Live Shows

REVIEWS OF RECENT LIVE SHOWS IN MONTREAL
(and everywhere else...)

September 30, 2011
Saga at Théâtre Hector Charland in L'Assomption
- By Robert Dansereau, 09/30/11
A fantastic evening of music last Wednesday when Saga rocked the house at the Théâtre Hector Charland in L'Assomption. After battling road construction on the way in, I stopped at the excellent Bistro L'ange Cornu as I usually do for dinner before the show, and saw the entire Saga team relaxing and having a good meal before heading back to the venue.

The first part of the evening was presented by Montreal's JellyFiche. They offered what they described as a 4-member semi-acoustic set, where the drummer replaced his full drumkit by a single cymbal, a hi-hat and a beat-box, and the singer of the band did double duty on the bass. They performed a few tracks from their first album, but mostly new material from their recently launched Symbiose CD. A great introduction to the evening that revved-up the audience.

Then on to the long-awaited return of Saga in Quebec, also marking the return of Michael Sadler on vocals. The band offered almost two hours of their splendid keyboard/guitar-driven symphonic melodic progressive rock, to a thoroughly satisfied and euphoric audience.

The setlist included among others fan favorites such as On The Loose, Times Up, The Flyer, Humble Stance, Follow Me, The Perfectionist, You're Not Alone, How Long, Don't Be Late, Scratching The Surface, and ending with a vigorous version of Wind Him Up. A generous and incredibly energetic show with a setlist sure to satisfy any Saga fan. The musicians were in top shape, one of these rare bands that have kept their level of musicianship and enthusiasm very high over a career that spans over three decades.

Brian Doerner on drums was fantastic, and along with Jim Crichton on the bass, offered an impeccable rhythm section, Ian Crichton offered blistering guitar riffs and mind-boggling counterpoints, and Jim Gilmour showed with ease that he's one of the original keyboard wizards. And what can I say about Michael Sadler, the charismatic voice and soul of Saga, this incredible human dynamo has lost nothing of his magnificent voice and his resplendant stage presence. He was touched by the crowd's warm reception, welcoming him back with much enthusiasm. Mattias Noren of the Dutch Progressive Rock Page described him eloquently: "Michael Sadler doesn't only have a great voice, he is great on stage and has the magic to entertain and communicate with the audience in a magnificent way."

Jim Gilmour treated us to the full version of Scratching the Surface, which had only been performed in acoustic version over the past few years. Some fun audience participation on You're Not Alone as Michael made the crowd sing the chorus out loud. The sound overall was pretty good, although Ian's guitar was overwhelming at times, and Jim Gilmour's keyboards were sometimes inaudible, and sometimes a bit overpowering.

Thank you to the Théâtre Hector Charland for the kind invitation to this gig and a big thanks to the fine folks of Jelly Fiche and Saga for a wonderful evening!

September 24, 2011
Mikey Heppner does Zappa and
Mahogany Frog at the PopMontréal Fest
By Robert Dansereau, 09/24/11
What an awesome performance I saw last night, Mikey Heppner does Zappa along with the formidable opening band Mahogany Frog, rocked the house in the most unusual of settings... the Cinéma L'Amour. Formerly a popular movie house called Cinéma Hollywood many decades ago, it has been an adult movie theatre for the past 30 years... oh if those seats could talk!

But back to yesterday's show! The crowd was surprisingly big, showing that there is still much love for the musical genius that was Frank Zappa. Winnipeg-based Mahogany Frog presented a short but oh so sweet opening act, concentrating mostly on new material from their unreleased upcoming CD, as well as one piece from their excellent DO5 CD. Always precise as clockwork, these fantastic young multi-instrumentalists offered an energetic, eclectic and highly cohesive performance that was just tailor-made for the numerous Zappa fans. At the end of their 35-minute set, they got an enthusiastic standing ovation from the warmed-up crowd.

Mahogany Frog is Jesse Warkentin on guitars and keyboards, Graham Epp on guitars, keyboards and trumpet, Scott Ellenberger on bass and trumpet and Andy Rudolph, on drums/percussion and electronics. Their three albums, VS Mabus, In Blue and DO5, are true gems of instrumental prog/alt rock/fusion, available in CD format and in limited quantity on highly collectable vinyl LPs.

And then on to the main event of the evening, Mikey Heppner's Zappa tribute, featuring the unbelievable Mikey Heppner (Priestess, Uncle Bad Touch) on guitars, vocals and sequins, Jeremy MacCuish (Parlovr) on drums, Steve Ludvik (Caroline Glass Band) on bass, Dave Lines (A Devil's Din, Caroline Glass Band) on keyboards and Chucky Doucet (A Devil's Din) on guitars.

The enthusiastic crowd cheered between every song, and many were on their feet dancing or bobbing on the sides and in the center aisle. The band started set with an energetic interpretation of Peaches in Regalia and offered spot on versions of Muffin Man, Don't Eat that Yellow Snow, Chunga's Revenge, Tell Me You Love Me, Magdalene and many many more.

The dual guitar attack was particularly effective, unleashing waves of Zappa goodness on the unsuspecting crowd, the entire show accompanied by captivating and slightly disturbing claymation animations on the big screen above the band. For a band put together literally at the last minute, their cohesion was nothing short of astonishing. Midway through the performance, an unfortunate snare drum incident stalled the show for a few seconds, but Mahogany Frog's Andy Rudolph to the rescue, who quickly fetched his already packed snare drum so the show could resume. Mikey aknowledged the Winnipeg quartet, who got another generous round of applause.

A grand evening and a highly respectful tribute to the memory of the great Frank Zappa, never mind what Gail Zappa thinks! Thanks to PopMontreal for this brilliant proggy evening, and kudos to the two bands, who entertained us to no end!

May 10, 2011
Asia in Montreal: a review
By Robert Dansereau
Nearly 20 years after their last appearance in Montreal, I had the pleasure to see last night the return of one of the original progressive rock supergroups, Asia, featuring the original lineup of the band with bassist/vocalist John Wetton (UK and King Crimson), drummer Carl Palmer (ELP), guitarist Steve Howe (Yes), and keyboardist Geoff Downes (Yes, Buggles).

A well-attended event, the Metropolis' floor was packed, as well as a good portion of the balcony. A bit after 8:00 PM, the band stepped onstage. For those who think that Asia is just a nostalgy act, you couldn't be more wrong! This was a truly remarkable concert, by some of the best musicians in the world, and their new material is really refreshing and captivating. Not only did they play all their classic tracks which brought back a flood of memories for me, but they offered the fans a great, energetic performance and great new Asia music too!

The evening was divided in two sets with a 20-minute intermission. The setlist covered a variety of compositions from the self-titled debut Asia, Alpha, Astra, Phoenix and their latest, Omega, including I Believe, Only Time Will Tell, Holy War, Don't Cry, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, Extraordinary Life, The Heat Goes On, Sole Survivor, and for the encore, they offered Go, wrapping up with their mega-hit Heat Of The Moment.

First off, John Wetton simply blew me away! It's wonderful how his voice is still so magnificent after all these years, and his stage presence is as dynamic and tireless as ever! Sporting a Zon bass, he rocked the house from the first to the last note of the evening, and even sang the beginning of Don't Cry a cappella! Keyboard wizard Jeff Downes' soaring harmonies were magnificent. Surrounded by his wall of synths, he is a truly brilliant musician. Steve Howe was simply perfect, every note so carefully crafted, he offered the fans a short acoustic medley of Yes songs during the first set. And Carl Palmer is energetic as ever, just a splendid drummer, even more in context performing on contemporary material, one of the truly entertaining drummers to see and hear, his solo at the end of The Heat Goes On was something I was actually looking forward to, and it was just a joy to watch!

Here are a few pictures captured before and during the show (click on the images to see a larger version).
Rehearsal/setup:

Concert:

Photos © 2011 Robert Dansereau

Also check out our Asia photo album, all pictures courtesy of our good friend Réjean Lafortune.

March 20, 2011
Close To The Edge at Il Motore: A review
Last Friday, March 18, was the very first concert given by Close to the Edge with their big lineup change since the departure of Benoit David for obvious reasons! The Il Motore club on Jean-Talon was packed, much to my pleasure. Newcomers Clément Larose on guitars and Charles Fortin on lead vocals formerly of the tribute band Relayers, were reunited with their old Relayers mate Simon Mercure on keys and vocals, who joined CTTE in 2007. The trio completed original CTTE members Richard Lanthier on bass and vocals and Pierre Dragon on drums.

It was with much anticipation that I attended this show, big shoes to fill by the new members and big expectations from my part. They did not disappoint. This band has always been quite exceptional talentwise, and the new version features brilliant musicians who make up a great, tight band.

The concert began just a bit after 9 to a rousing welcome by the audience. The setlist was as follows, to the best of my memory: Siberian Khatru, Heart of the Sunrise, Long Distance Runaround, The Fish, Soon, And You And I, followed by a 30-min. break

Set 2 consisted of Close to the Edge, then on to Clément's guitar solo: Mood for a day, Leaves Of Green, Nous Sommes du Soleil, I've Seen All Good People and Starship Trooper. They finished with Roundabout for the encore

click on the image above for bigger versions - all photos ©2011 Robert Dansereau

Clément was impeccable and versatile on the guitars, with a perfect solo rendition of Mood for a Day. Charles fit right in with his crystal clear voice, just spot on with his warm interpretations of the old Yes standards. Simon was excellent, with a splendid performance on his Kurzweil PCX-3 and Hammond SX-1, he could have been just a tiny bit higher in the sound mix though. Pierre was his usual self, just a stunning, world class drummer, and Richard blew our minds with his masterful play and heart-pounding, dirty Ricky bass lines.

Close to the Edge is to Yes what The Musical Box is to Genesis, plain and simple. This is a band that should play in big auditotiums and go on tour, but I guess it's not as easy as it sounds when the band you pay tribute to borrows your band members!