There’s been rain, wind, raincoats pulled over fringed clothing, water dripping onto hats: what country music fans will remember from Saturday night’s LASSO Montreal Festival, however, is the legendary Chris Stapleton’s hit concert.
TOMA ICZKOVITS
TOMA ICZKOVITS
Dressed in a blue-black shirt, leather cowboy hat and long hair that reached the height of his iconic long beard, the man many call a country virtuoso managed to drive away the rain that had been falling for most of the day.
From his entrance on stage to his grand finale (Tennessee Whiskey, of course) an hour and a half later, not a drop spoiled the joy of the American singer-songwriter and his enthusiastic audience.
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“Hello Montréal! You are here often tonight. Thank you for being here and for having us. We’ll talk less and take as much time to sing as possible. Your job is to have as much fun as possible,” the 45-year-old artist explained, keeping his promise.
Every minute thereafter was devoted to a performance of signature songs by 8 Grammy, 10 Academy of Country Music Award and 5 Billboard Music Award winner Chris Stapleton. White Horse (the new single to be found on the album Higher, due out next November), Parachute, Traveller, Broken Halos and Fire Away.
The crowd – conquered, happy, amazed – that covered the entire festival area especially got the crowd singing; the songs Starting Over, Millionaire, Nobody to Blame, Cold and You Should Rather Leave.
The one performing at the Bell Center on September 8, 2022 had inevitably saved his iconic song for last; So we all headed home humming the lyrics to Tennessee Whiskey.
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country and rock
“We’re all here to have fun,” said the energetic Elle King as she took the stage earlier in the evening. Dressed in a flawless skirt, fringed shirt and hat, the American singer-songwriter-actress was easygoing, country-rocker, and always looking forward to getting on stage despite inclement weather.
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“We don’t care about the rain, do we? said actor Rob Schneider’s daughter, banjo in hand, to the compact crowd littered with umbrellas, raincoats and sodden cowboy hats.
One of the highlights of his concert in heavy rain, but with sunglasses on your face? The rendition of his popular song Ex’s & Oh’s, sung loud and clear by thousands of festival-goers.
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As for talented country rock duo Brothers Osborne, the festival couldn’t have found a better artist to warm up audiences ahead of Chris Stapleton’s anticipated performance.
As charismatic as possible, the two brothers TJ and John Osborne were accompanied on stage by 5 musicians. The group performed several of their hits (Nobody’s Nobody, Stay A Little Longer and I’m Not For Everyone) and their versions of well-known songs from the repertoire of timeless artists such as Bob Marley (Three Little Birds) and Tom Petty (I Won’t Give Up).
“It’s our first time in this part of Canada and Montreal was on our bucket list,” said the leather-jacketed singer of this more rock than country duo.
Special mentions go to guitarist John Osborne, who is quite the virtuoso, and to the duo’s little wink, which included a mini excerpt of Canada’s national anthem in their electrifying finale, “It Ain’t My Fault.”
TOMA ICZKOVITS
TOMA ICZKOVITS
TOMA ICZKOVITS