Fletcher Rocks Montreal at MTelus

LGBTQ+ icon, Fletcher (Cari Elise Fletcher), took the stage October 29 in downtown Montreal. The venue was packed wall to wall.

From the moment Fletcher stepped on stage with her bright red leather pants and white corset, I couldn’t look away. Nor could anyone else. The only words to describe the energy she and the band members emitted are “electric” and “all-consuming” Even the scene set on the stage demanded everyone’s attention, with flashing LED signs spelling out her song titles and a bed casually suspended in the air.

Fletcher opened her performance with “Guess we Lied”, one of her biggest hits. The crowd knew every lyric, as they did for every song of the night. She performed other popular songs from her newest album like “Sting”, “Serial Heartbreaker”, and “Better Version.”

The crowd was so alive and so in love; with the music, with Fletcher, and with each other. Everywhere I looked there were couples kissing, holding hands, dancing with one another, or leaning on each other. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I felt so accepted, welcomed, and celebrated being at that show. Midway through the performance, in between songs, a woman in the crowd got on one knee to propose to her partner, demanding the attention of everyone including Fletcher herself. After a moment of silence, Fletcher exclaimed, “She said yes!” and the crowd erupted in celebration. It was a really beautiful moment.

Fletcher’s voice continued to touch everyone’s heart as the night went on. She used every inch of the stage to her advantage, dancing and headbanging as the guitarists blew us all away with electric guitar solos. The lights would dim, and when they’d come on again, Fletcher would be sitting on the suspended bed or standing on the top of the set above everyone.

Back in July, Fletcher released a song titled “Becky’s so Hot” announcing her upcoming album, “Girl of my Dreams”, putting herself at the center of TikTok’s attention. In the song, she directly names her ex-girlfriend’s new girlfriend, Becky, and even references a picture she had posted wearing her ex’s shirt. The internet went wild, divided. Some were saying this was immature and unfair to Becky and Cari (Fletcher’s ex-girlfriend), while others thought this was “iconic” and “badass”.

Before Fletcher returned for an encore, the LED signs began to flash, and fog began to fill the stage. As the crowd erupted in excitement, the speakers went from silent to playing audio short clips of different people making statements about the drama following the release of “Becky’s so Hot”. Her name was said a lot, in many different contexts, displaying the different opinions surrounding the release, right before she came back on to perform it. And she performed it with such power and enthusiasm, as if to say that she couldn’t care less about other people’s opinions.

Fletcher made the most of the controversy. She used it to her advantage, to make her show unforgettable; to make a statement. You could feel her anger, sadness, confidence, and resilience, in the way she belted every lyric. Not just while performing her encore, but throughout the entire show. She touched every person in that crowd, including myself. It was euphoric and empowering.

The last song of the night was “Bitter”, a song Fletcher released in 2021 that is still one of her most listened to today. It was a really impactful song to wrap up the concert considering the lyrics have to do with an ex-girlfriend kissing someone new but all the while thinking about her.

Heartbreak affects everyone’s lives differently and for Fletcher, it was her inspiration to write an incredible new album to rock the stage with here in Montreal.