MTelus quickly filled with hundreds of JPEGMAFIA fans, all of them anxiously waiting for what’s sure to be an incredible performance. The pit was packed, and the seats were already filled a third of the way, showing everyone’s true dedication to securing their spot in the crowd.
The first performer of the night, a DJ named Lottery Lucas, made his way onto the stage and in front of his mixing table. Within the first minute of his time on stage, he had already demanded for the pit to be opened up and the music to be cracked higher.
The crowd instantly took to his high energy and was already quickly getting hyped up. They jumped around and loudly sang along to the tracks being blasted throughout the venue. He played songs by well-known artists like Lil Uzi Vert and Kanye. Any song Lottery Lucas put on received great approval from his audience. He definitely got Montreal ready for the main course that was to come.
Loud cheers burst out of the mouths of every person in the crowd as the house lights and music shut off. As quickly as the cheering started, it all came to a complete stop when a long guitar solo introduction began to play, building up the tension of this entrance.
After about three minutes, JPEGMAFIA (aka Peggy) took the stage wearing a long leather coat adorned with long lapels and a beautiful wide-brimmed hat on his head.
After a quick introduction of himself, he got his set started with ‘Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot.’ The autotune in his microphone was delicious, perfectly matching his tone of voice.
I must admit, I expected a bit more to be going on on stage, given that his newest album I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU has a ton of drums and guitar mixed into the experimental sound of his production. It was just Peggy up there, though, which is not a bad thing, but I think having at least a drum kit up there would’ve added so much more depth to the sound.
No matter what was on the stage, JPEGMAFIA fans will always give their all to the show. The crowd immediately got into it and started singing every single word to any songs that he performed.
The pit was going bonkers as well; the never-ending movement rocked everyone side to side, back and forth as the night went on. People were dancing without a care in the world.
The crowd took any quiet moment as an opportunity to shout out their love for Peggy, calling out his name and offering compliments. There were a ton of quiet moments throughout his set. Each song would abruptly end, causing a moment of silence before it was broken by either cheering fans or Peggy’s voice.
It was a bit difficult to get into it due to the constant interruption of flow. It was clear that it was intentional. Peggy would always start his sentence with “this next song” before briefly explaining who the song is for or what inspired him to write it. The crowd laughed the first few times but soon turned to chanting and cheering whenever a song would end.
All the pausing didn’t stop Montreal from going crazy. The setlist was filled with widely beloved tracks, no matter if they were new or old, such as ‘BALD!’ (unfortunately, this time I was not bald at the JPEGMAFIA concert), ‘SIN MIEDO,’ ‘don’t rely on other men,’ and ‘1539 N. Calvert.’
The bass was heavy for every song, causing the lenses in my glasses to vibrate ever so slightly. It felt fantastic. The microphone level was perfect as well; you could clearly hear every single word that JPEGMAFIA spat out, even though the crowd was being loud and rowdy.
Finally, it was time for the SCARING THE HOES portion of his setlist, a collaborative album he and Danny Brown released last year. He played four excellent songs off that album: ‘Steppa Pig,’ ‘Garbage Pale Kids,’ ‘God Loves You,’ and, of course, ‘SCARING THE HOES.’
He continued his set with a variety of new tracks and older ones as well, all of which were very well received by the audience. Peggy’s setlist had so many fantastic songs on it, all overflowing with energy.
During one of the pauses, Peggy addressed the crowd as usual, thanking everyone for their attendance. “I’ve been saying the same thing before playing this next song for years. I appreciate you all for being here and for your support throughout my career. This next song is ‘Baby I’m Bleeding.’”
With his set nearing its end, he gave his next few songs his absolute all. The passion in his voice was bone-chilling. No matter what state he is in his career, JPEGMAFIA’s performances are always a ton of fun.
Once he had performed the last song on his set, ‘it’s dark and hell is hot,’ JPEGMAFIA told his audience his name once more before taking his leave off stage.
The crowd cheered and cheered until the house lights turned back on, and everyone began to leave the venue. People were jittery and energetic as they left MTelus, clearly displaying the constant impact that JPEGMAFIA will always have on his adoring listeners.
Review – Jamie Siddall
Photos – Steve Gerrard
