crowd to erupt as cameras were raised in the air. After finishing In Circles, Enigk decided it was time to introduce the band before announcing it was their last song, ending the night with “Days Were Golden.”

Experiencing Sunny Day Real Estate live is a must-see for all fans of music. Luckily, they are just getting started on their 2025 tour, giving fans plenty of opportunities to see them live!

Sunny Day Real Estate @ The Danforth Music Hall (Toronto, ON) on May 29th, 2025

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