The Half Moon Run sparked longing among its Montreal fans this year. It has been around six months since the release of his latest album “Salt”. The trio finally returned home on Wednesday evening.
Posted at 6:21 am
It was the first of two sold-out concerts in a row at MTelus. When artists sell out here, you can feel it. Even before the group arrives, it's difficult to move, and the excitement of the 2,000 people waiting for Devon, Dylan and Conner to arrive creates a palpable tension. Then the clock strikes 9 p.m. and the lights dim. The immediate cries from the crowd are clear: as always, Half Moon Run will receive a triumphant reception at home.
The show defends the trio's new work, an album whose melodies and words seduce us, without too many instrumental explosions or great artifices. The concert remains in this spirit: we are thrilled by the excellence of the musicians who breathe new life into their pieces on stage, and everything is presented with a certain sobriety. The setting itself remains simple, a few props in the background, nothing more. The excellent lighting contributes significantly to ensuring that the performance has its full visual impact.
The music is beautiful. Half Moon Run is one of those bands whose commitment (and talent, of course) can be felt on stage. We can imagine the work they put into developing the show, practicing these songs that they always perform for us impeccably. This noticeable severity does not take away their communicative and exciting energy, which is sometimes more noticeable than in other, much more reserved moments. The Esca Quartet often accompanies the three musicians on stage and makes their always welcome contribution to the interpretation of pieces that come mainly from the Salt album.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Conner Molander from Half Moon Run.
The hour and a half concert will allow us to play almost the entire album released last June, but also enrich the moment with some favorite pieces from the group's three previous albums.
You Can Let Go opens the performance. “Hotel in Memphis” follows, then “Everyone's Moving Out East” follows. When it came time to thank the audience for their presence, the loud cheers from the crowd prompted a satisfied laugh from leader Devon. It must be exhilarating to feel such affection from admirers who never seem to lack enthusiasm. Half Moon Run has the virtue of being equally generous with its audience in return.
The show continues and the group shows what they have achieved with their own songs, making them more complex and surprising. An instrumental introduction continues, a verse changes tone, silence is maintained so that the following notes resonate with greater intensity. Devon's sometimes adventurous voice creates enchanting moments. Dylan, a multi-instrumentalist but most importantly a drummer, plays in a one-man band and brings multiple layers of musical textures on his own. Not only does Conner capture the melody, but he also captivates the audience with his harmonica or keyboard solos and sparkles with infectious energy.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Half Moon Run at MTelus.
“Razorblade,” which segues into a soaring take, is followed by an ovation from the enthusiastic audience. A little later, a long guitar introduction opens the door to the popular Call Me in The Afternoon riff. The audience's enthusiasm increased tenfold. “Grow Into Love”, “Devil May Care”, “Goodbye Cali” lead into “I Can't Figure Out What's Going On”, which creates an excellent transition into “She Wants To Know”, which then continues with “You Can Let Go” mixed. The group still has fun reshaping its songs, taking us somewhere else with these pieces that many in the room know by heart. His admirers seem to really like it.
So much so that after just over an hour, a deafening encore quickly brings the trio back on stage to perform Need It, Favorite Boy and Full Circle. A second encore allows them to return with the Esca Quartet for a very final song, Give Up, which concludes the evening with a rousing final song.