An Eclectic Night with Santigold at L’Olympia

After being away from Montreal for the summer, I found myself with a deep craving for live music that hadn’t quite been satiated. I was very eager to attend the Santigold show at L’Olympia on Tuesday night, and it absolutely did not disappoint as a reintroduction to live music in

Montreal. There is a certain energy I’ve found in crowds here, and American genre-bending artist, Santigold, seemed to agree. “You guys do it differently here,” she said as crowd members flooded on stage after an invitation to dance with her. There was never a dull moment during this eventful show. 

This was my first time at L’Olympia, and I was a big fan of the wide and spacious set-up. It allowed for a full crowd with plenty of room to dance, without the jam-packed experience. I appreciated the humble stage, how it didn’t tower over the crowd, and in combination with Santigold’s welcoming and inclusive stage presence, it felt like a very communal space between artist and listeners. 

Opening strong with her most popular songs, “L.E.S Artistes” and “Lights Out,” during which the crowd was lively, yet a little reserved. It wasn't until Santigold began her crowd interaction that a sense of walls coming down was felt throughout the crowd. From the get go, she was very friendly on stage, bantering about speaking French and challenging the crowd to test her knowledge. Moments between songs as she caught her breath swiftly turned into stand up sets of sorts; cracking jokes, sharing anecdotes about songs, and correcting the pronunciation of her name. Through these interactions, the crowd became increasingly enthusiastic. 

Second to notice was the general stage and dress design; the backup dancers, the band, and Santi herself dressed in all white outfits with coordinating headpieces, setting a very coherent mood. The dancers really stood out to me, with just one on either side of the stage. In some moments they stood completely still, allowing for emphasis on the music, while in others, danced in structured puppet-like movements that were not only entertaining, but encouraging. They did dance numbers with Santigold as well, moving as a unit and a few times bringing in props such as yarn pom-poms, clusters of nuts, and standing drums. On the back wall were seamless changing visuals from past music videos to fading photos. The entire set design was very well thought out and all encompassing of Santigold’s artistic expression. 

Santigold’s lyrics are a big part of what I enjoy about her music, and it felt very satisfying to hear them really emphasized in this live performance. She sang each word with strong, clear pronunciation and purpose, often making eye contact with the crowd, and encouraging a back and forth call out of certain phrases. I felt this especially during “Ushers of the New World”: “... we’ve gotta take it and we're running side by side, cause time is up you’ll see we’re coming, we’re the ushers of the new world, gonna make it right.” 

The repetition of these lyrics, along with the passion in her voice, I can only describe as a sermon-like, a pep rally of sorts to the revolution. 

It didn’t stop there. For the song “Unstoppable,” she had previously released the choreography and invited anyone who had learned it to join her on stage. After quiet from the audience, she opened it up to anyone wanting to learn, and after an initial hesitancy, a couple brave people, including my friend, Taj (a long time fan), made their way on stage. Santi stood to the side during the song, allowing people to follow the steps of the dancers. Later in the show, the last song before the encore, she once again invited anybody who wanted to dance to come up on stage. This time there was an immediate surge of bodies moving towards the front, any and all unsureness now dissipated. As she played “Creator”, a high-energy, beat-heavy, power-inducing song, this big group of almost thirty people broke out dancing. Together, pure joy, excitement and freedom emanated from the stage, it was a special moment for everyone in the room. 

Her long-lasting presence in the music world was evident not only through the wide age range present in the crowd but more importantly with the presence of a special guest; guitarist Matt Schleck of band Stiffed, a punk rock band Santigold was a part of during the early 2000’s before releasing her solo music. The surprise performance of “Ain’t Got Enough” was electrifying, both in terms of music and energy, as it had been twenty years since they last played together. A great reminder of Santigold’s range, even past the scope of genres she dips into with her own music. It really felt like a reflection of her career, now presented in a refined way. 

It’s easy to say this reunion with live music in Montreal was exactly what I had been missing these past couple of months. Great music, passionate artists, a sense of community over shared loves, and of course an abundance of dancing. Happy to be back, and ready for more to come.