The triumphant return of Charlotte Cardin

Charlotte Cardin gave the first of four performances on Thursday evening in a packed Place Bell.

It was a return home in the form of a triumph for the singer-songwriter, since more than 35,000 people will see between now and Sunday this show in which she demonstrates that she is in a class of her own, as much by her mastery of the stage, her sense of elegance and joy, and above all her irrepressible power which resonates with all the young women in the audience — and everyone else of course!

The last time Charlotte Cardin performed in Montreal was in 2022, during 13 memorable performances at the MTelus. Besides an unplanned show at Osheaga last summer replacing Aya Nakamura, she had not been seen again in a venue in the Montreal area. Nearly six months after starting to turn 99 Nights in Trois-Rivières and Quebec, she was finally back on Thursday, and received the welcome she deserved: that of a pop princess who is also the darling of the Montreal public.

There has been a lot of talk about the Quebec singer over the past two weeks: loss of voice which forced her to cancel several European shows – we guarantee she is cured! —, the most cited artist at the Junos with six nominations, announces that she will sing the Canadian anthem at the NBA All-Star Game… All this reminds us to what extent her career has taken off spectacularly. But we are never more convinced of this than when we see the author-composer – performer inhabit the stage with an ease that can only be acquired over the years – the Charlotte Cardin that we saw in 2017 at the Club Soda, talented but rather shy behind her keyboard, is far away.

On a very refined stage made up of three levels, Charlotte Cardin arrives in the shadows to sing Loopingwhich appears on 99 nightshis second album released in August 2023. Then the evening immediately took off with Meaninglesstaken from Phoenix, its precedent. She will thus essentially wander through the excellent repertoire of these two albums, which form a more than solid corpus of sparkling pop.

There are no projections or spectacular installations in this Charlotte Cardin show, only subtle lighting and a large stage inhabited by the musicians and the singer, who sometimes grabs her guitar, other times plays the keyboard , or sits at the grand white piano.

It’s refined and elegant in fact, and the emphasis is on his presence, his unique voice, and at the risk of repeating ourselves, his power and his affirmation tinged with a little vulnerability – if the crowd is diverse, we There is a large majority of young women who clearly identify with it. Seeing them let off steam in unison to the unifying anthems of Charlotte Cardin, we can only be moved by the joy of this communion.

And joy, Charlotte Cardin had it in spades on Thursday. “I can’t believe this is really my life. This is our first home show in an arena. I was so excited to see you! “, she said after a heartfelt good evening Montreal – she had clearly forgotten that Place Bell is located in Laval, but we won’t hold that against her, it’s not far away and it’s true that she was at home.

The evening then proceeded in a constant upswing, with pieces like Passive Aggressive And Daddy’s a Psycho with an ensemble of eight strings, which remained on a few pieces, including Phoenix And Anyone Who Loves Mededicated to the women in his life — a moment of great beauty and emotion.

The strings gone, the more hectic rhythm took over. “Are you having a nice evening?” We’re in trouble! “, launched the singer, obviously happy and fulfilled, who several times claimed to be having “one of the most beautiful evenings” of her life – there was no reason not to believe her.

Until the encore, Place Bell was transformed into a dance floor, with 99 Nightsthe amazing Jim Carreywhich she makes the public practice like a true leader, but with a disarming naturalness, Sex to me… You had to see her jump on Feel Good and let off steam on Confetti — which ended, of course, with a shower of confetti — to understand what an extraordinary performer she has become.

“I will never forget this evening,” said Charlotte Cardin as she returned for the encore. For which she had two surprises in store: first her friend Devon Portielje from Half Moon Run, who came to share two songs… then Patrick Watson, another darling of Montrealers, who joined them on the piano. She shared with Watson her song I’ll leave you the words Then Next to You, in a moment of grace which made a perfect conclusion to a more than perfect evening. Which we won’t soon forget either.