As Sunday night came around and as the hours until the venue opened winded down, the amount of buzz, hype and excitement surrounding the night was unparalleled. Hometown hero deadmau5 was set to take the stage and after teasing what he had planned for us for weeks via social media, the anticipation to see what Joel had up his sleeve was almost unbearable. Thankfully, it was all warranted, as the Canadian DJ delivered a show for the ages and one that was definitely worthy of being a finale.
Delivering an incredible and highly emotional set from start to finish, Joel gave his all to the legion of diehard fans who had come out to see him. A 20 minute version of “Strobe” (seen in the video below), robotic mouse heads floating around the stage, wild animated visuals, a live modular rig with hand-picked synthesizers….the mau5 brought it all with him, and he did not disappoint for even a second.
Whether it was “I Said,” “Sofi Needs A Ladder,” “Ghosts N Stuff,” “I Remember,” “Pets,” “The Veldt,” “Drop The Poptart,” etc., Joel spun the majority of his classics, making silky smooth transitions between them all and keeping the energy high throughout. That wasn’t all though, as the homegrown talent also dove into some raw techno for a while that had the crowd absolutely losing their minds. Watching him do his thing was mesmerizing, as he had the entire building under his control, singing and dancing along to his brilliant selection of music and giving him their full attention.
His passion, and true love for the city and The Guvernment, shone through the entire night, proving that he was the perfect person to close down Toronto’s legendary club. His progressions, transitions, mixing and everything else were absolutely flawless, keeping the crowd on edge and taking us on a music journey that no one in attendance will ever forget.
Of course, the party still raged on even after deadmau5’s truly epic set came to an end. The legendary Mark Oliver, who’s held residency at the club since the start, played one final set after the mau5, and those who were still standing after Joel’s mind-blowing blast of music were in for another equally impressive treat, as The Guvernment’s resident DJ took things into overdrive. Spinning on vinyl, Oliver delivered on everything that the crowd had expected him to, sending feels through the room right up until the early hours of Monday morning.
It was at that point that INK CEO Charles Khabouth himself hopped on stage to say a final farewell and spin the last track, which after much speculation and debate, ended up being “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer.
And then, just like that, at around 7:00am, it was all done. All the memories, the laughter, the love, the tears, the friendships and everything else that came along with The Guvernment had finally come to an end. As the crowds of people shuffled out of the building and into the cold, and as the rest of Toronto was just beginning its day, The Guvernment shut its doors for good.
As I mentioned when I began this article, it’s difficult to truly put into words what Khabouth’s club mean to the thousands of dedicated ravers who attended every week, but having lived in this city all of my life, and having been fairly into the music scene for a while now, the hole that The Guvernment has left is already being felt by myself and many others. It meant so many things to so many different people and although INK has plans to turn another venue, Sound Academy, into their new home, I don’t think that it will ever be the same.
Fortunately, we’ll always have the memories that Toronto’s first real megaclub brought with it, and though condo developers may be able to take away the physical building itself, there are many other things that we’ll be able to hold onto. The unforgettable moments, the lifelong friendships and the never-ending love and happiness brought about by the music that vibrated through those walls every weekend for 19 years, that is what we’ll be able to hold with us forever, and it’s those things which will ensure that the legacy of The Guvernment will always live on.
It’s been a great ride Guv, thanks for all the memories!