What was originally announced as one grand finale at Lee’s Palace, quickly turned to two, with the high demand from loyal fans. Saturday May 27 saw supergroup Breeze open alongside the punk rock baddies known as Bad Waitress, and Sunday May 28 was opened by Guelph doom-rockers Bonnie Trash and Jasmyn (who’s former band Weaves has toured with Dilly Dally). After those rad opening sets, the final Dilly Dally set moment had finally come and you could feel the weight of the moment within the energy of the crowd.

The stage lights dimmed as excited cheers of anticipation and whispered murmurs from the glitter clad audience were heard. Then, the Britney Spears cover of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts began to blast. We sang along, and Dilly Dally took the stage for one last time. 

They opened with “Candy Mountain,” a delicious seven-inch single that they released in 2014, which kicked off what was a super stacked set, featuring many favs from both their 2015 debut album Sore and 2018’s Heaven. It’s hard to believe that Dilly Dally only released two full albums with so many good songs, each met with massive cheers, singalongs, mosh pits and crowd surfing from the attendees. Dilly Dally’s new tracks/parting singles “Colour of Joy” and “Morning Light” fit in perfectly and were welcomed with just as much enthusiasm. 

“We’re just trying to take our time,” Monks exhaled emotionally between tracks. Indeed, we were all living in the moment and trying to soak up every second. Still, the near 20-song-long set  went by quickly and the crowd demanded an encore, to which Dilly Dally treated us to kindly, dusting off their 2013 deep cut “Next Gold.” And the closer of closing songs for the final Dilly Dally set? Why “Heaven” of course. How fitting. 

We were lucky to be there, to witness and hear their greatness, and while they may no longer be “with us,” Dilly Dally and their music will always live on. Bands to come will carry on the fire that this badass Toronto quartet ignited. Dilly Dally forever.