With his second MTelus filled to bursting in less than a year, Les Louanges came full circle on Thursday night from a big year of touring that took him everywhere in Quebec and even in Europe. Arrived with the intention of giving his all, he delivered an extraordinary performance, incandescent and inhabited, and he received so much in return.
“The last time I came here was the best show of my life. Are we able to top that? “, he launched from the start to the noisy crowd, which had already given a more than warm (and deserved) welcome to the French rapper Brö in the first part.
In any case, he was ready for this marathon of two well-counted hours during which he constantly surveyed the stage from edge to edge: he had to walk several kilometers without ever slowing down the pace.
PHOTO FLORIAN LEROY, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Les Louanges delivered a very physical performance.
Between The night is a pantherhis first album released in 2018, and Crash, his most recent launched in January 2022, Vincent Roberge has matured and it shows. He’s still just as physical, but he’s abandoned his somewhat arrogant side for a more intense investment.
The slender look and apparent nonchalance are still there, but behind it hides a high-level performer, who is less in the “look what I can do” of his debut and more in the moment, picking up the crowd song after song without letting up.
The show opens with Prologue, while only the shadows of the singer, the four choristers and the five musicians stand out – an ensemble with variable geometry depending on the needs. Then, in Pavement, Les Louanges steps into the light, while the rest of the group remains in hazy lighting. This vaporous atmosphere will remain thus installed all evening, the singer walking regularly between the subdued and the clarity.
PHOTO FLORIAN LEROY, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The show took place in a hazy atmosphere.
On disc, the pop song with R&B and jazz hues of Louanges is already convincing. On stage, his music unfolds even more, among other things with long intros and surprising bridges that leave a lot of room for improvisation, accentuating what is already there. So the soul of What are you doing to me is even more soulful, the finals of Dm’s And Westcott literally become jazz, his interpretation of The night is a panther and of Darling is even more sensual.
Result: each time it seems to reach a peak, the next piece climbs a step higher. Even during a darker and less danceable sequence, with the recent Encore, Mono, Bolero And Cruzethe experimental, distorted and very heavy finale is so epic that what could have been a slight dip turns into (another) highlight.
And the audience, very young – many, many twenty-somethings, a tiny minority aged 40 and over! –, adheres to each proposal, whether during a kind of dance-duel with his accomplice saxophonist Félix Petit on Jupiter or a moment of grace when he finally stops, the time to sing the poignant Easywhich also allows you to appreciate your voice at its fair value.
PHOTO FLORIAN LEROY, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
A young and vibrant audience that sang all night long
Les Louanges reaped the rewards of this constant electric charge: at a few moments, in a (short) silence between two songs, cries and applause rose soaring the ceiling to send him love – which he took the time to welcome, with an open heart.
In fact, the exchange was constant between the public and him: all evening, the hyper-crowded floor moved, following his grooves throbbing, and the crowd was heard singing along to virtually every song, verse and chorus, the voices even making their way over the music, or taking up all the space when given the chance.
After sharing Crash with Brö replacing Corneille and finished on Pitou in an explosion of joy and raised hands, Les Louanges reappeared on the balcony to sing a new song, Central Park The Fountain. And a rare thing, the silence suddenly came about for attentive listening, in what can be described without exaggerating as a moment of magic.
Les Louanges then returned to the stage with his Tercel 96, for a joyous delirium of jam and body surfingand the public, not tired for two cents, was still singing.
PHOTO FLORIAN LEROY, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
It was the second time that Les Louanges sang at the MTelus in less than a year.
“This is all for you guys. You don’t know how much I love you”, he said in a very emotional speech when he came back to settle alone at the piano to Park Ex And Last.
” Every time I’m afraid it’s the last “, he sings in this poignant love song, which could very well be addressed to his public. But on that side, don’t worry: Les Louanges is in a class of its own, and frankly, we don’t see how it could stop. The question is rather how far it will go.