Blondshell + Meg Elsier @ Fairmount Theatre▪

Things look a little different for Meg Elsier when she steps out onto a Montreal stage tonight compared to last time she was here. After opening for Finom last October to about 15–20 people, the contrast of an absolutely packed Théâtre Fairmount is enough to have her grinning before a note is even played!

After the set kicks off with the splendid “dog,” the roars that greet her giggly “my name is Meg!” have her grinning even more. The moody “iznotreal” contrasts markedly with the raw Alanis Morissette angle of her vocal, before new song “sportscar” arrives to announce itself as your soundtrack to the summer.

She’s effervescent in her excitement as she declares, “Blondshell fans are the best, thanks for coming early every night!” It’s her last night opening for the headliners, but you can tell they’ve loved every minute, and are definitely a good touring match.

A cover of Gwen Stefani’s “Cool” is a good choice for this crowd too, the blissed-out vibes blending into the set seamlessly.

The set concludes in triumphant manner, the soaring “ifshitfuq” (“the first song I ever wrote!”) followed up with the stellar “forlyleinsanfrancisco,” the song which hooked me in on first listen way back last year. That snarling second verse sees Meg’s neck veins bulge as she spits those rhymes, until the song explodes at the chorus; I swear, one day there will be a pit at this part, I can see it now!

Another epic 30 minutes that races by all too fast; I’m definitely ready for a full headline set next!

Meg Elsier Setlist

dog
iznotreal
sportscar
cheater
baby
Cool (Gwen Stefani cover)
ifshitfuq
forlyleinsanfrancisco

When Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum, aka Blondshell, arrives on stage, it’s definitely not what I expected, based on what I’ve heard. With all that saucy lyrical content peppered throughout her catalogue, I expected some kind of racy glam diva in a short dress… like the other Sabrina, actually (I mean Carpenter). But Ms. Teitelbaum strolls out with a baggy tee, jeans, and hair tied back — more like a punk!

But her voice is exactly as expected; right from set opener “23’s A Baby,” it’s exactly as on record. Whereas Meg was bubbly and excitable, Sabrina is notably more serious, absolutely deadpan and expressionless every time she sings, seemingly staring off into space at the back of the room.

A few twirls and poses are thrown during the instrumental parts of the songs when she’s free of her mic, and she chats a lot between songs, but when it’s time to sing: business time.

One of the things that really jumps out during the live set is just how pivotal bassist Maia Nelson is, laying down monumentally perfect harmonies that are pivotal to the Blondshell live experience — especially on songs such as “Toy,” “Arms,” and triumphant encore closer “Salad,” which, in conjunction with dim red stage lights, provides an epic conclusion to the 70-minute set.

The Blondshell fans are indeed the best, too, singing rapturously at any given opportunity. On “Sepsis,” Sabrina points the mic towards the crowd near the end of the song, as she sings “He’s gonna start infecting my life / It will hit all at once…” “LIKE SEPSIS!!!” is the deafening response.

“Olympus” and “Kiss City” garner huge singalongs too. The singalong to their now-famous cover of Addison Rae’s “Diet Pepsi” is also pretty deafening! Sabrina notices: “Montreal, it’s so good to see you!”

The set is full of highlights; it’s so good from start to finish. “Veronica Mars” is huge, but way too short, that menacing strum obliterated when the drums arrive. “Change” sounds just wonderful, with more angelic Maia harmonies, while Sabrina’s fragile vocal on “Event of a Fire” is so genuine in its fragility as she trails off at the song’s conclusion. New song “T&A” sounds so powerful live too, even more so when the stage lights drop to that spooky red again.

Having pumped the tires of Sabrina and Maia, it’s worth mentioning the rest of the band, who also get various moments to shine during the set. Guitarist Ray Libby has the acoustic lead on the wonderful “Thumbtack,” and then a huge solo on “Tarmac” a few songs later.

Sabrina sits on the drum riser, with other guitarist Kerri Stewart providing the electric strum on the stripped-down “Berlin TV Tower,” which is another set highlight for sure. But Kerri gets her own chance for a rock-out solo on “He Wants Me” a little later.

Shout-out to drummer Anna Crane too, who gets a happy birthday from the crowd at Sabrina’s behest, and holds it down at the back of the stage all set long.

Overall, it’s a fantastic evening from start to finish; don’t be surprised to see both of these artists on bigger stages next time around!