Shawn Mendes triumphantly returns with lots of emotion at Toronto's Massey Hall (2024)

Shawn Mendes
Massey Hall
Monday night
RATING *** (three out of four)

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Pickering, Ont., native Shawn Mendes, 26, has been through the emotional ringer in the last few years.

How do I know this?

Well, he cancelled his 2022 Wonder: The World Tour after seven shows due to his mental health, and just released his most personal record yet about this time called Shawn, a bit of left-turn soundwise given it’s a more somber folk-rock-pop collection, on Nov. 15.

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Among the new songs is The Mountain, which he told a sold-out crowd at Massey Hall on Monday night was “a clapback at the media,” presumably for speculating about his sexuality.

“You can say I like girls or boys, Whatever fits your mold,” he sings in the song.

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He also held back tears on Monday night while talking about a childhood friend Deijomi, who died when Mendes was 18 and who is the subject of another new song Heart of Gold, eventually dropping to his knees and crying while struggling to sing the tune’s opening lyrics and letting the audience do it for him.

It didn’t help Mendes’ obviously big heart that Deijomi’s mother was in the crowd, along with his many friends and “blood family,” which he said made up about half of the sold-out audience.

The good news is that Mendes, after 90 minutes on stage with the final show of his intimate For Friends and Family Only Tour, was grinning from ear to ear as he finished strong with the oldie but goodie In My Blood and jumped down to wander among fans on the floor.

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He told the crowd he wasn’t sure if he would have the confidence to return to music after cancelling his tour a few years ago but it would appear that writing, singing and performing is Mendes’ catharsis.

He clearly has no hesitation about wearing his heart on his sleeve in public.

Opening with the trio of That’s The Dream, Heavy and That’ll be The Day, all from Shawn, Mendes seem thrilled to be home, especially since the new album had come out just 10 days before meaning that the crowd would likely know words.

Boy, did they ever.

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They were also besides themselves when he trotted out older more energetic nuggets like Stitches during the main set and Nothing Holding Me Back and In My Blood during the encore.

Backed by a six-piece band with dramatic lighting above, beside and below him, Mendes was joined by fellow Shawn co-writers Mike Sabbath and Eddie Benjamin for more new songs like Isn’t That Enough, Rollin Right Along, Nobody Knows – this one featuring Mendes finally taking his jacket off to reveal his well-toned arms beneath a white tank to huge cheers – and the aforementioned Heart of Gold, the latter which was thankfully followed by the 2021 single, It’ll Be Okay.

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Mendes then switched it up playing harmonium on both a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah — interestingly, Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door preceded his initial appearance on stage — and the Shawn song In Between before tackling a stream of consciousness instrumental.

His potential boyfriend status with fans clearly remains high given when Mendes sang during In Between, “If I call tonight, will you pick up?” the crowd roared: “Yes!”

Then it was back to more Shawn material with The Mountain, producing a big crowd clap-along, and the triumphant sounding Why Why Why which ended the set.

Mendes is back. And this time it’s personal.

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SET LIST:

That’s the Dream

Heavy

That’ll Be the Day

Stitches

Isn’t That Enough

Rollin’ Right Along

Nobody Knows

Heart of Gold

It’ll Be Okay

Hallelujah

In Between

Improvised instrumental on harmonium

Who I Am

The Mountain

Why Why Why

ENCORE

Nothing Holding Me Back

In My Blood

jstevenson@postmedia.com

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