The Starting Line Remind Toronto Why They're the Blueprint – Live at History

TOP8 Scene

2 days ago

3 min read

Photos: Luis Quiroz, Daniella.psd

October 28, 2026 – Almost nineteen years later, The Starting Line graced Toronto with a thoughtfully curated set full of no-skips and a few special surprises.

If you know The Starting Line, you know that their catalogue speaks to their longevity. Their discography highlights their ability to evolve without straying from the path, getting better and better as the albums roll out.

We like to call them your fave band’s fave band, AKA the blueprint (scroll through a lot of our TOP8 segments, and you’ll see them mentioned one way or another), and on October 28, 2026, that was proven. The Starting Line took on History alongside Ultra Q in support of The Story So Far, and the concert-goers we ran into, many of them being musicians themselves, made a point to show up to support TSL’s first show back in the city. Safe to say that the show was completely sold out; the venue was packed to the brim and the energy of the crowd was vibrating with excitement.

The Toronto scene really came through for this tour. With the momentum building and the opening band, Ultra Q, killing it, The Starting Line then unexpectedly hit the stage with a fan favourite, ‘Surprise, Surprise’. Let us tell you, the crowd was LOUD the second they stepped on that stage, and for good reason. We had heard a few people around the venue talk about how they had been waiting forever for this, even one person who said she'd seen the band “back when [frontman] Kenny had bleach blonde hair,” so this appearance was a huge moment for many Torontonian TSL listeners, and that first note was immediately worth the wait.

The 11-song setlist was nostalgia-fuelled, with a few songs being pulled from what a lot of people call the perfect pop-punk album Say It Like You Mean It. The biggest surprise off of that record? ‘Saddest Girl Story’, giving the crowd an instant excuse to go completely airborne. The band added in face-melting tracks from their latest album, Eternal Youth, including ‘I See How It Is’, ‘Curveball’, ‘Circulate ’, and one of our absolute favourites off of the album, ‘Benchmark’, giving the audience a feel of the rawness that the project exudes in addition to the singles. They even threw in a song for the “direction heads,” as frontman Kenny Vasoli likes to call them, playing ‘21’, off of their extremely underrated body of work Direction. The set ended with ‘Left Coast Envy’ and ‘Leaving’, and you already know the pit went crazy for those classic bangers.

Our take? The no-skip selection kept the energy up and created the perfect vibe before The Story So Far wrapped up the night. We didn’t know what to expect setlist-wise since they’ve been switching it up night after night, but the one thing we're sure of is that they nailed the art of curating a setlist, throwing in tracks for fans of every era and showcasing the tunes that (in our opinion) everyone needs to be introduced to when it comes to their new stuff.

We’ve kept up with the TSL tidbits throughout the years, but let’s face it, their absence was lengthy. Over a year later, we’re continuing to ride the fully realized reunion wave full force. You gotta do what you gotta do with a band as epic as TSL, and with their latest album Eternal Youth being their heaviest and best yet, you know we’re always here to support the tunes. Clearly we aren't the only ones. 19 years without a show in the city, and the listeners have proved that The Starting Line will always hold a huge place in the scene.