Toronto’s own the Beaches play a huge, glorious homecoming gig at Budweiser Stage

There has always been a heightened sense of excitement whenever a concert takes place during the Canadian National Exhibition. Maybe it’s the overflow of gawkers wondering where the additional noise is coming from, or all the sugar crystals in the air, courtesy of Tiny Tom Donuts.
Toronto-bred group the Beaches aren’t just the latest candidates in what has been an extremely long line of mixing music with an end-of-summer, carnivalesque atmosphere. Their Aug. 22 show at CNE-adjacent Budweiser Stage, with openers Dizzy and Valley, felt triumphant and nearly historic, a celebration of four women who fans have literally watched grow up from girls who were “Done with Dolls” (the Beaches’ first band name) into a unit ready to face head-on whatever situation comes next. Or at least write a catchy-as-hell banger about it.
Before a near-capacity crowd of 16,000, guitarist-keyboardist Leandra Earl pointed out the abundance of family members in attendance. This was a homecoming in the truest sense of the word, as the Beaches have been on tour for the better part of the past year since independently releasing their latest album, the Juno-winning “Blame My Ex.” All 10 of its tracks were performed live, almost as if the band were soliciting votes for September’s Polaris Music Prize, which I think they have a serious chance of winning given the songs’ quality in the face of the struggles the band have endured.
Even with lyrics tackling themes of depression and paranoia, the 19-song set was all sorts of festive, with Kylie Miller constantly running across the stage in her shimmering miniskirt, trying to wave to everyone she knew while never missing a guitar lick. Sister Jordan Miller, the Beaches’ raspy lead singer and bassist, didn’t waste any time stripping off her jacket, later drinking a beer out of a Beaches koozie. Earl sang lead at one point (while crowd-surfing), and then brought up an ex-girlfriend who also crowd-surfed. Drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel appeared to be back in fine form, as this was her first show since a wrist injury forced the band to borrow Valley’s Karah James for a few weeks.
For all the Beaches’ antics, audience members were united in rock that seems tailor-made for those who want something louder than today’s typical pop fare.
Given the specialness of the occasion, the Beaches debuted a brand-new song, “Jocelyn,” named after a fan, which fit well into the vibe they’ve been crafting for more than a decade. Sending everyone home surprised and happy with a rockin’ cover of Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” was icing on the funnel cake. I didn’t think they could possibly top the reaction their viral hit, “Blame Brett,” got prior to the encore. I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard an audience scream back a chorus so loudly.
The Beaches don’t actually have much time to bask in the glow of their biggest headlining party. They are in England this weekend to play the Reading and Leeds festivals and win over fans on another continent. Even if they only give them a taste of what Toronto got, it shouldn’t take this ambitious band long to accomplish another goal.