I have been waiting for this moment since last July when Lukas Rossi hit the stage of Rock Star Supernova, the TV show with his unique performance of Rebel Yell. Like most of his die-hard fans, this gig was in his pocket and it was there to stay. It would be a long time coming before I could actually see them in concert, but I had no doubt it would happen. So as soon as the concert tickets went on sale for Montreal, I wasted no time and bought myself a 5 th row ticket and hung in there with fingers crossed.
The tour kicked off on New Year’s Eve at the Joint in Vegas and the critics where deadly. Aside from a few enthused fans that may have been under the influence of their own inner demons, The Joint’s gig was described as a very bad frat house party!
What could have been the beginning of the end for Rock Star Supernova was merely a turning point. Luke and his boys would recover from this.
And they did. Big time!
Montreal: January 23 rd, 2007
I’ve been feeling like crap for over a month now and although I was looking forward to this event, I didn’t know how much standing up and partying I could do so I left it to faith. Arrived at “La Cage aux Sports” of the Bell Centre around 4h30 to keep a table for the TLRC posse that was meeting with me. Unfortunately, contrary to what the guy had told me on the phone, they would not let me sit until the ‘entire’ gang was there. So we ended up scattered at different tables but I was fortunate to meet each and every one that had confirmed their presence. Had a quick bite with Elsie and her husband Clyde. Adorable people. Then met with Paul and his friends finally with Stacy, Kelsey and Paige. Let me tell you that these peeps are the sweetest the best fans ever. All of them! They came from Ontario, Calgary and as far as Florida for this concert!
The clock was ticking and soon it was time to enter the arena and get to our seats. As the arena was filling up you could feel the tension and excitement.
I originally had 5 th row seats but ended up 3 rd row next to the aisle with a cute 20 years old who had bought the Gold package and driven down from Toronto with her parents. A $300 package landed them next to me in the 5 th row while I paid only 80$ for mine. But I digress. As I would later realize, proximity’s has its advantages. It’s certainly a visual feast, which opens doors to plenty of naughty thoughts. But also has its drawbacks. Picture taking is not permitted at this venue. It is however tolerated as long as no flashes are used. You are entitled to one warning and then you are out as one of our peep soon found out. But if you are just a ‘little bit’ further down or better yet, caught in the middle of an row, it’s harder for security to get to you. Anyway…
Tic tack, tic tack, tic tack…and finally, the show began.
In an absolute stripped down set, Dilana opened the show with her strong vocals accompanied only by one guitarist. She didn’t need more. Dilana is a true solo artist. As talented as she is as performer and vocalist, tonight’s show would prove that Lukas was the best and only fit for RSSN. The crowd loved her and it was obvious that many where there, not only to see RSSN but also the performers they had seen on Rock Star, the TV show. She did 4 songs including Roxanne and Supersoul. Attempted some French and praised the shopping in Montreal. It was a great warm-up
.
Then came Toby in all his glory with his band mates Juke Kartel. What a powerful set that was. The girls went wild. And so did the guys. He’s come such a long way from that cute Aussie kid on the show who didn’t know which way to go as far as music direction. He knows now. And boy can he deliver. It was a high energy electrifying set. The beginning of what would become a 2-day ringing ear syndrome. But worth every second! And he also smells terrific, as I would later find out at the After Party.
If you haven’t already, give these guys a try! You can find samples on their myspace website.
.
A few minutes later it was The Panic Channel’s turn. I was again, blown away! It’s no secret to anyone who knows anything about music that Dave Navarro is an amazing guitarist. We also know he can be self-centered and arrogant in a sexy kind of way. But on that stage, that night he didn’t take center stage. The whole band did. Steve Isaacs, their lead singer is not only a total hottie he is an amazing performer. He took over the stage, charmed a stunned Montreal audience and delivered a few strong sets of their catalogue. Pretty impressive! Again, I’m sold and will obviously have a lot of music shopping to do.
The light remained dim but the arena was still electrified from the previous opening shows. You could feel the anticipation for what was still to come while the technicians where setting up the stage for the big boys.
Then it went black for a second while the band took the stage and prepared for the entrance of their golden boy on his homeland. Surrounded by a splendid aura of pride and exhilaration Lukas Rossi emerged from the darkness clad in black with his white coat “the one with the green inside”, a crucifix hanging from his neck and his superb faux-hawk.
The crowd literally went wild. I must admit that from the first note, I lost track of the songs they did and the order they were done in. Each performance was stronger, better, more explosive, if that’s possible. The emotions poured when he did Headspin. Fans where thrilled when Toby joined him to interpret “Buckley” a new song written by Lukas. He took a breather to say hello to Montreal, reminiscing about the fact that he was living and working in Montreal when he got the call for Rock Star. He also announced that the album had gone Platinum in Canada that day and that was because of all the fans. He mentioned a girl he had met before the concert that had touched his heart that day but it was hard to hear because of the audience enthusiasm to the previous news.
Then he exploded again, this time jumping off the stage and running through the crowd baffling the security that obviously weren’t prepared for this and just couldn’t keep up with him. I couldn’t resist touching him when he went by me. Neither could Paige.
Towards the end, Tommy introduced the band and gave the audience a full bottle of ‘ Jagermeister’ to pass around. It didn’t take long for security to grab it away from the guy in front of me. That sucked! But all considered, that is the only thing that did on that memorable concert in Montreal. After another convincing encore performance, commanded by a determined audience the show was over.
But my buddy “adrenaline” was stuck to me and I needed more. So I decided to go to the After Party held at Club Opera for a drink. Club Opera is one of Montreal’s hottest spot where most of the Jet Set hangs and the worlds top DJs do their thing. Not usually my cup of tea. But I had a ticket and energy to spare. Or so I thought. So I took a cab with Elsie and Clyde and we entered the dungeon of pleasure. Not an easy task: first you need to climb a few flights of stairs to the top level and then undergo a body search by security. Oh well, I have nothing to hide. But once you’re in, its party time! I had a drink, ok, a few drinks. Met with Stacy, Kelsey and Paige. Chatted with Elsie and her hubby. Was accosted by a few young weird guys obviously looking for a sugar Mommy after realizing they were totally out of their league with the crowd in attendance. No luck guys!
Then Elsie spotted Dave Navarro and I decided to go on a recognition mission. During that short lapse of time, the club filled-up at an incredible pace and before I knew it, I couldn’t find anyone anymore. Soon the adrenaline started to escape my aging body and decided to call it a night. I briefly said goodbye to Paul and his friends who stopped me while I was searching up and down for the rest of the peeps to say my farewell but couldn’t find anyone. I was about ready to find the exit when someone tapped on my shoulder. It was a friend of mine I hadn’t seen in years. He’s younger and very ‘Jet Set’ so I was not surprised to see him there as much as he was to see me. No way he was letting me go this early (it was just a little over midnight). So he dragged me to the one of the bars and ordered a couple of REV bottles (Vodka & Guarana).
We chatted and did some harmless flirting until Toby Rand came our way. I said ‘Hi’ he said the same, asked if we where at the show, I said I was and loved it from beginning to end, gave him a hug and he moved on to some other group. For what it’s worth, he was nice and smelled terrific!
It was really getting tight in there and as I was about to leave…again, Dave Navarro came to the bar with a couple of a sexy ladies stuck to him like Velcro. He got into the spot next to me, said something to the bar tender, I turned around and said ‘hi’ (yeah I know, not very creative…but I’m tired now) he didn’t really look at me, but he at my breasts and said I recognize those from the show. Nice girls! Give the lady a drink and then he left with his entourage of young sexy thing leaving my buddy baffled by what had just happened. And me in the process! OK now I can hardly move and it’s obvious that Tommy and the boys are in the house. If I don’t leave right now, my back will be cramped for weeks to come.
So I collected my inhibitions that by now had escaped me and managed to make it to the cloakroom to retrieve my coat. I was not expecting the exit to be as cumbersome as the entrance, but it was. I finally managed to hail a cab and go home to an empty apartment to realize that not even Phil my pet fish cared one way or another if I came in late. Old habits die-hard! I’ll remember that next time I go out for a night on the town.
As it turns out, some of the TLRC posse made their way to the VIP lounge with the big boys. I’m not sure yet what came of it, but I’m sure they had a night to remember for a long time. But so did I.
And so will you at your next Rock Star Supernova concert!
If you haven’t done so already, get your tickets now! The disbelievers and wanna be concert critics who claimed high and loud that RSSN would not make it have been proven wrong. Lukas Rossi is the real deal: a true and remarkable Rockstar! And if we, the fans, have anything to say about it, this new band is here to stay! Amen.
For more concert pictures from this event, click HERE
