There’s no hazard. When the end of the world shows its ugly reel, Sylvie Paquette is there to remind us that there are “clearings, lulls”, as she sang in her entrance song, Saturday evening at Petit Outremont. Yes, beauty and good in this life. Need we remind you that six years ago, almost to the day, we were with the same Sylvie at the Lion d’Or on the terrible evening when Trump surrounded America. Fortunately, we were able to share our terror together in front of the wide-open hole that threatened to swallow us up: double grace, it had the poetry of Anne Hébert in song to throw ropes at us.
And now his return to a Montreal stage was happening while the votes for the American midterm elections were still being calculated and Trump, despite the avalanche of legal proceedings and incriminating investigations, had just announced that he wants to come back in 2028. Sylvie, Sylvie, dear Sylvie Paquette, do you even know how timely you are… to prevent us from sinking?
closer to her
She specifies that it is an “à la carte” show, a show that she did not plan to do, but that at the invitation of Coup de coeur francophone, she put on because the opportunity was to be seized and that there are really no coincidences in life. The best as well as the worst happen, that’s all. This allows Sylvie Paquette to bring her spring mini-album to life, a record for her lover who died of cancer, an ode to “resilience”.
She talks about it a lot, more than expected. “We had to chain everything in a frantic way”, she quips: “I should give conferences…” One thing is certain, she abolishes all distance and we think of our loved ones, and many think of her companion (we knew her and loved us too). Cocoon of friendship that this Petit Outremont.
The unusual accompaniment – guitar, Frédéric Alarie for double bass, Guillaume Bourque on clarinets and Chloé Lacasse on keyboards – ideally serves the purpose, illuminates it when necessary, envelops it when necessary. Chloé also sings: happiness to hear Sylvie Paquette and her harmonizing. It’s more than beautiful: let’s talk about soft and tender comfort.
The leeway of happiness
For a few songs, Sylvie is alone with her guitar and us. “I’m capable, after all,” she said to herself as she told us. His version of Keep me, a superbly beautiful song written by Daniel Bélanger, is as complete as the highly orchestrated studio version. It makes sense, a good song, when the extra emotion draws its true outline.
This show, prepared on short notice, is remarkable in its cohesion: the degree of excellence of the musicians allows a leeway that suits Sylvie Paquette perfectly. When she’s feeling good enough to have fun, which doesn’t happen to her that often (even after three decades of singing, fluency must be earned), she’s capable of anything, from making people laugh as well as pleasing, hold nothing back. And Trump is a long way from being re-elected. Nice final blow of this 36e French-speaking crush decidedly very successful.