Matt Mays, November 19 2019
Saturday night, November 9, 2019
If you weren’t familiar with Matt Mays before this show, by the end of the night you’d have a pretty good idea why his live reputation keeps building. On a crisp November evening at Centre in the Square, Mays delivered a performance that shifted effortlessly between intimate storytelling and full-throttle rock and had most of the sold-out house on its feet before long.
The show opened quietly, with Mays alone at the piano playing “Howl at the Night”, setting a reflective, almost theatrical tone. From there, he welcomed one band member at a time onstage, building the sound layer by layer until his full eight-piece ensemble was assembled. It was a smart creative choice rather than just kick straight into high-energy rock, the audience got drawn into something that felt like a journey.
That growing energy was one of the night’s highlights. What began with stripped-down acoustic vibes soon gave way to bigger, more electrified arrangements. Once the full band locked in, the crowd stood, clapped, and danced along as the songs intensified. Whether it was familiar favourites or deeper cuts, each number had its moment and the audience reacted.
One thing that stood out was how much fun Mays and the band clearly looked like they were having. There was no sense of routine; instead, you got the feeling of musicians genuinely feeding off the energy of each other and the crowd. That kind of vibe is infectious and it turned Centre in the Square into a communal rock experience rather than just another stop on the tour.
By the show’s second half, the tempo had amped up significantly. People were up, moving and cheering there was no sitting back in the comfortable seats for long. The transition from introspective beginnings to full-on rock crescendo made for a memorable arc that kept fans engaged from start to finish.
In the end, even for someone who “knew very little” about him before the night, it was one of those shows that’s hard to forget. With its dynamic pacing, spirited performance, and that slow-burn build-up to a big, loud finish, Matt Mays at Centre in the Square delivered an epic rock night that many in the crowd were still talking about afterward.
