Toronto Rib & Beer Fest

The Spiral Theory will be performing tributes to these icons who were on top of the world during the 80s and 90s, ushering in a new era of guitar-oriented rock with a conscience. Their sets for the evening will also include some classic Canadian covers (Rush, The Tragically Hip, Bryan Adams, etc.) along with covers that are equally energetic and crowd-pleasing from other influential rockers who followed (The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, The Black Keys, etc.).

THE PIONEERS OF MODERN ROCK!

In 1983, The Police is selling out stadiums across North America as the world’s most popular rock band. Their opening act, on their first national tour, is barely known as R.E.M. In 1985, U2 plays the Longest Day festival in Milton Keynes, England with R.E.M. on the same bill. Bono later stated meeting Michael Stipe on that day, and their ensuing friendship was “one of the most important moments of my life.“ On the final show of the 1986 Amnesty National Tour at Giants Stadium in New York, The Police symbolically take their instruments off during “Invisible Sun” and pass them over to U2, who then finish the song before starting their own set. The torch is officially passed. By 1991, with the releases of “Achtung Baby” and “Out of Time”, U2 and R.E.M. have become “the most important rock bands of a generation, setting a new standard for how arena rock concerts could feel and how they could communicate” – The Chicago Tribune.