The Strathmore, where Canadian synth-rockers Metric played on Friday, is perhaps best known as a classical music venue since it’s home of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Seemingly taking a cue from classical performances, Metric’s songs, with few exceptions, sounded exactly as they do on their records. There was also very little audience interaction, and most folks in attendance could have guessed the set list (likely in order) before the show even started. Not a winning formula for a rock show.

This is not to say the show wasn’t enjoyable; it just got off to a prolonged slow start that saw the initially standing and screaming crowd settling into their seats. It didn’t help that three large racks of extremely bright spotlights repeatedly blinded the audience throughout the evening, beginning with the show’s opener, “Artificial Nocturne.” “I’m just as fucked up as they say,” sings vocalist Emily Haines in the first line of the song, the leadoff track to their recent album Synthetica. She may seem that way on record, but in concert Haines seems less fucked up and more like an Olivia Newton John impersonator, crisscrossing the stage with a run/dance move straight out of an 80s workout video that was on display all night, even as she played her keyboards.