The Immovable Architects of Sound: Stick Men Perform Live at The Garrison
- jaybroderick
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
By: Jay Broderick
Toronto, Canada - Toronto’s heavy‑music heartbeat has always pounded out of its proverbial chest thanks to Inertia Entertainment, the city’s premier promoter for anything loud, extreme, and uncompromising! But if there’s one thing Inertia has in common with us here at LOUDTO, it’s that we simply love music in all its forms. Case in point: a packed‑to‑the‑walls prog‑rock showcase at The Garrison, headlined by none other than Stick Men. No mosh pits... no walls of amps... just three world‑class musicians turning a small Toronto room into a vortex of rhythm, precision, and brain‑bending soundscapes. And judging by the chatter spilling through the front bar area before the doors even opened, these audiophiles were ready.
Pyramid Theorem
Toronto’s own Pyramid Theorem hit the stage first, and you could feel the anticipation for them long before they plugged in. They’ve clearly built a loyal following, the kind that shows up early, packs the rail, and shouts encouragement between songs. Their second track, "Closer to the End", a sprawling prog epic with relentless drumming, endless guitar solos, and a bass line that refused to quit, ended with a fan yelling, “You guys sound good!” The singer pointed right at him, grinning.
Before their third track, the band's guitarist/vocalist Sam Ermellini asked, “You already for Stick Men tonight?” The crowd roared back, and Pyramid Theorem launched into another maze of time and tempo changes. Then mid‑set, bassist Christian Di Mambro announced a brand‑new song dropping Friday the 10th, featuring a guest spot from a Dream Theater's James LaBrie. They followed it with “Lifeline,” a more subdued, atmospheric intro that saw the bassist finally remove his shades, a small gesture, but somehow symbolic of the shift in tone.
Their closer? A cover dedicated to the working class, so iconic that the moment the first riff hit, you knew exactly what it was... no insider info needed. They tore through it with such conviction that Geddy and Alex would’ve been proud. The extended breakdown gave each member a moment to shine, and the crowd ate it up.
A four‑piece from Toronto, tight as hell, and yes, the bassist is always the coolest! Worth the hype? One hundred percent!!!
Stick Men
Stick Men, the supergroup of Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, Mr. Mister), and multi-instrumentalist Markus Reuter, have been crafting their own brand of progressive sorcery since 2010. And while none of these musicians are known for leaping around the stage, the energy they generate is seismic.
Levin stood in his signature stance, head down, locked into a zone so deep it felt like he was communing in the astral plains. Reuter, wielding his touch guitar, sculpted melodies with surgical precision. Mastelotto anchored everything with rhythms that seemed to bend time itself. They barely moved, but the music did all the heavy lifting, swirling, mutating, and expanding until The Garrison felt twice its size.
After the band opened up with some improvisation, and "Cusp", “Brutal” arrived, a track pulled from the EP and tour that was cancelled last year. A brief technical hiccup with the drums gave the band a chance to banter about pronunciation quirks with Reuter throwing out his thick German accent "bruu-taal" before diving back in. Markus thanked the crowd, joking that the song was “brutal for the band,” too.
One of the highlights of the evening for myself came with the Robert Fripp cover “Breathless,” introduced with a joke about the band members' massive catalogue: “You’ll never hear it all" Reuter quipped, "but we won’t play any of that!” As the track progressed through its impressive arsenal, a fan near the back found a pocket of space to dance nonstop, while the rest of the room stood frozen in awe.
The vibe of this show was reminiscent of last year’s PAKT show, one of my favourite's of the year. Not musically, but in the sense that this was pure instrumental exploration. Little to no vocals, no theatrics, just three masters jamming with total abandon. PAKT had 4, but the result was just as impressive.
Levin thanked a fan for returning his setlist before introducing “Crack in the Sky,” the first song the band ever wrote together. This one brought rare narrative vocals from Levin, and while that same fan kept dancing, most of the room simply stared, mesmerized. “Tentacles” came with a story about Levin sending Markus a six‑minute file containing only a few scattered bars. The rest had to be stitched together like a sonic puzzle, and Pat Mastelotto earned laughs when he asked the crowd to clap along to 17 different timing beats before launching into “Mantra.” “When in doubt, just watch the drummer!” he joked.
Then came the first King Crimson eruption of the night, midway through Stick Men's 15 track barrage. As the opening notes of “Red" rang out the applause was thunderous. Levin checked in with the crowd “Everybody ok? It’s been so damned cold out but this is different. Thanks so much for warming things up!” He wasn’t wrong. The room was boiling. He then shared that the band records every show and releases a free live track to their mailing list, then introduced a yet to be released track “The Well.”
“Komodo” slithered in next, “Swimming in Tea” brought dark, ominous textures, “Prog Noir” was a standout, a groove‑heavy track about life on the road as a prog band. The crowd’s energy surged. Then came the monster... King Crimson’s “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic., Part Two” as the final track of the evening. The room erupted. Arms shot into the air. The applause was relentless as the band bowed… then stayed for one more, another Crimson cover “Level Five.”
Set List
Improvisation
Cusp
Brutal
Ringtone
Breathless (Robert Fripp cover)
Crack in the Sky
Tentacles
Mantra
Red (King Crimson cover)
The Well
Komodo
Swimming in Tea
Prog Noir
Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two (King Crimson cover)
Encore:
Level Five
One hundred and ten minutes of instrumental soundscapes. No vocals needed. No theatrics required. For the audiophile, this was the feast of feasts... a rare chance to watch three musicians at the peak of their craft build worlds out of rhythm and resonance.
Inertia Entertainment brought prog to The Garrison, and Stick Men turned it into a night Toronto won’t forget.
Concert Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
Stick Men Online
Show Date: April 8, 2026
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