With piano man 3, Christian Marc Gendron returns to his roots and takes us to the American piano bars where he played 20 years ago.
On the occasion of its premiere on Thursday evening at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, he reviewed his great musical successes, but also the great artists who shaped him, such as David Foster, Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, Michael Bublé and of course his undisputed idol Elton John .
In this final chapter of the Piano Man trilogy, he also paid tribute to Quebec crooners such as Raymond Berthiaume (N'oubli Jam), Fernand Gignac (Dansons le mambo) and Claude Blanchard (Que rest-il de our loves).
MARTIN ALARIE / AGENCE QMI / LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL
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On stage, Christian Marc Gendron is having fun, dancing and laughing with his audience. He invites him to get up and waddle or let go of his craziness entirely. And he dedicated the hockey night's theme song to the men who were dragged to his concert by their wives to comfort them.
Christian Marc Gendron has fun on stage during his media premiere at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, February 15, 2024. MARTIN ALARIE / AGENCE QMI / LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL
As a tribute to the French pop singers, the virtuoso presented some imitations of his repertoire, compiled with the aim of collecting further tips in the piano bars or on the cruise ships on which he used to perform. His interpretation of Patrick Bruel in the piece Place des grands hommes was certainly the most successful, but those of Garou and Mario Pelchat were a great success with the audience.
Christian Marc Gendron during the media premiere of “Piano Man 3” at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, February 15, 2024. MARTIN ALARIE / AGENCE QMI / LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL
At halftime, the pianist, who has long worked as a pianist and accompanist for other artists including Shania Twain, France D'Amour and Roch Voisine, was joined by his wife Manon Séguin. Together they sang Don't Give Up by Peter Gabriel, but he also gave her the floor for the interpretation of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. A solemn moment that allowed the audience to see all the dimensions and power of the singer's voice, but also to wonder why no one turned around during her blind audition in the eighth season of La Voix in 2020.
Christian Marc Gendron ended his lecture with a song that played every evening in the piano bars, but above all that all Americans knew by heart; in other words: “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel, “untouchable” for the Quebecer. “I never touched that song. It’s my favorite Billy Joel song, so I worked on it a lot,” he said before driving off.
Christian Marc Gendron during the media premiere of “Piano Man 3” at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, February 15, 2024. MARTIN ALARIE / AGENCE QMI / LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL
The musician, also a songwriter, was accompanied on stage by a group of brass instruments, a drummer, a guitarist and his friend and bassist Frédéric Beauséjour, with whom he conceived the show and with whom he performed as a duo Sous les chemins Richard Séguin.
The Piano Man 3 show will be performed at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal on February 17th and 18th and at the Salle Albert-Rousseau in Quebec City on February 20th and May 11th.
More have been added for mid-September. More details here.