Lasso Festival | As if Montreal were Nashville

All you had to do was close your eyes and you were in the heart of Nashville. For the third consecutive year, the Lasso festival transported the City of Montreal to its country world with panache on Friday.

It’s starting to become a habit. Parc Jean-Drapeau, which also hosts the Osheaga and îleSoniq festivals as well as the summer event Piknic Électronik, is swapping its extravagant outfits for plaid shirts and jeans for two days. Simplicity, in other words.

That’s kind of the country formula, both musically and in style. A hat and leather boots are enough, no need for a riot of synthetic, transparent or fluorescent fabrics. On the contrary, we come across a good number of sun dresses and buckled belts on the site.

On the entertainment side, Eric Church was the one who was tasked with closing this first evening. A country veteran, whose first album dates back to 2006, the singer-songwriter from North Carolina used a lively guitar fingering to mark the final point.

Initially more stable on his feet, Eric Church left his initial position to parade with the Canadian flag around his neck, performing the popular Drink In My HandHe had just said, “To be quite honest, I’ve always loved Montreal!” and was greeted by the audience.

There is no doubt that its sound could not belong to another register. With a sound honky-tonk Borrowed from the Alan Jacksons of this world, Church presented himself as a late-night accompanist, a bit like the bands blues playing in the famous dive bars lost in America.

It must also be said that the trumpeters and saxophonists invited on stage added to this festive atmosphere and proximity with the public, even if we saw a fairly compact crowd up to the top of the hill.

Earlier, Tyler Hubbard had also aroused the public’s enthusiasm thanks to the successes of his former duo, Florida Georgia Line. It was not only his voice that sang You Make It Easy, Meant To Be And Cruisebut also those of thousands of spectators.

Smiling and calm, the Georgian seemed to soak up the crowd’s reactions and was clearly having a good time. He embodied the country spirit of the weekend.

Americans Dustin Lynch and Megan Moroney were also among the main artists of this third Lasso Friday.

The Smith Star

“We’ve been wanting to come to Montreal for a long time! So happy to be here!” Showing an impressive duality between letting off steam and vulnerability, Nate Smith was one of the highlights of this first day. The 38-year-old singer, originally from California, was there to give a show.

At the beginning and end of his setleopard shirt and black cap, Smith was restless. Everywhere on stage, he gave the impression of having fun. He even sang Whiskey On Youone of his hits, off stage and into the heart of the crowd.

In the middle, the sensitive guy took a few minutes to thank the spectators for their presence and tell his story: the loss of his childhood home in a major fire led him to leave his job as a nurse to start a music career with only a few dollars in his pocket. To the piano, he took off his sunglasses to shed a few tears, and certainly provoked some among the festival-goers.

“That story gave me chills,” a husband was later heard to say, showing his wife a bristling forearm, while others wiped their cheeks.

Punctuated by exchanges of “hello” and “thank you very much” in French, courtesy of his three years of French lessons, Nate Smith gave a truly extraordinary performance.

The local in the spotlight

People who come to Lasso do so for, again, very simple reasons. It’s about hearing good music, spending quality time with loved ones and, why not, pouring yourself a few good beers.

On the side of the secondary stages, which make this experience possible, particular attention was paid to the local presence. In total, seven of the nine artists or groups performing on the Ranch stage or at the SiriusXM Backyard Sessions were Quebecers on Friday.

Yoan, former winner of The voiceplayed on the Ranch stage in the afternoon. He sang in front of a space that seemed clear but did not give the impression of emptiness, where there were two stands allowing festival-goers to sit while enjoying the music.

This was a great option to hear quality country music without sacrificing too much comfort, like being packed in front of the main stages.

Nearby, hundreds of people were taking line dancing classes under a large white marquee decorated with lights reminiscent of the country barn parties you see in movies. Between spinning and slapping boots, the gentle exclamations of a disciplined audience could be heard all evening.

A little further on, Sandrine Hébert, former participant of Star Academy who released her first album this week, benefited from the proximity to the Backyard Sessions audience. While she chatted with the few dozen people seated between two songs, some couples took the opportunity to liven up the area with rhythmic dances.

Bud Rice, Blue Ridge Band, Trudy, Emilie Clepper and Allison Daniels are the five other artists who took turns representing the province on this first day of the festival.

The third edition of Lasso continues with its second and final day, Saturday at Parc Jean-Drapeau.