Of Montreal

Went to Montreal last weekend. What for, you ask. Well, to have fun of course! But mostly to see The Stills play their hometown in the last stop on their tour. You may recall an earlier entry in which we made a resolution to see this great Canadian band play in Montreal after we saw them at the Opera House in Toronto. I had a blast the entire weekend in this city that I'm growing to like each time I visit. So, a synopsis of what happened during this groupie fest (note: this was the 3rd time I saw the band in the last 4 months).

Friday morning, Janice arrived at our house. Wendy & I finished packing and got everything into the car. She was driving first because she didn't want to drive in Montreal. Anyway, it was a beautiful sunny morning, perfect fall weather, and we were off to a good start...until Janice was like, "Kathy did you bring the tickets?!" EXTREME PANIC as I realized that I had NOT brought the tickets!!!!!! I had no idea what was wrong with me - me, who never forgets anything!! Anyway, good thing we were only waiting at the light at Rodick & Woodbine. Whew. Disaster avoided. I mean, I'm sitting here now, still wondering how the heck I could have almost forgot the tickets, the entire purpose of our trip.

The drive to Montreal was smooth. I was actually anxious that Wendy was driving my car but I managed to relax after we were in Oshawa or so. This was the first time I'd driven a car there so I didn't realize how unbelievably easy it is to actually get there. Not too much road stories...just an annoyingly slow silver PT Cruiser, a black Jetta whose driver I think Wendy developed a crush on (because "he has nice driving manners"), and a guy who looked like a frog. It actually took us about 5 1/2 hours to get to our hotel because of a truck on that hwy that looked like it exploded - lotsa smoke, garbage, firetrucks (ooo exciting), and traffic getting into the city. We also made an interesting pit stop at a McDonald's in Quebec...it was more funny than anything. There was a group of guys sitting and they acted as if they had never seen Chinese ppl in their life. We brushed them off...lol

After we checked into the Hotel, we went to scope out Club Soda. It was surprisingly close to the hotel...like a 5 minute walk away. The street it was on was a little sketchy though. We also walked around the back to plan our stalking route (yes, I used that "s" word). Then we walked down to Old Montreal. For some reason the city was really quiet that night. We just couldn't figure it out. Anyway, we went to this crepes place for dinner and it was good. Most interesting was Wendy's order of a BOWL of hot chocolate.

We were pretty tired and cold (SO cold!) so we headed back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep because of the long day we knew we had ahead of us.

Saturday - day of the concert and of course, shopping. We had breakfast at this Cafe Depot, where the woman didn't understand we wanted 3 orders of #4. So we ordered by pointing to each other and saying, "four." We ended up getting 3 orders of #3. ah well.

We walked to Ste Catherine and while heading towards the main shopping area, we saw a St Hubert! None of us have had it in years cuz all the Toronto ones seem to be closed down so we decided we would go there for dinner. Anyway, we spent 5 or so hours shopping...CRAZY. And collectively we didn't even buy that much. We got back to the hotel and even managed to have a little nap.

We decided to leave the hotel at 5:30...we got to St Hubert about 5:45 or so...and there is a freakin 50 MINUTE wait!! How coudl there be so many ppl eating so early! We were confused and quite disappointed :( We ended up eating at Mikes Restaurant. Again, there was a wait for the food and the 3 of us were getting a little worried. The doors at Club Soda opened at 8 pm and we wanted to be in line early (we were in line at 7 pm at the T.O. concert!). It was 6:55 when the food finally arrived. There's eating fast, then there's what we did Saturday night. I am a pretty slow eater and I was amazed I was able to eat so quickly without feeling indigestion. And the plates were so large! They were like American sized servings. Come to think of it, is Mikes American? Anyway, we were outta there and in line by about 7:20...except I had to go back to the hotel to get the correct memory card cuz Wendy left it in the case, which she left at the hotel cuz she said it was too large to carry. On the way back from the hotel I decided to go around the back of the venue. Like I said earlier, it was a sketchy area but I decided to risk it on the chance that I might see a band member. I felt pretty safe though because there were actually 2 cops talking to some person on the street. As I walked passed the backdoors of Club Soda, I saw ppl...but none of them were band members. I saw one guy holding a video camera and when I finally met up with Wendy & Janice again, they said the concert was being recorded!! So hopefully this'll show up on a DVD or video :)

We got our usual spot, front left. I was surprised when the people next to us (front centre) moved back a bit to talk to one of her friends...and she didn't even think about saving her spot! These Montreal ppl..haha..if it were in Toronto, someone would have taken her spot the minute she moved 2 inches away...

Patrick Watson opened. He was very entertaining to watch. Their sound is also quite unique. I would definitely have another listen to their music. The guitar player though I found quite annoying. He kept moving like he had ADHD but in a jerky way, since he was playing the guitar. I found it quite distracting. Anyway, Patrick Watson...someone to watch for.

Finally, The Stills. They had a projection screen with images from their album...floating feathers, hand-drawn symbols, etc. They didn't have the projection in Toronto, so this was a treat. The show opened with the feathers on the screen and an operatic soundtrack...then the band members came on one by one. When Greg came one, I realized we were standing in the exact same spot as the Toronto concert. I decided, I had to one-up my screamfest from the Toronto show...plus, this was being video recorded so I had to act more crazy =) I'm not too sure if Greg recognized us but he should have...3 asian chicks screaming their lungs out in the exact same spot...

The concert was amazing. I can't even express how great it was. The audience was a lot better than Toronto's...this time, it wasn't just the 3 of us shouting. Probably has to do with the many friends and family in the audience. Also, there were more guys compared to the Toronto show..haha. "Of Montreal," "Love and Death," and "Changes Are No Good" are highlights. Actually, all the songs were freakin' amazing. And they sang "Retour A Vega," with Tim introducing it in French!! I don't know what the song means and I can't hear everything he's singing, but it is such a beautiful song. And once again, Tim came to the ledge, right in front of us!! In fact, where we were was the only spot on the stage where there was nothing blocking the way, so he had to come to where we were if he wanted to get to the ledge! I touched him (again) and this time Janice got to as well :P Whenever Greg did a guitar solo, I screamed even louder than I thought was possible...hahah. Dave, when he sang "yesterday never tomorrows" at the end of the encore, also came out to the ledge and he leaned all the way out...more screaming and psychotic behaviour ensued =) The band also played a new song, "Halo the Harpoon" during the encore. It sounds like the new album won't disappoint =)

A funny part of the concert was when this kid got on stage and tried to mosh...I don't think it turned out too well. I actually saw ppl shaking their heads when he indicated he wanted to jump...

The greatest part (for me) was when, even before the concert was over, like 3 or 4 songs before the break & encore, Greg removed his copy of the setlist with his foot (he kept stepping on it all night, i noticed..) and he kicked it directly to ME!!! So now I am wondering if he really does remember us from the T.O. concert. It was so great. And after the concert, while we were waiting around to see try to meet the band, we saw Greg on stage right talking to a roadie...Wendy waved at him and he acknowledged her by giving a head-nod! Sweet.

Tim came out for a bit after the concert and once people recognized it was him, there was a swarm. But pretty soon he saw who he was looking for (his girlfriend) and he went backstage with her. We were debating whether to try to get in, or go around back, but we realized there were so many friends and family around. When we saw these old people wearing Stills shirts and realized they were probably a band member's parents, we decided to leave. Stopped by the merchandise table to purchase a poster, headed to coat check (everyone in Montreal coatchecks...I remember in Toronto, when we went to see Pilate, not many ppl coatchecked...), then left. Our next attempt to get backstage or into the afterparty will occur when they're not in their hometown.

Next morning, we walked around town for 1/2 hour trying to find this breakfast place Wendy liked. She couldn't remember where it was, so we headed to Chez Cora. mmmm...good stuff. I wish they had one here! Then we got in the car and headed back. This time the trip took only 4 1/2 hours or so.

Being in Montreal and seeing the band live again was inspiring. Now I am determined to re-learn my French. I still remember a lot but it's rusty and of course I can't really practice it. you know what this means...more trips to Montreal! Good times.

incroyable!

hmmmm...I know I'm not thinking straight when I almost get convinced to try the Atkins diet.



The Incredibles is an amazing movie! I love all these animated features, and it's great to see that there are more and more each year. Thematically, The Incredibles is a lot more "adult" than other Pixar animations. What was really cool was that it really felt like the classic superhero movie...while watching it, I was so caught up in the good-versus-evil action that I forgot I was watching an animated flick. My favourite character has to be Edna Mode because, duh, she is THE superhero fashion designer...I also love her happy face. Violet comes in a close second; the animators/writers did a very good job of portraying her growing up and discovering the strength of her powers. This is definitely one of my top 5 Disney movies. Go see it! Now!

i can't take my eyes off of you

NOOOOOOOO. I knew this would happen! The fear set in after my initial shock when I heard "Delicate" on Alias last season. Then later that SAME week, "Cannonball" was on The O.C. Now, tonight, while watching The O.C., I heard another Damien Rice song used in the movie ad for Closer. Boo-urns! At least it wasn't a car commercial. I know I'm exhibiting a classic case of a hardcore fan resenting the increasing popularity of an artist who deserves better fans than the ones he's sure to attract once his music is on a show like The O.C. Popularity is good, especially for someone like Damien, whose ability to write such beautiful music should be shared by all who can appreciate it (if you haven't already heard me say it, I cried when I listened to O for the first time). But as a fan, there's always that fear of what popularity will do to him and his music. Will the next album be too "pop," in an attempt to reach an even wider audience, or will it have no creative originality, spurred by the pressures of the record company to reproduce O 2. Or will I no longer like his music because too many people know about him so he's no longer the obscure talent that first attracted me to his music in the first place (what can I say, I'm a sucker for the underdog). OK, I'll calm down. I have faith in you, Damien; don't let me down on the next album!