Allan Rayman + Loran G @ MTelus – 29 November 2019

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Allan Rayman at Mtelus in Montreal, Canada

I’m going to be very honest with you, I had no idea what to expect for this show. I caught a glimpse of Allan Rayman at Osheaga in 2018, but a glimpse is not enough for me to latch on to an artist. This concert completely changed that for me. 

Loran G 

I can assure you, one of the things I did not expect to see that night was a magician performing as the opening act. I clearly wasn’t the only one that was surprised. The crowd released sounds of shock and astonishment while Loran G performed illusions with intense music bursting from the speakers. 

I have never seen anything like it. At first glance, I was sure Loran G was about to pull an acoustic guitar from under his long cloak and perform as a musician. I hadn’t even thought of the possibility that he would instead, rip off his cloak, revealing a classic magicians uniform. Dressed in a mostly black suit, with a classy vest to pull his outfit together. 

Loran’s performance was, dare I say it, magical. He perfectly executed any trick you could think of. From manipulating a silver skull to float and toy with a cloth, to pulling several coloured handkerchiefs out of his throat. No matter what he did, the crowd was immensely pleased with it while watching. 

Don’t assume that Loran’s act was purely based on those elementary magical tricks though because he did much more. His lovely, dancing assistant had climbed into a box, and while her hand stuck out from a hole cut on the top, Loran had stuck swords into each side. The twist? When Loran had opened the box, nothing was to be found. Everyone gasped in amazement, cheering on for Loran G. He closes the door, and when he reopens it, there she is! She’s safe and sound and ready for their next trick. 

This time, while wearing cowboy hats, Loran was the one to climb into a large chest as his assistant locked him inside. She then stands over the chest, holding a blanket up to cover her body. When she threw it in the air, everyone in MTelus was amazed to see that she and Loran G had switched! Loran stepped down from on top of the chest, and freed his assistant from her confinement, ended his performance. 

Loran G left the stage after giving a word of thanks to Allan Rayman and his assistant, leaving the crowd in a state of shock and amazement. It was such a unique way to start a concert, a fine appetizer to get everyone’s blood pumping before the main event took place. 

Allan Rayman at Mtelus in Montreal, Canada

Allan Rayman 

To start off, I want to mention that I’ve been to a lot of concerts. If you’ve ever read any other of my reviews, you’ll notice that it isn’t too hard to please me when it comes to performances. This concert was so different. I had never seen anything remotely similar to what Allan Rayman had cooked up for his tour, it left me in absolute awe. 

Allan’s set began with himself walking onto stage, pulling an invisible cord to imitate turning on a basement light. He then performed two songs; “Gun” and “Word Of Mouth.” Once his second song had finished, a recording of a woman’s voice called for him. “Allan, dinners ready!” to which he replied, “I’m coming mom, just one more song!” 

Allan Rayman at Mtelus in Montreal, Canada

It was this moment when a switch had been flipped in my mind. I realized that this show doubled as a play. Surely after one more song, he had made the same pulling motion on the invisible cord, shutting off the spotlight and he exited the stage. 

For the second scene, Allan stood in front of a working fan centre stage. A car engine could be heard from the speakers, and Allan was seen pretending to have his arm around a girl while driving. He said sweet nothings into the microphone, looking to his right as if he were speaking to a woman. “Lucy The Tease” was performed shortly after his short skit. 

Allan Rayman at Mtelus in Montreal, Canada

Next, Allan dragged a table and stool over to the left of the stage, sitting down to pour himself a glass of whatever was in that bottle. He had the microphone stand leaning on his lap, making it difficult to hear his dialogue, but it was clear he was acting drunk. The sound of a phone ringing engulfed the room, pulling an irritated groan from the back of Allan’s throat. Two more songs were performed, “Tennessee” and “Graceland.” 

Another intermission skit was performed. This time he didn’t bring his microphone with him to his barstool, so I couldn’t hear a single word. I didn’t need to though, because when the phone rang once more Allan had screamed the word “no” over and over with his entire voice. He got up to play a few more songs, then stumbled off of stage. 

Allan Rayman at Mtelus in Montreal, Canada

A moment passes, and the sound of an engine turning over breaks the silence. Spotlights switch on, facing the crowd, shining in everyone’s face like a pair of headlights. The headlights start to swerve after driving for a few seconds. The sound of tires screeching against asphalt was heavy in the room. Then suddenly, crash. Headlights spin out of control, and the ugly noise of metal crumbling and glass shattering abused our ears. 

Stumbling back onto stage just as he had left it, was Allan Ryaman, wearing a pair of tall white feathered wings. It was clear his character had died in a drunk driving accident. The rest of his show was executed while he wore his wings. 

Allan Rayman at Mtelus in Montreal, Canada

Hopefully, I made it as clear as possible as to why I was so impressed with Allan Rayman. I may not know much about his music, but it’s clear as day that Allan is a genius. I’ve never seen a concert like this one, and it’s forever changed my opinion on Allan. If his next concert is anything like this one that passed, do yourself a favour and don’t miss it. There’s no doubt that I’ll be there as well. 

Allan Rayman at Mtelus in Montreal, Canada

Review – Jamie Siddall
Photos – Ryley Remedios

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