Show: The Sadies + Li'l Andy
Venue: Ritz PDB, Montreal
Date: Saturday, January 30th, 2016
Heading to the Ritz on Jean-Talon street, it's a relatively warm winter evening. Am meeting my usual concert partner, V, although am a bit late due to falling asleep in bed. V's been different these days. She's lost patience with foolishness at some times. The crowd gets on her nerves. Comprehensible though. We have a hard time moving from one point to other without having to excuse ourselves for pushing someone aside. No budging that evening.
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| photo Johann Schlager |
The first set is Li’l Andy with band. They don't disappoint.
Have seen them perform twice already. First at the Petit Campus with someone wanting to steal the guitars (“it’s a joke” he kept assuring me). Second time at the 2015 FME where I fell on the sidewalk in front of band and attending crowd. This performance: everything is perfect. Li’l Andy and his band are on fire throughout the whole set. I particularly enjoyed the violinist’s, Joshua Zubot, solo on "See the Train Arrive".
The Sadies. I might’ve been the only one in the crowd that hadn’t seen them perform before.
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| Dallas Good photo Véronique Côté |
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| Travis Good photo Johann Schlager |
Great music without a doubt. A generous band, playing a long set. Dallas Good’s voice is a beauty. (Having said that I’ll add, with embarrassment, they are on automatic pilot. Completely normal though. Right? When you do so many shows in a year? The roaring crowd did motivate them however. It includes my work colleague by the bar jumping up and down like a kid in front of a candy store.) The thing is the music is so grand, any other bumps are unimportant. For fans that is.
A wonderful evening all in all.
On the way back home, I notice a blind man (sunglasses and stick) walking in the middle of the street. We’re on the corner of Clark and Jean-Talon. Cars are swerving by. “Do you know where you’re walking?” I scream. Of course I say the wrong thing. He’s insulted. He advances towards me and tells me he doesn’t know since he’s blind (duh, China). By being next to me he’s now, thank goodness, off the street. The bus driver dropped him off on the corner of Saint-Laurent and Jean-Talon, one street away from where he actually asked to descend. Clark street et Saint-Laurent blvd aren’t the same in width which explains why he was in the middle of the street. I walk with him to Saint-Laurent blvd. Once there he asks me to continue with him South on Saint-Laurent until Saint-Zotique. I tell him I can’t (I feel bad), because I don’t want to miss the last train. Luckily, I spot someone else heading home from The Sadies’ performance and plead with my eyes (so my pleads can't be heard) to help the blind guy out.
Living in Montreal is inexpensive. The nightlife and music scene are incomparable. Public transport is shitty.
xx China
xx China
