Keane! Remember them? You won’t have heard much from them of late, having been on hiatus for the past few years since 2013’s Greatest Hits record came out. The last time Keane played here in Montreal was to a sold-out Metropolis back in 2012, so when this solo show was announced in the intimate confines of Lion d’Or, attendance was mandatory. When an artist this big plays in a venue this small, there’s little need for a support act – the crowd requires no warming up at all. As Tom Chaplin and his band arrive on stage, the rapturous crowd cheers that greet him prove this point! The band consists of keys and drums, a la Keane, as well as guitars and even a violin – all crammed onto the tiny stage of Lion d’Or. This promises to be a great night before a note is even played.
After opening with Still Waiting, opener on his debut solo album The Wave, Tom introduces himself to the crowd with the usual bad French we come to expect from touring artists here, but of course the effort endears him to the crowd even more. He then encourages us to “enjoy the show! It looks like you will!” A huge chunk of the crowd joins Tom in singing Hardened Heart, showing just how well received his solo record is amongst Keane’s following, before the ante is further upped with Bend Or Break, the first of 8 Keane songs played tonight, culminating in a huge clapalong lead by Tom himself.
He mentions how he was last here in 2012 (the actual year being provided by a member of the crowd), and how lovely it is to be back after “lots of bumps” since, referring to his well-documented drug abuse problems over the past few years. You would think this is a sore subject he might not want to revisit too much, but he’s remarkably open about his struggles to a room a full of strangers; on a later occasion, he relates how he used to do drug binges of a few days separated by longer periods of normality, until at his lowest point, his life became one big binge. Candid stuff. These accounts are usually related in conjunction with a tribute to his wife who stuck by him through all of this and prompts a couple of dedications to her, the first of which is Solid Gold, and a few songs later, Worthless Words, the latter of which is especially moving, performed by just Tom on the piano.
That’s not to say the evening is a sullen affair. On the contrary, it really seems like Tom has got his love for life and music back again, perhaps even stronger than before. He cracks a few jokes too – at one point, someone in the crowd yells “Welcome back!” Tom mis-hears this as “Poppa Bear.” When the guy repeats himself, Tom laughs heartily, and proclaims “Yeah I’m Poppa Bear!!!!!” He introduces Clear Skies with “here’s a weird little Keane song!” which also elicits a few giggles from the crowd. The intensity and enthusiasm with which he sings and marauds the stage constantly is also indicative of a performer who enjoys performing.
As well received as his solo stuff is, it’s unsurprising that the older Keane songs take the house down. Bed-Shaped sounds as epic as it did way back in 2004, and set closer Crystal Ball, from underrated 2006 sophomore record Under The Iron Sea is equally stirring, and is greeted with another massive clap-along from the crowd packed inside Lion d’Or. The crowd response is not lost on Tom – after the roars that follow Sovereign Light Café, he exclaims that “we’ve been on tour a week, and that’s the loudest noise anyone has made so far!”
Tom and band return for a planned encore of Cheating Death, the wonderful Everybody’s Changing, and See It So Clear, and then return again for a second encore not detailed on the set lists taped to the stage, nor has appeared on any other set lists so far this tour, according to online sources. This second encore is possibly a response to repeated requests from a guy in the front row, and thanks to him for asking – we get a rousing Somewhere Only We Know to round off the night, after 1 hour and 45 wonderful minutes. Tom may have had a tough few years, but on the strength of tonight’s show, he’s back – and he’s in better form than ever.
Setlist
Still Waiting
Hardened Heart
Bend & Break (Keane song)
Solid Gold
I Remember You
Silenced by the Night (Keane song)
Hold On To Our Love
Clear Skies (Keane song)
Worthless Words
Bring the Rain
Bedshaped (Keane song)
The River
Quicksand
Better Way
Sovereign Light Café (Keane song)
The Wave
Crystal Ball (Keane song)
Cheating Death
Everybody’s Changing (Keane song)
See It So Clear
Somewhere Only We Know (Keane song)
Review – Simon Williams + 1
Photos – Arianne Bergeron
