Canadian alternative rock band USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) decided to wrap up the original run of the band a few years ago which would take a a while to fully play out as the group wanted to go out with a tour that faced many delays and set backs due to the pandemic which took place over 2020 and 2021. The tour titled “The Final Freakquency” was originally scheduled to take place with dates over the course of 2021 more specifically in the fall which went a head as scheduled playing first in Buffalo, New York but as COVID19 restrictions tightened once again the band had to postpone the final shows which were suppose to happen in Toronto in December 2021. Once 2022 started most of Canada was dealing with a lock down so the band had to play the waiting game and eventually they decided to set the dates of the final shows which would be June of 2022. 
It must have been a bitter-sweet moment for the band to finally get to set a date for the final two concerts as the on going lock downs occurring in Toronto would have made it tough to confirm the dates officially. The life span of the band was unintentionally extended as everyone waited to confirm if live music in Toronto would return for good. USS went with the brand new venue History to conclude the band’s careers in their hometown with tentative dates of June 10th and 11th of 2022. The final shows originally meant to take place in December which would have been the date the band called it quits but but all the fans got another six months of the original run of USS. As the show dates got closer, it was announced that the official opening acts for both shows would be the Canadian rap duo The Snotty Nose Rez Kids who are currently on the rise in the Canadian hip-hop scene. It was personally my first time seeing the Rez kids perform live but I had been hearing about them over the past few years and they would live up to the hype. 
The first nations emcees that hail from the west coast of Canada, more specifically Vancouver would hit the stage first on both nights at History. It would be the first time for most of the sold out venue seeing these two in person but to be sure they made a lot of new fans and brought the right amount of energy that the venue needed. The Snotty Nose Rez Kids who pride them selves for their indigenous heritage represented it well and had a large amount of fan interaction. The two emcees were trying to start a mosh pit in the crowd and at one point the rappers literally jumped in the middle of the crowd and played an entire song in the middle of the audience starting their own mosh pit. They did a great job of inspiring the crowd and getting the crowd surfing and moshing going which are all things that rock shows are known for but its something that doesn’t happen as often as it once did 25 to 30 years ago due to increased safety regulations in the concert industry.
On the second night of the back to back shows in Toronto, the Rez kids had to leave after their set to go across town to accept the award for the album of the year at the Indie Awards so it is needless to say it was a great weekend for this hip-hop group which is on the cusp of breaking into the main stream music scene in North American. Its easy to draw some comparisons between USS and the Snotty Nose Rez Kids as they are both Canadian and work as musical duos mostly. USS can look at the Rez Kids and see where they were about 20 years ago when they first started getting air play on large Toronto radio stations like 102.1 The Edge which was the launch pad for the band’s success over the past two decades. By the time USS hit the stage on both nights, the energy in the venue was at the highest as I have ever seen it at History. The band played all their hits such as “This is the best” and “Shipwreck” much to the crowds pleasure. There was plenty of crowd surfing and moshing when the songs hit the hard spots and it looked like something you would see at a concert in the 90’s. 
The two nights turned out to be a very emotional event for the band and their fans, it was only right the last shows take place in Toronto where it all started for them. There were fans with USS shirts everywhere and there were some fans wearing custom made shiny suits for the occasion, I personally didn’t realize this band had such a large following as the last show was fully sold out at History. As the last song was played the band took a nice long bow to the fans and all three members embraced on stage as the crowd erupted, a lot of fans had tears in their eyes as did the band members of USS. This band’s journey has officially come to an end and I’m sure the members will continue in music in other aspects and projects like Jason Parsons who does production work as well as DJ’ing. The USS official Instagram recently said the band is still taking in the final concerts and processing all the emotions. Seeing a show of fan support like this might make it harder to say goodbye but there is always the possibility of a reunion tour sometime in the future but only time well tell.
Please enjoy the video clip below which was recorded on the first night of the shows and also check out the photo gallery at the bottom. You can check out USS on Instagram @USSmusic.
Article and Photos By Kyle McNeil(@trueaspectmedia)
