Well, 2024 has arrived, and it’s time to finally dust off those review boots after a dead January. It’s a couple of Montreal institutions that kick things off for me. And yes, I am referring to tonight’s opener, Grand Public, as a Montreal institution. Why? Well, in case you wondered what happened to The Stills, this is what ex-guitarist Gregory Pacquet has been busy with lately. And if you don’t recognize him as local based on that, when he arrives on stage, you most certainly do when he proclaims, “NOUS SOMMES GRAND PUBLIC!” in the thickest Quebecois accent imaginable! The tunes sound more like Television than The Stills, more of a churning rock vibe with no standout riffs of note, though the set closer is drawn out in a fairly grandiose manner that smacks of Sproston Green by The Charlatans, which is always good in my book.
It’s kind of astonishing when I realize it’s now 20 years that I’ve been listening to Sam Roberts, and indeed, 8 years since the last time I saw him at all. Where does the time go?! The show feels like a total homecoming right off the bat: “We are the Sam Roberts Band from NDG, Pointe-Claire, and Hudson!” Names that probably mean nothing outside of the 514, but here, in this room, everyone can place them exactly.
It’s the first night of many over the next few months supporting the new record, The Adventures of Ben Blank, his 8th studio album across his solo and band monikers, and Sam acknowledges midway through the set, “It’s a strange and beautiful thing to start your tour in your hometown!” From start to finish, it truly is a beautiful thing. The singalongs are deafening, particularly on the classic “Where Have All the Good People Gone?” where Sam drops back from his mic entirely to allow the sold-out Theatre Beanfield crowd to proclaim the chorus at the top of their lungs. “Hard Road” and “Brother Down” are equally resonant, the latter of which sees the whole room simultaneously reflecting, “I think my life is passing me by…” I swear that lyric hits harder in your 40s than in your 20s!
It’s a pretty diverse 2-hour set overall, heavy on the rock that we know and love Sam for, but also dips into delicate country acoustic, as exemplified on the classic “Bridge To Nowhere,” “Everybody Needs Love,” and “Uprising Down Under,” the latter of which triggers a sea of cellphone flashlights spontaneously illuminating the room to spectacular effect. We even get a heavy dose of bass-funk on “I Like the Way You Talk About the Future!” The seamless transition of the classic “Hard Road” into my personal favourite, “Dead End,” is my personal set highlight, still sounding as awesome as it did back in 2004.
As Sam and co. leave the stage, he proclaims, “Thanks, Montréal! Sean Monahan, we’re gonna miss you!” Yup, he had to go and mention the Canadiens player who just got traded earlier that day. Way to make a homecoming show even more homely!!! An epic show and a great way to open my 2024 gig schedule!
Setlist
- The Ballad of Ben Blank
- Picture of Love
- With a Bullet
- Where Have All the Good People Gone?
- Bad Country
- Bridge to Nowhere
- Take Me Away
- We’re All in This Together
- I Like the Way You Talk About the Future
- Cascades
- Metal Skin
- Hard Road
- Dead End
- Spellbound
- Brother Down
- Uprising Down Under
- Youth
- Projection
- On the Run
- Them Kids
Encore - Afterlife
- All of Us
- Everybody Needs Love
- Don’t Walk Away Eileen
Review – Simon Williams
Photos – Ryan Rumpel