Renan Luce @ La Tulipe

The atmosphere at La Tulipe was flowing with energy as everyone was so excited to see Renan Luce. An indie rock singer from France, Luce made musical love to an audience of not only Quebecers, but to also a large number of visitors from France. I spoke with a couple from France, who proudly proclaimed that they had seen Renan Luce perform once in the past and that he has toured Montreal four times already.    For me, this concert was truly an experience as I was most probably the only anglophone in the audience. What I found funny was the fact that even though I spoke to everyone in french, all my responses were in english (I guess I can’t hide my anglophonism well) 

The opening act for the show was something I’d never expect to see at a concert. A man with long straightened hair, a silky blue shirt with a matchingly flamboyant vest and tie takes the stage. He introduces himself as Martin Philippe and he begins giving the welcome spiel. I assumed he was the MC for the night, introducing the opening band, but after my slow mental translation from french to english I realized that Mr. Philippe was the opening act. He was a humorist. Sadly, this was the first French comedian that I have heard so I did not know what to expect. “I am really bad with cars,” he began to say. “On my way to Montreal, my car ran out of gas. While I am stranded in the middle of the road, a car approached. I figure it was a man driving and he would be able to fix my car. Instead it was four women, but I didn’t complain. (audience chuckles) They take me in their car and tell me that they are driving me to the nearest garage. We end up in a dark abandoned road full of trees. We get out of the car, and one of the women pulls a knife on me and says that I better sexually please each of them or they will kill me. Philippe takes a short pause and says “ it wasn’t a problem as you can see, I made it here tonight.” Another joke he had was about how he enjoyed reading the obituaries and then crossing out the names of the deceased in the phonebook. I found his dark and dirty humor rather amusing. These jokes really broke down the thoughts I used to have that French and English humor was completely different. 

Renan Luce and his band brought the essence of France to Montreal through their songs. A man with amazing stage presence, Luce is extremely passionate about his music and you can see that by just looking at the way he closes his eyes at times when he sings. What really impressed me about this band, was the fact that they introduced each song by talking about the subject. For example, the third song that Luce sang “Les Voisines”, he declared how he enjoyed observing his neighbors in the old apartment that he lived in. 

Song after song, I really felt connected to Renan Luce and his band and from the way the crowd was vibing and receiving Luce, I knew I wasn’t the only one with this feeling. Renan Luce shares a part of himself in every song that he sings. In some of his songs, like “Repentir” , Luce was constantly tearing and seemed he was holding back from crying. 

The audience liked Renan Luce because he is real, he doesn’t lie to the audience or pretend he is someone else. When he is on stage, he is humble and shows genuine care to the audience. Not only did he entertain his audience with his dashing looks and witty humor, but he gave the audience four encores. I have never been to an anglophone concert that has given four encores. Not only did the crowd swarm him with applause, but he sincerely looked surprised by the warmth that he was receiving from the audience. He even blushed in front of everyone and expressed true gratitude to his fans. All in all, it was a fabulous experience.