Metric absolutely lit up Motown last night with a two-hour set at the historic Fillmore Theater in Downtown Detroit. The foursome (Emily Haines, Jimmy Shaw, Joules Scott-Key, and Joshua Winstead) from Toronto was in total command of the city and did not disappoint the packed house with a blistering performance. Toss in a great opening act, a fabulous venue, a heartfelt chat with the crowd by Emily about how much Michigan means to her and her family, and a lovely acoustic rendition of “Gimme Sympathy” at the conclusion of their encore, and you had a superior show.

Emily Haines took control of the stage and was simply mesmerizing in her energetic presence – switching effortlessly from singing to keyboards back to handheld microphone to tambourine to electric guitar at the drop of a hat. Gotta say she has more stage persona than Steven Tyler, who I have seen perform four times – perhaps its those amazing legs of hers that had this single guy spellbound (sorry about the non-PC comment).

But it wasn’t just me, the entire audience was rocking the house – I have never seen so many people dancing, hopping, and bouncing to song after song on the main floor, in the mezzanine, or the balcony. Everyone there was appearing to have a great time.

The light show was captivating and just blew me away – much better than Radiohead’s light show at the Palace and added a unique wrinkle. – when the band left the stage, a huge countdown clock appeared. A the moment it reached zero, they were stoking up the music once again in a superb encore. Favorite songs from last night (so many):

“Gimme Sympathy” (acoustic performance at the close of the show).

“Gold, Guns, Girls” (amazing Jimmy Shaw solo)

“Youth Without Youth”

“Dead Disco”

“Absolute Nocture” (opened the show)

“Empty”

“Help, I’m Alive”

“Clone”

“Breathing Underwater”

The opening act, Half Moon Run (from Montreal) was also excellent with their bluesy rock and terrific guitar and drum work.

If you have the opportunity – go see Metric – they are absolutely electric on stage and will get the joint (as well as you) jumping.