Concert Reviews

Bella Fleck and Abigail Washburn brought their banjos to Montreal on Tuesday, November 14th. First scheduled at the Corona Theatre but after a last minute venue change, the concert was moved to the L’Astral. The move proved itself to be quite fortunate as it provided a more intimate setting. 

The duo opened the concert with a few songs from their new album, Echo In The Valley, starting with a three song medley, “Sally In The Garden/Big Country/Molly Put The Kettle On”. Next up was “Railroad”, and then a question many of us may wonder at one time or another, “If I Could Talk To A Younger Me”.

When Flying Lotus took the stage at MTELUS Thursday night, he brought the crowd into his own world. The LA-native producer, rapper and filmmaker has given birth to a wave of copycats, but his undeniable sound has never been replicated. Those unfamiliar with his music have trouble categorizing Lotus’s sound, and fans find it impossible. He is often labeled as experimental electronic, fusion jazz, psychedelic, and a wave of other genres, but there is no one label that truly pegs him down.

Nicolas Jaar is an electronic music producer, whose vast experimentations make him difficult to categorize anymore concretely than that. He is of Chilean heritage, a detail which is pronounced in his musical style. Latin rhythms and his own Spanish lyrics often feature, but only to intersect with Eno-esque ambience, Villalobos-inspired techno and microhouse, downtempo dance music, and hints of dubstep. His releases are gorgeous and intricate, masterfully woven together from disparate fragments. The compositions feature exquisite piano stylings, scattered percussion, glitches and scratchy silence, an industrial noise-flavored saxophone, occasional beats, and Jaar’s own stunning baritone voice, soaked in heavy reverb.

After weeks and weeks of playing songs of his latest LP At What Cost, and falling in love with GoldLink's unique sound, I came to expect not a show, but a house party from the D.C rapper. Luckily for me and the sold-out crowd at L’Astral, he came through.

On September 24 Montreal was treated to a synergic evening of R&B, thanks to the predestined combination of Rhye and Charlotte Day Wilson. The sold-out show kicked off with an opening set by Wilson, whose blossoming popularity was palpable in the crowd. The lineup outside le National was abuzz with stylish 20-somethings chattering not only about the evening’s main act, but also its opener. 

The theme of the current Guns N' Roses tour is “Not in This Life-Time”: no one, not even the band members themselves, thought they would reunite. Millions of fans wanted to see the group back together again, but it seemed there was "nothing left to do, too many things were said”, to quote another famous rock band. So, when it was announced in 2016 that they would be playing The Troubadour, Coachella and proceeding on a worldwide tour, I was beyond excited for the prospect of a live performance. The question remained, however, whether they would make a stop in Montreal, after the infamous 1992 riots, where the Olympic Stadium was trashed by angry fans following shortened sets.