Smoke poured into the crowd as the lights dimmed and a group of Canadian musicians entered the Palladium stage on the night of Aug. 28. As the room turned black, the crowd pushed further towards the front of the stage, like a tidal wave of people washing up on the metal shores of the railing. It was the most fantastic feeling to be surrounded by a mass of humans who appreciate and worship music the same way that I do.

This opening band was called Royal Canoe, and they truly were amazing. They had a sound unlike anything else I had ever heard. Dominating basslines and their use of a vocoder throughout the performance made them stand out amongst the other opening bands I have seen over the course of my concert-going life.

They played songs that had a beautiful combination of electric, synthesized sound and heavy guitar licks. The most interesting thing about this band was their percussion set-up. They had two drummers; one played the traditional drum set while the other played the electric drums. Together, they created an orchestra of rhythms that were the backbone of the eclectic songs Royal Canoe played for us.

I was sad when they played their last song and left us waiting for the main act to come on. I really loved this band and went home and downloaded whatever songs I could find by them online.

At about 9:10 p.m., “Rack City” by Tyga was blasting through the speakers, and Alt-J stepped onto the stage. The crowd went wild. We all began screaming our lungs out, trying to get the band to realize how much we absolutely adore them. They opened up their act with “Fitzpleasure.” It’s a song unlike any other on the record.

Everyone began moving to the music and the crowd slowly turned into a living, breathing thing that was made up of all the attendees that night. We moved our arms and swayed to the beat; everyone felt at peace.

They continued playing through all the songs on their An Awesome Wave album and even played a few singles like “Buffalo” and “Slowly.” It was as though I was listening to the studio-produced record, as they sounded so flawless. I could tell that they were talented artists and musicians; the emotion on their faces was impossible to overlook. They were a beautiful combination and I can’t think of another group that has the same sound as they do.

Royal Canoe and Alt-J are two bands that break all boundaries when it comes to indie, alternative rock or whatever you want to call them. They are so difficult to categorize. Regardless, I had such an amazing time. I will never forget it.