On the windy autumn evening when Kurt Vile and the Violators played their concert, most Montrealers still hadn’t picked up their coats and hats to prepare for the colder season, and people needed a warm escape from the freezing outside. That is exactly what the Pennsylvanian band brought to the Corona Theatre; a comforting folk sound decorated with the warm vibrations of twangy guitars and the occasional metallic notes of a synthesizer.
Soon after Kurt got on stage and began playing his guitar, he started bobbing his head gently and looking at the crowd, inviting them to do the same. Already, the whole room was captivated by the song and was dancing softly to the music. The band sounded amazing and truly did justice to their records by playing just as well as they sounded on their albums.
The band wasn’t very talkative with the audience, only occasionally letting their music be briefly interrupted by compliments and words of appreciation to the fans. However, that was no problem as they ended each song, leaving the crowd wanting more. From the beginning to the end, the crowd was fixated on the band, rocking their heads to the beat. When they played fan favourite songs like Pretty Pimpin, How Lucky, and Hey Like A Child, you could hear the whole venue singing along. Kurt Vile and the Violators really have a way of connecting with the audience without needing to use their words.
Even with his long hair often covering his face, Kurt looked so comfortable on stage, playing his intricate fingerpicking and his impressive guitar solos
effortlessly, accompanied by his signature “woo!”’s and “hoo!”’s that gave a laid-back mood to the performance.
When the concert ended, and people were finding their way out of the venue, you could overhear many reminiscing about their favourite songs from the concert. It seemed like they had a good night, too.
Jamie Siddall
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