Place Bell was the place to be on Tuesday night, as Bryson Tiller performed his debut show in Montreal for an eager audience.
As I walked into the arena to DJ Nitrane’s set, I knew this concert would be one for the books. The DJ, who knew his audience, played all the hits for the ladies in the building. Summer Walker, Drake, SZA, and Brent Faiyaz’s songs entertained the entire crowd, who sang every song word for word. The DJ did his job amazingly, as he gave the fans exactly what they wanted to hear and then some, even playing some songs twice.
Near the end of his set, Nitrane played some songs off Tiller Tuesdays, an album that the headliner released exclusively on SoundCloud. Although I wouldn’t have expected the crowd to know the obscure songs very well, it seemed like no one hadn’t memorized all the tracks.
As the DJ wrapped up his set, he announced to the crowd that, although many artists say this at all their tour stops, he genuinely meant it when he said that Montreal had the best crowd of the entire tour.
Thankfully, Bryson Tiller’s performance lived up to the hype set by the DJ. After a short wait, the headliner came out with a bang to Sorry Not Sorry. Flames, smoke, and a crazy outfit featuring glowing cables around his arms shocked his fans, who showed out and put their all into cheering for him. Tiller’s set design was interesting, as a cylinder constructed of tubes hung from the roof and pulsed with different colours throughout the show. His stage visuals all had the same theme of video game graphics as his newly released self-titled album, which was released in April of this year.
During the performance of the groovy and easygoing Run Me Dry, two dancers in masks came on stage and broke it down for the crowd, who ate it up and gave massive applause for the amazing dance moves. Throughout the entire show, the dancers showcased their moves and were even put into the spotlight later for a dance battle at the end of ÆON L U S T, which was hyped up by the charismatic Tiller.
Bryson kept up his high energy for the first half of his set, which featured performances of the wildly popular Exchange and Wild Thoughts before walking off stage at the end of Ciao!. While Bryson was backstage, the robotic voice of a woman echoed throughout the arena. The woman gave a bit more context on Bryson’s newest album and its meaning, stating that “Bryson Tiller is not just an album, it’s a declaration of artistic independence and a tribute to the relentless pursuit of greatness.”
The headliner walked on stage just moments later to his 2018 single Canceled, wearing a white lab coat. The crowd, which had enough time to regain their energy during the short break, went harder than ever and yelled so loud to the point that I had trouble hearing Bryson sing.
The headliner played some more of his songs before showing his appreciation to the female artists that he’s collaborated with in the past by performing the songs by H.E.R. and Summer Walker that feature Mr. Tiller. The energy in the arena for these songs was amazing, as the concert reached its climax while Bryson performed his iconic verses.
The great song performances continued up until the end when the headliner brought out his biggest songs and performed Don’t, Sorrows, and Right My Wrongs back to back to back. The audience was ecstatic with this dream lineup of songs, and it seemed like things couldn’t get much better before Bryson, unfortunately, thanked Montreal and announced that the show had come to its end before he walked off stage.
I always wait after concerts for an encore, and this time was no different. Unfortunately, after just a few moments, the stage lights went off. Believing that the show had come to an end, I made my way toward the long line of fans trying to exit the arena. Thankfully, the lights came back on, and Bryson ran back on stage performing his hottest song at the moment, Whatever She Wants.
Before this concert, I had never been fooled by a fake walk-off, and I couldn’t have been more relieved to have fallen for it this time. The crowd erupted as a stream of fans poured in from the exit to sing and dance along to one last song.
All in all, Bryson Tiller’s Montreal show was one to be remembered thanks to an amazing crowd and even better performers.
Nic Cantin
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