Review from May 20, 2022
I love the Santa Teresa Festival because it takes a portion of the town and turns it all into a musical experience.
The venues are all within walking distance, and there is plenty to do in the streets, even without a ticket.
The highlight is seeing a performance at Eglise Sainte-Thérèse d’Avila, which has incredible acoustics and lights.
Lonny
I caught the last song of the set, so I can’t say much about the performance, except that Lonny’s voice was crystal clear and at the end, got a standing ovation from the crowd that arrived a littler earlier that we did.
Avril Jensen
Avril took the stage with paper planes as the first song, but unfortunately, the sound was a little off, but fixed for the subsequent songs.
van gogh was next, with an opening that was amplified by the acoustics of the venue before starting the beat that is just irresistible.
Avril has the ability to hit the notes, while being animated with her exuberance.
A little Latin vibe was next with Attends, a song that oscillates between French and English with a fun play on words.
Avril next sat at the edge of the stage for a stripped down version of too much that was goosebump inducing.
As I looked at my wife…her mouth was agape, as Avril’s voice filled the whole room with warmth.
Her band sat on the steps while Avril, still sitting played the ukulele for away.
It was a fantastic set that let us see Avril’s potential.
Avril burnt some CDs and included them in a custom made pouch with buttons, handcrafted by her sister.
Martha Wainwright
Martha took the stage wearing a sweatshirt with her two children’s names on them. She felt at home and shared some of the stories about the songs throughout her set.
Martha has a voice that is expressive and balances strength with gentleness.
Full disclosure, I was invited to see Avril Jensen, so I don’t know the titles of the songs Martha sang and no brave soul has updated setlist.fm yet.
I was excited to hear Martha Wainwright perform and this venue was the perfect place to experience her for the first time along with her copious repertoire.
From the first song, my wife said it bottled up all the happiness of her childhood growing up in Calgary.
Song after song, Martha would dazzle us with her stories, voice and left leg that seemed to have a dance curse on it.
Martha even got personal, talking about her marital situation, and singing a song that her mother wrote, something that was always taboo for her, until she wrote her book: Stories I Might Regret Telling You.
Her set pleased us all and demanded a standing ovation, which she received.
The only disappointing part of the evening was the fans who bought the book or vinyl and were waiting for Martha to greet them and sign the merch, which she promised from the stage.
Unfortunately, the security staff ushered us all out, and told us they would direct her to the come to the front of the building to meet us.
In the pitch dark, we waited, and waited…till everyone left dejected that the promise was not kept.
As the last man standing in the dark, I thought back on the evening and enjoyed each performance for their own unique experience.
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today Music Business Jam Session for musicians. Randal is a collector of signed vinyl, cassettes and CDs.
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