There might have been a crazy snowstorm that slowed down the city, but the second Josh Ross stepped onto the MTelus stage, it was clear Montreal was ready to party. The packed venue erupted, and the energy never dipped once during his hour and a half set. MTelus may be an intimate venue, but on this particular night, it felt massive. Every lyric was sung back at Ross, who admitted on his Instagram that Montreal was “the loudest Tuesday crowd.”
Performing songs from his latest album, Later Tonight, mixed with some of his top hits, he stepped on stage at 9:20 p.m. with “Hate How You Look.” It was a high-impact opener that set the energy for the night.
During his VIP meet and greet earlier that day, he chose two lucky fans to accompany him on stage for a song. But that wasn’t the end of it. Ross is present and attentive with his fans. He would steal phones constantly to record and take selfies, signed a bunch of items, and held up a fan sign that said “We Love Red Flags” during his performance of his hit song, “Red Flags.”
When Ross sat down with his guitar by himself on stage, he announced he would be playing an unreleased song called “Wanted Me To Be.” He followed with a crowd favourite, “Scared of Getting Sober,” but the smiles quickly became tears when he started playing “Here Without You” as an homage to Brad Arnold, the lead singer for 3 Doors Down, who passed away three days earlier after his battle with cancer. It was truly a sight to see.
To bring the energy back up, he invited his opening act, Chandler Walters, back on stage to cover Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” If there had been any space to line dance, I was ready to jump in!
Ross stepped off stage after his hit “Ain’t Doin’ Jack,” but the crowd wasn’t done. The Canadian staple “Ole, Ole, Ole” chant, paired with foot stomping, made the venue shake. Ross came running back out for the three-song encore wearing a Habs jersey, making fans of Canadiens hockey and country music go absolutely wild.
Overall, Josh Ross is a very talented singer, and he sounds just as good live as on his records. He managed to make the night feel both massive and personal, a rare balance that explains exactly why his fanbase keeps growing. If this was one of his loudest crowds to date, Montreal made sure he’ll remember it.
Setlist
- Hate How You Look
- Red Flags
- Namin’ Names
- My Side of Town
- Burn Back
- Smith & Wesson
- First Taste of Gone
- Half Lit
- Later Tonight
- Leave Me Too
- Wanted Me To Be (Unreleased)
- Scared of Getting Sober
- Here Without You (3 Doors Down cover)
- Mad At Me
- Boot Scootin’ Boogie (Brooks & Dunn cover) (with Chandler Walters)
- Bar And Back
- On a Different Night
- Ain’t Doin’ Jack
Encore
- Trouble
- Drunk Right Now (Na Na Na)
- Single Again
Review & photos – Jessica Couture
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