The Rheostatics' Last Waltz It's the end of an era. On Friday night, Dave Bidini, Martin Tielli, Tim Vesley and Michael Phillip Wojewoda will step out onto the stage at Massey Hall to play their last show together. It will mark the official end of Toronto's unofficial rock laureates, The Rheostatics. For more than 20 years, The Rheos have been at the centre of this city's music scene, helping to build and shape it like few others. Since the winter of 1980, when four 17 year-old kids from Etobicoke played their first gig together at the (now defunct) Edge as The Rheostatics and the Trans-Canada Soul Patrol, a lot of things have changed in Toronto. But over those years, The Rheostatics have been a constant force. They've released a dozen wildly diverse albums, showcasing their wide-ranging talent: the critically lauded Whale Music and Melville (both of which have consistently placed in the top ten of Canada's greatest albums), an under-appreciated children's album The Story of Harmelodia, a two-disc live record, a Group of Seven tribute, a film soundtrack . . . the list goes on. And all the while they developed one of the best live shows the city has ever seen. When you went to see this band play, you knew the set could stretch long hours into the night and feature everything from two minute pop songs to 20 minute reworkings of their most epic tunes. They've opened for The Tragically Hip and The Barenaked Ladies. They've played just about every venue in Toronto, from the Horseshoe to Maple Leaf Gardens, from the Exhibition to Mel Lastman Square. And though they never found a great deal of mainstream success (their lone Top 40 hit was 1995's "Claire") the band always seemed okay with it and their fans preferred it that way. Anyone who cared deeply about music in Toronto and in Canada, knew them and loved them, and that was enough. This was our band. And that, more than anything else, is what The Rheostatics will be remembered for. They've been called the most Canadian of bands — and it's true. They sang songs about our country — about hockey, about the prairies, about Mackenzie King and Northern Ontario — and made it fun and exciting instead of dry and boring. They taught us how to be proud of being Canadian long before it was cool to. They could play their epic rock one minute and a cover of Gordon Lightfoot or Stompin' Tom Connors the next, introducing a new generation of young Canadians — this writer included — to a musical heritage they might not have otherwise been aware of. And as if that weren't enough, they directly helped turn that generation of fans into a new generation of musicians by supporting up-and-coming young acts with opening slots during their annual "Green Sprouts Music Week", or with a guest appearance on one of their albums. Over the years, The Rheostatics' support has helped bring countless new acts into the public consciousness: The Weakerthans, The FemBots, Ron Sexsmith and Sarah Harmer to name a few. Come Friday night, you can be sure that more than a few of those familiar faces will be taking the stage to say goodbye. And when the lights finally fade at the end of the night, we can all be grateful that through no small part of their own, The Rheos leave the state of music in our city stronger than it has ever been. Throughout their entire career, The Rheostatics have been helping to stitch together the music community in Toronto. And it worked. Thank you, Rheos; you'll be missed. You were very star. You can catch The Rheostatics one last time before Massey Hall at the Horseshoe Thursday, March 29 @ 10:45. Tickets are available in advance through Six Shooter Records.