Patrick Watson's Show Of A Lifetime

GM Stage, Montreal International Jazz Fest

Montreal, QC

on Jul 5 2009

Erik Leijon (CHARTattack)

07/06/2009 2:43pm

Montreal's Patrick Watson gave the performance of a lifetime in front of 100,000-plus local fans on Sunday — the type of musical zenith that elevates an artist from your everyday Polaris Music Prize winner and most cherished adopted son of old francophone couples everywhere to mythical, "where were you on that fateful night?" status.

The Watson performance was everything that makes Montreal great and unique, the local boy and his band were given a near unlimited budget to make their audio-visual dreams come true. They were given the finest technical crew the city has to offer to transform the newly christened entertainment portion of Jeanne Mance Street (called "Place Des Festivals") into the world's largest open theatre.

It could have been the most overblown, pompous and pretentious show ever — an Olympic Stadium-esque disaster — but it was more like a Cirque Du Soleil; a moment where unbridled creativity finds the perfect outlet for dissemination, completely changing the way we think about music and performance art.

The two-hour set largely emphasized the sparse and cinematic masterpiece Wooden Arms. They opened with "Fireweed," and the walls of the surrounding buildings were illuminated with projections of vibrant, red flames as performers perched on the rooftops swayed large metal sheets back and forth in the wind, creating a thunderous opening din.

Programming VP Laurent Saulnier warned the crowd beforehand the show would not remain exclusive to the stage, and throughout the night Watson and his bandmates managed to bring the many disjointed mental images conjured when listening to Wooden Arms to life. They articulated them visually for the first, and — considering the uniqueness of this opportunity — sadly probably the last time.

On the hectic "Beijing," Besnard Lakes frontman Jace Lasek recreated the sound of the speeding cyclist on an actual bicycle elevated some 20 metres in the air on a flatbed. "Where The Wild Things Are" starred a shadow puppeter from India who Watson had discovered on YouTube. The quartet even wore backpacks with illuminated megaphones sticking out from the back in Medusa, snake-like fashion and walked through the crowd, performing a couple of tracks from 2006's Polaris Music Prize-winning Close To Paradise.

The unquestionable highlights were a duo of Wooden Arms cuts, "Travelling Salesman" and "Big Bird In A Small Cage." The former saw the band performing behind a curtain, their shadows rapidly shifting in and out of view along with marionettes personifying the song's titular character, while guitarist Simon Angell delivered an ear-splitting solo. The latter was performed with three backup singers, including Katie Moore (Watson's duet partner on the record).

"Big Bird..." was originally written with iconic country singer Dolly Parton in mind, and the song's soulful, soft and elegant southern folk twang was beautifully redone with an acapella intro. Although "The Great Escape" and "Luscious Life" understandably received the loudest applauses of the night, the packed crowd was extremely knowledgeable and appreciative of the Wooden Arms-heavy setlist, a good sign given the album's lack of piano-and-vocal-driven hits.

Then again, the reason Watson is beloved in Montreal, successful in the rest of Canada and Europe and ignored in the United States is because Watson's musical influences aren't beholden to American touchstones, but rather more international touches like sparse soundscapes and cinematic arranging.

He's the ultimate archetype of a musician who grew up going to the Montreal Jazz Fest; although the band are rooted somewhat in the experimental nature jazz, their influences are so vast and varied they really only reflect the spirit of what the genre has evolved into.

It should also be noted the California-born Watson is beloved among francophone Quebecois, especially older audiences more into arty, theatrical performance art than rock music. Even with his broken franglais, the endlessly energetic frontman is destined to become a variety show television host on French or British TV in the distant future if he chooses to go that route. He oozes affability and humility, and even abruptly stopped "Where The Wild Thing Are" because he noticed the shadow puppeter's screen was slightly ajar.

He even acknowledged his musical roots, giving 75-year old Quebec jazz drumming legend Guy Nadon a chance to perform in front of his biggest audience ever. Watson introduced Nadon as though he was giving him his first chance to perform in Montreal.

Perhaps not every strange experiment attempted was a complete success, but in spirit, energy, and especially music, Patrick Watson's mega-homecoming performance was a dream come true. Considering the budget and setting, this particular performance of Wooden Arms will never be seen again, but hopefully the huge crow will remember fondly the night Watson put on the show of a lifetime.

The show can be seen online here.