Half Moon Run, Matt Holubowski, the Boulay sisters, Elliot Maginot, Elisapie, Claudia Bouvette and Jason Bajada gathered on Saturday at the MTelus to translate the music from the collective album 1969 into a show.
It is rather rare that so much talent is gathered in the same place, that all this know-how is found in divine communion and that more than 2000 people are invited to testify to it. Thanks to director Connor Seidel’s vision, this was all possible. If we suspected that the rallying of all these artists would give something sublime, the concert 1969 Live exceeded expectations.
It wasn’t flashy, but rather delicate and neat. We didn’t try to fill the moment with artifice. Instead, we were relying on the immense talent of everyone on stage and it was definitely the right thing to do. As the only decor, large assortments of plants from the Sveja studio suspended on either side of the stage. Here and there, dim light fixtures and, on the floor, carpets reminiscent of the album cover. Attention to detail is evident. In the background, a screen where we projected videos of the creation of the album 1969 or simple games of shapes and colors to accompany the singing of the artists. The staging by Myriam-Sophie Deslauriers, when so many elements had to coexist in one and the same show, made it possible to give all its meaning to the music, free to flourish in a superbly thought-out playground.
They were seven groups or solos to follow one another on stage to interpret each two or three songs. Some artists from the collective were unable to join the party, but those who were there knew how to make it an exceptional show.
Precise moments marked us — such as the start of the concert, brilliantly provided by Elliot Maginot, the seraphic harmonies of Sœurs Boulay, the piano-voice of Matt Holubowski or the majestic presence of Elisapie. But, above all, the harmony that united each of these moments made the show a place of great communion and dazzled us.
A cohesion largely due to the accompanying musicians, who supported most of the numbers: the fabulous Esca quartet on strings, Joseph Mihalcean on guitar, Mathieu Sénécal on bass, Robbie Kuster on drums, Alex Francœur on winds, Joe Cayer on the keyboard and Éveline Rousseau on the harp. Finally, discreet, seated behind, Connor Seidel was also in the show, guitar in hand.
This concert, this entire project in fact, is him. Connor had the idea of bringing together a dozen artists around the music of the 1970s and produced with them a record of great beauty. On Saturday, the songs came to life on stage, under his musical direction, in front of a sold-out MTelus. Matt Holuboswki, when it was his turn to go on stage, paid tribute to him, saying that he was the very first to have believed in his music. “Without Connor Seidel, there is no Matt Holubowski. “An important reminder, because few know his name, even if many listen to the music on which he worked, including that of all those present on Saturday.
Succession of happiness
Holubowski was the fifth to appear on stage. At the piano, alone, he sang The Burrowthen accompanied himself with his guitar and the musicians for Towards beauty (taken from 1969).
This evening was one that never ceases to amaze, where each moment of music enriches the previous one, to form a delightful whole. Before Matt Holubowski, Elliot Maginot (who interpreted Provincetown Then Holy Father), the Boulay Sisters (On your finger And don’t cry for me), Jason Bajada (The great drunkenness And Crushed Grapes) and Claudia Bouvette (Post mortem and a recovery of Susanna, by Leonard Cohen) had their moments. All presented a strong number, as unique as it was well anchored to the others. Elliot Maginot was absolutely captivating, the Boulay sisters bet on their superb voices and their sensitivity, Claudia Bouvette sang grandiosely, accompanied only by harpist Éveline Rousseau, and Jason Bajada brought up the tempo brilliantly.
The passages of the artists were interspersed with transitions where the accompanying musicians filled the space with the elegant music of the album’s interludes. Sometimes we just took the time, in silence, to install the next issue. If the downtimes present the risk of reducing the momentum, the few seconds here allowed the enthusiasm to rise, in anticipation of the next guest.
The excitement of the crowd reached its peak when Montreal’s favorite trio Half Moon Run appeared on stage. After the ovation, the band sang three songs, Fatal Line, heart beat (preview of their upcoming album), then Grow Into Love.
Elisapie then presented herself on the raised platform backstage, a halo of light behind her giving her a celestial presence, as divine as her interpretation ofUllutamaat and D’ikajunga.
Elliot Maginot, the Boulay Sisters and Claudia Bouvette provided the backing vocals for several numbers of the evening, then joined forces again at the end of the show to resume You dance Condessa, song by Safia Nolin on the collective’s album. This whole show put forward the group effort, the addition of talents. One can only imagine the monumental work that this concert required. He is probably equaled only by the delight of having attended this evening. The noisy encore invited all the artists on stage for a final communion, on a soft cover of the little kingby Jean-Pierre Ferland.
It was most likely the collective’s only performance — getting half the group together for this performance was a minor miracle. And what a moment of anthology was! Fortunately, the music of the 1969 collective will always remain with us.