Cowboys Fringuants: une nuit festive de gros hits

 

Les Cowboys Fringuants

Metropolis, Montreal

29 Decembre 2016

Cetait le dernier spectacle des Cowboys Fringuants de 2016.

Ils ont decidé de feter ca en grand en ne jouant pratiquement que leurs plus gros hits des 20 dernieres annees.

La foule présente etait vraiment tres variée autant en age, des enfants jusquau baby-boomers, qu'en genres vraiment differents.

Donc les Cowboys attirent vraiment beaucoup de monde qui les adore et qui sont pret a faire la fete avec eux.

Evidemment les membres fondateurs étaient presents et tres en forme et ils avaient aussi plusieurs musiciens supplementaires dont un trompetiste, un autre bassiste (pour remplacer Jerome) et 2 drummeurs.

   

Lorsque le spectacle sest amorcé, il etait evident que ca allait etre un evenement tres festif.

Des les premieres secondes du spectacles, tous les membres du groupe sautillaient en jouant, une caisse claire envoyée dans la foule, dès la 2e chanson, le trompetiste ainsi que Jerome (bassiste) etaient partis jouer dans la foule et le chanteur tenait son stand de micro en équilibre sur sa bouche...

Cest avec un rythme effréné que les chansons se sont enchainées.

Des qu'une chanson plus calme et moins connue était jouée, les gens commencaient a parler au parterre.

Heureusement que dans la plupart de ces chansons un certains rythme reprend a un moment avec des solos de Marie-Annick (toujours aussi bonne au violon) et Jf Pauzé a la guitare.

 

Ils se sont adonné a chanter une chanson de Noel puisque cetait de circonstance et tout le monde s bien sur chanté avec eux.

"8 secondes" a ete refaites de belle facon en etant intercoupee dautres classiques et en recommencant quelques fois avant de se terminer intensement.

"L'hiver approche" a terminé le premier set et ce fut une longue pause de 30 minutes avant de reprendre de plus bel, mais le 2e set fut assez special et intense.

Les fetés montent sur scene pour callé une biere ainsi qu'un fan fini qui en était a son 175e show des Cowboys...et qui fera une performance speciale de bacon sur la scene...heureusement Marie-Annick faisait un solo épatant en meme temps ainsi on pouvait la regarder au lieu de ce gars.

Ainsi continue la folie (niaisage), avec un cover semi assumé de "Hotel California" et autres chansons stoppées en cours dexecution.

Jerome sabsente pour plusieurs chansons (et remplacé par un autre bassiste), afin de gonfler des ballons animaux et les distribuer un peu partout dans la foule dont au balcon...

Retour sur scene pour tous accompagné dune chorale pour une des seules nouvelles chansons du spectacle, Marine Marchande, qui fut tres bien faite.

Tout le long du spectacle, il y a eu trash au milieu du parterre ce qui est normal, mais il y avait quand meme une quantité de colons poussant ou se frayant un chemin pour rien et pour leur plaisir et le mecontentement de plusieurs. 

Ce qui sera intensifié et meme quantifié par le chanteur vers la fin du spectacle, "on se fait attention, car la ca va brasser"!

Jerome repart dans la foule en se lancant dans la foule a partir des speakers et il fera son tour de bodysurfing.

Voila un spectacle rempli de hits et de bonheur pour terminer lannée en beauté!

 

Hommage to one of the greats: Leonard Cohen

 

Hommage: Leonard Cohen

Rialto, Montreal

December 15 2016

Pop Montreal organised a Montreal hommage to Leonard Cohen one month after his surprised death.

The hommage consisted of many poets and musicians from Montreal who were influenced by this famous poet and songwriter born in the city.

Leonard Cohen wrote some novels, poems and songs that touched and influenced so many people around the globe.

In a sold out Rialto, those artists and poets reinterpreted their favorites to an already sold crowd.

It wasnt a mourning evening, but it was a celebration of his life and creations.

 

The Congregation Shaar Hashomayim choir started the evening with a prayer "If it be your will".

This choir worked on the latest album, "You want it darker", from Leonard that came out only a few days before his death.

So that is why it was fitting for them to start and end the evening.

Some collaborators would be present throughout the evening as the house band like Li'l Andy who organized the night.

 

Emily n Ogden,the harp, did a really good rendition of the song "Hey, thats no way to say goodbye".

With such a lovely voice combined with her melodic harp playing it just couldnt go wrong.

 

I cant say the same of the offering from the poet Philip Tetrault who was mostly really bad and unorganised.

He tried to read a poem he wrote for Leonard, but kept hitting bumps while reading in English.

Then he tried to use his panpipes to play a song, but couldnt play them correctly and it felt more like a comedic act than anything else unfortunately for him.

Samito had prepared a song withh some great beats and the combination with the chorists and the violon amplified the positive result.

The voice was really smooth.

"Suzanne" was played by Lakes of Canada' Jake Smith and the Westmount synagogue choir.

The result was also really good with the beautiful voice of Jake.

Kathryn-Jezer Morton read a crazy poem that Leonard wrote about what the rivalries between French and English quebecois meant for him.

She said that she had "a lot of balls to read" this poem from the Beautiful Losers book.

I went to buy the book a few days later because of this poem.

 

The Barr Brothers singer came on stage after and told us how important Leonard was for him and his own songwriting.

He usually used Leonard's lyrics while making music to check if his songs were good and before he found his own lyrics.

He had two guitars on him and switched between them while playing a bluegrass version of the song "Tower of song".

He started playing the song with his banjo and the song drastically changed tempo when he switched to his guitar.

Marie-Pier Arthur came out of the chorists section and played a country version of her favorite song "So long, Marianne".

It was her birthday that night, but she couldnt miss this event, she said.

A friend of Leonard, Neema, was present to pay hommage and it was a touching moment. 

She told us that Leonard was saying that "we all learn from somebody else and we do it our own way after" about anything he was playing.

Since she wasnt that fast to pick up parts, Leonard was always there to teach, do it, slowed it down to show her, but didnt know how he actually did himself.

She played alone in stage.

Other singers and poets came on stage and it was all good, but Kaie Kellough was really something else...

He used slam to read us a brief passage of Beautiful Losers book in which Leonard was experimenting with language.

It was splendid, fast and really hard to make sense of it all.

It was actually really breathtaking to listen to it.

Great night for a Canadian icon who died too fast after his best and latest album came out.

 

MØ : Hyperactive

 

MØ

Corona theater 

Montreal

November 30 2016

The Corona is a grest venue that i discovered this year where the concerts feel intimate so it is easy to get into it.

I was happy to have the chance to see MØ again since the last time i saw her perform was at Osheaga and it was impactful.

The crowd that night was really young and looking to party.

 

Grace Mitchell was opening the evening.

She was a great opener to warm up the already conquered crowd.

She danced quite a lot, had the crowd participate often and the beats were entertaining.

We were ready for MØ.

During the setup for MØ, they played 30 minutes of Lana Del Rey which slowly calmed everyone down.

MØ came on stage alone and started singing staying immobile for a bit and that was probably the last time she stayed put.

The band joined her on stage then it really started...in the dark she was singing with pulsating lights it was interesting to see flashes of MØ dancing.

In only a few seconds, She really ignited the crowd.

Everyone was dancing and singing.

It was a fun party atmosphere x1000.

MØ has a really awkward style of dancing, but it works.

She has gestures for all her lyrics it is fun to watch her.

 

She played a few new songs, but unlike other artists i find that her songs are really easy to get into even if their new.

The way the drummer plays the drums is just exquisite...its an artistic performance for a moment then beats his drums so hard the next moment.

I was surprised that I stopped watching the singer and was mesmerized by the drummer for quite a long time.

MØ sang from everywhere on stage, on the barricade blocking the crowd and even went on the 2nd floor balcony to sing 1 whole song. 

She was then moving throuh the crowd on the balcony to sing with people.

She displayed so much energy and sang so hard that at some point her voice was going out.

Fortunately at that time it was time for a slower song with only her guitar player. 

It was a refreshing moment to slow down and breathe a little.

She played a few more energized songs after this and continued to dance until the end of the show.

Kept screaming "Montreaaaaaaaal" and she seemed to really enjoy the crowd and the energy given back to her.

She ended the show with a 3 songs encore and crowdsurfing to end it all!

Really great night!

 

Setlist:

1- Dont wanna dance

2- waste of time

3- Slow love

4-Kamikaze

5-Riot Gal

6- All i do

7- Fire rides

8- Walk this way

9- Dust is gone

10- Maiden

11- Pilgrim

12- On & on

13- Cold water

14- True romance

15- Glass

16- Final song

Encore:

17- New years eve

18- Drum

19- Lean on