Right before the world went into a near global lockdown thanks to a pandemic, we took a 12 hour road trip to see UK artist Dermot Kennedy at Place des Arts in Montreal.
The car was literally cased in ice by the time we finished our nearly three hour drive – welcome to March in Canada! – but it was well worth it.
The venue itself was stunning; a theatre with art pieces displayed amongst the common areas. The auditorium was gorgeous, and the sound was perfect for both Dermot and SYML’s music.
SYML opened the show, an artist I’d listened to a handful of times before, but who is now fully integrated into my regular music rotation. He was accompanied by a friend on the violin, playing a handful of songs and stopping to chat to the crowd in between. Stand out songs were Girl, written for his daughter, and Flags. The latter is about an experience with cancer, and I’ve been absolutely in love with it since.
Then came Dermot’s set. I knew he was a popular artist, but was still shocked at how many people were signing every word to every song. His voice was wonderful, his band playing seemingly effortlessly with him. I always get worried that artists I enjoy recorded because of their haunting lyrics and vocals will underwhelm live, but that certainly wasn’t the case here.
The set list was a mix of old and new, thankfully with my favourites – Rome and All My Friends – thrown in. A new favourite came upon hearing For Island Fires and Family. I couldn’t get the memory of the song out of my head for weeks.
Along with the music, the graphics and video footage playing behind the band throughout Dermot’s set added a visually engaging element to the show. When you have a performer who isn’t moving around the stage all the time, it opens the door to having an added element of visual storytelling; birds, water, mountains, faces. The imagery lent itself beautifully to the lyrics of the songs and kept you engaged throughout multiple senses. Truly a wonderful show.
We took our makeup off in the theatre bathroom before starting our long, foggy drive back to Ottawa, since we both had to work the next morning. The whole adventure was an evening I will not forget (if you know, you know!).
The Concert Chronicles 