Imagine being an artist who released an 8-track EP in 2002, which included a trio of beloved singles, of which two garnered the interest of a major record label. In less than a year, you release a debut album that takes the nation by storm, and you’re soon travelling coast to coast playing a collection of songs that would quickly become rock radio staples in the decades to follow. Fast-forward a couple of years, and it’s time to hit the studio for your follow-up. At the height of your success, it would be easy to find a local spot to record. However, you convince your label that you need to escape your newly acquired fame to record that sophomore album, and the only place that could accommodate this would be Australia. It sounds almost too good to be true, but this is exactly what happened to a Montreal singer-songwriter, Sam Roberts, and out of that Australian adventure was born Chemical City. The psychedelic concept album faced an uphill battle, having to follow in the shadow of Roberts’ smash debut, We Were Born in a Flame.
The thing with that Australian adventure was that Sam Roberts was empty-handed, having not written or recorded anything for that second record, but from pressure comes diamonds, and the band proceeded to hole up in a 19th-century church house to get to work on what would eventually become Chemical City. That period included mornings at the beach catching a few waves, before heading back. Friend of the band (and local favourite) Matt Mays even swung by to hang out during this time. Ultimately, the risky gamble paid off, the album was released in 2006, and it included cuts such as “Bridge to Nowhere” and “The Gate”. While not as immediately accessible upon its initial release, Chemical City did eventually find its audience, and 20 years later, it feels like a natural progression for a singer who was pushing the envelope as much as Roberts, seeing what his fame would grant him.
Now, in 2026, having established himself as a force in the Canadian music industry, Sam Roberts is taking the time to revisit this sophomore album on its 20th anniversary, and has staged a brief tour that would see the Sam Roberts Band stop in 5 cities across the country to celebrate Chemical City. The first of the five nights was a little more than a week ago here in Halifax at the Light House Arts Centre. These shows would shine the spotlight squarely on the Sam Roberts Band; there would be no opening act, simply two sets, one where Chemical City is played in full, and a second set of gems that Roberts has amassed over the years.
The opening chords of “The Gate” quickly remind you how much of a rock star Sam Roberts actually is. Now in his early 50s, he’s a road-worn, seasoned pro who can accept and reciprocate the love that his fans have shown him over the years, and you can sense that mutual admiration in the performance. This wasn’t one of those paint-by-numbers shows where a band will simply go through the motions for a paycheque; instead, it was a genuine, heartfelt performance of songs that may be born out of a ruse, but have aged incredibly well and now stand alongside some of the massive cuts from We Were Born in a Flame instead of in their looming shadow. When that first set reached “Uprising Down Under”, the solo that ebbed and flowed for an extended period took hold and carried the Halifax crowd along like a gentle wave; it was intoxicating. Toward the end of the set, Sam Roberts’ bandmates exited the stage as the final notes of “The Resistance” faded away. Sam Roberts remained and settled in behind a keyboard, explaining that “A Stone Would Cry Out” has never been performed for other humans. He went on to explain that in preparation for these shows, he had been growing his hair out to recapture the essence of the early Chemical City years. The performance was delicate and mesmerizing, holding the crowd rapt, before concluding the opening set.
While Sam did leave the stage for a moment, it was more of a game of adult peek-a-boo than it was an actual break. Upon the band’s return, they launched into “Them Kids” off of the 2003 effort Love at the End of the World. The concert-goers on the floor had danced their hearts out throughout that opening set, and the music finally compelled some of the seated patrons to get up and start dancing along. Meanwhile, down on the floor, there was a Sam Roberts hype-man by the name of Ryan who was trying to fire up the crowd, much like you might see Youppi do at a Montreal Canadiens game. He was a friendly chap who was ready to dance up a storm with anyone who would engage. This second set was a showcase of Roberts’ catalogue, including a handful of cuts from his debut album, and included one of the tracks that failed to make the cut for Chemical City, entitled “Fall Before You Finish”.
Considering that Halifax and Sam Roberts have a long-established relationship that stretches back into the Inhuman Condition days in the early 00’s, as this was one of the first markets that Sam Roberts toured outside of Montreal, and one that fully embraced his indie-rock sound. That mutual admiration has continued to draw the band back, tour after tour. The most recent visit was in 2023 as part of Q104’s Birthday Bash concert, where the Sam Roberts Band headlined alongside The Trews and Campbell and Johnston. As such, it’s no surprise that the Light House Arts Centre was packed with a legion of fans who were ready to revel in the psychedelic magic that is Chemical City. It may have been a risky proposition at the time, but 20 years later, Chemical City holds up remarkably well and would dominate rock radio had it been released in 2026.
For as much of a rock star presence that Sam Roberts has on stage, he was incredibly effusive about the venue and crew, but it was more what occurred at the end of the show that really surprised me. During the final moments of “Brother Down”, Roberts disappeared from the stage and popped up down by the barrier while closing out one of his major hits. Once the song was over, he worked his way down the entire barrier, sharing high-fives and hugs with his adoring fans who sang their hearts out for the duration of the show. This jaded writer was reminded of exactly why I fell in love with Sam Roberts’ music back in the early 00’s and how my fandom was rekindled on this night at the Light House Arts Centre. Let’s do it all again later this year when the band returns to headline two nights at the fabled Shore Club down in Hubbards.
