Our musical moments of 2022

Bye bye bye Karim – The vigil of friends

Barely six months after the announcement of his tragic death, the Francos de Montréal dedicated their entire edition this year to Karim Ouellet. A tribute show was also organized by the relatives and the musical family of the singer-songwriter from Quebec – Alaclair Ensemble, Claude Bégin, Sarahmée, La Bronze, Luis Clavis, among others – on June 12 at the Place des Festivals . An imperfect show, a little wonky, but necessary and carried by such a load of love that its faults were not so serious when you look back on it. Interpretations filled with restrained emotion by Ariane Moffatt or Fanny Bloom, the groove fabulous of the affable fox on which we danced gently, the voice of Karim himself which resonated at the end of the concert with an unpublished song, the tears which ran down the faces of the spectators: there was that evening a great moment of communion, a shared sadness, an intense desire to say I love you while looking towards the sky. So that neither Karim nor his music will ever be forgotten.

Josee Lapointe, The Press

A beer on the head with Luke Combs

We often linger over spectacular concerts, mounted with great resources. American country singer Luke Combs, who filled the Bell Center to the back rows of the bleachers in November, needed no tricks to thrill the crowd and deliver a memorable concert. He sang in the biggest amphitheater in town like he would in a bar, focusing on the essentials: his simple and catchy songs, his soulful voice and a humble attitude, imbued with gratitude for the success which fell on him. Concerts of this scale where the atmosphere is so friendly are rare. It sang, it danced and it smiled, from beginning to end. Even when, at the last encore, following the example of Luke Combs, many spectators threw their glass of beer into the crowd: it was flying from the stands to the floor! An enthusiasm to say the least generous given the price of said beer. We felt the bottom of the ton leaving the Bell Center. We also had a light heart.

Alexandre Vigneault, The Press

The king, the rose and the lou(p) at the Montreal Francos

The title of the show presented in June outside, The king, the rose and the lou(p), was a nod to two event concerts of the past of the same concept, that of bringing together three of the most gifted and inspired singer-songwriters of their generation (and finally women!), namely Ariane Roy, Thierry Larose and Lou-Adriane Cassidy, who are also great friends who appreciate each other as much as they admire each other. Vibrant performers, seasoned instrumentalists, they have an uninhibited and magnetic ease on stage, but also a catalog of great songs: The lovers of Pompeii, Between my legs, You wanted to talk… A lively musical flame burns in them so that their show, at the height of its historic ambitions, is now part of the annals of the Francos de Montréal. The queen towered over the city center, the rose bloomed in all her glory as the she-wolf howled in the night. Do we do it again in 10 years?

Emilie Cote, The Press

Generous Nick Cave

For having attended many shows of the rock icon, we knew Nick Cave to be generous. And Montreal has been pampered by the Australian in 2022. In addition to its exposure Stranger Than Kindness Presented exclusively in North America for six months in the metropolis, the singer offered not one, but two shows over two nights at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts. Accompanied by his lifelong sidekick, the bearded and eccentric Warren Ellis, he sang the entire album vehemently. Carnage, chatted with the audience and teased a spectator who arrived late – unforgivable when you have a ticket in the center of the first row! An evening built in crescendo, with classics at the end of the course from the repertoire of his group, the Bad Seeds. At the reminder, the songs were linked Hollywood and Jubilee Street in front of spectators who wanted even more… What was done! Second reminder, therefore, with Into my Arms and Ghosteen Speaks in a cabaret format. Fans left with the feeling of having seen a Nick Cave in great shape. Which it was.

Philippe Beauchemin, The Press

Meet in small places

Cry all the tears in your body during the very pagan sacred ceremony of Nick Cave in Wilfrid-Pelletier? Get your eardrums pulverized by Judas Priest at Place Bell and promise yourself never to leave your earplugs at home again? Enter the trance of Sons of Kemet at Corona as one enters religion? These concerts will be on the list of the perfect moments of 2022. The one that stands out from the others, however, is a more modest one, which took place at the Fairmount in May with the English post-punk band Dry Cleaning, when the whole city began to breathe more air. ‘easy. On stage, guitarist Tom Dowse piled up layers of feedback, while singer Florence Shaw struggled to keep her usual impassive face, too moved by the bodies that gently collided in front of her. At a time when the box office giants seem to have chosen loan sharks as moral paragons, let’s keep in mind that the best shows often happen in small venues – even smaller than the Fairmount. In 2023, go to hushed cabarets, poorly lit bars, underheated church basements and under gazebos in your neighborhood park.

Dominic Tardif, The Press

RY X at the Corona Theater

There are those moments when the music seems to stop time. It can be listening to a record, a song. It can also be during a concert, as was the case during the performance of the Australian Ry X at the Corona Theater in Montreal. At the end of September, the singer-songwriter froze time by creating a delicate, bewitching moment. His songs, anchored in an electro folk that draws on hovering pop, are the perfect material so that in concert, we find ourselves enveloped in a soothing softness. That’s what happened that night. The Corona Theater seemed hypnotized by the presence and the voice of Ry Cuming, fabulous singer. We had tears in our eyes, the shivers rarely left us. It was one of those moments that you cherish, that you often look back on, grateful to have been there.

Marissa Groguhe, The Press

Gros Mené at the Montreal Francos

We admit it from the outset, the time when we listened to concerts standing near the stage is far behind us. But an exception had to be made for Gros Mené, who made the Francos the Montreal return to his tour peace and bonus, rock album of the year at the last GAMIQ and first offering in 10 years for Fred Fortin’s stoner project. So it was standing in the center of the floor at Club Soda that we got our fill of rock antibodies, administered by fired-up musicians – Olivier Langevin, Tonio Morin-Vargas and Robbie Kuster accompanied Fortin on stage. Not to mention that the quartet was preceded by the young prodigies of zouz, who heated the boards with a flawless performance, despite the complexity of their repertoire. In short, very lively rock, energizing to perfection to start the summer with a bang.

Pierre-Marc Durivage, The Press