Metric "Glass Ceiling" from Live It Out Live at The Annex Madison, WI Apr 12, 2006 PODCAST EXCLUSIVE!

The first thing I noticed about this show: Metric's t-shirts, none of which were very eye-catching, were $25. The second thing: The opening band they'd brought along from Toronto, playing their first American show, was awful. The third thing: Metric really is a Big Band, and ought to be playing the kinds of venues where $25 t-shirts and lame openers that are friends with the headliners are the norm.

Their music may or may not be enough to make that happen in America, as it already has in Canada. They have a handful of transcendent tracks, but the album cuts like this one don't seem to be what the American pop audience is necessarily looking for. It'll be a delicate balance of songwriting for them to keep growing in the States, but as far as the live show goes, they start strong and stay strong.