Sara Dufour Celebrates An Early Montreal Christmas at Le Studio TD [Photos]

‘Twas a few nights before Christmas, and all through Le Studio TD, many fans were stirring as they awaited a special Christmas-themed concert by one of our favourite country/folk singers, Sara Dufour. Le Studio TD was appropriately decorated for the occasion. We had a giant Christmas tree, lights galore and even some special presents for several lucky fans who were attending the concert. Had I taken the time to look a little closer, I’m pretty sure I would have found some mistletoe hanging from the ceiling somewhere.

Sara Dufour opened the show with a series of her best-known hits, bringing joy to the world of those who came out for the show. With only twelve days to go until Christmas, there may have only been one drummer drumming, but his driving beat and the grooving guitars had the ladies dancing and the lords-a-leaping. Joined on stage by her main songwriting partner, Dany Placard, they whipped the crowd into a sugar plum frenzy. Any thoughts of it being a Silent Night were quickly abandoned as the band rocked around Le Studio TD stage.

Hark! The second half of the show was totally immersed in the Christmas spirit as the set list consisted of nothing but Christmas carols. I’m used to being in the middle of some rather rowdy crowds, but this evening was a little bit different. It truly was a generational show as we had children, parents, and grandparents in the crowd. No crowd surfers to be seen, but the prancing and pawing of little hooves may have been heard between guitar solos.

If you’ll forgive my terrible use of Christmas carol lyrics, Sara Dufour is an amazing talent who had a terrific year. Her most recent album, On va-tu prendre une marche? won a Félix Award for Folk Rock Album of the Year and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. A Sara Dufour concert is equal parts music and stories. Hearing her tell the tale of the night she finally won that Félix Award in November was a heartwarming moment. I have yet to photograph an artist who smiles more on stage than Sara Dufour. Her happiness spreads from her to the fans through her songs, making her concerts some of the most fun that I have ever covered.

This was the final concert of 2024 for Sara Dufour, but one of Québec’s hardest-working performers already has a slate of shows marked on the calendar for 2025. Maybe some lucky fans will find some tickets to those shows under their tree this year. After the final notes had been played and Sara Dufour had walked out of sight, a Merry Christmas was wished to all, and to all a good night.

Sara Dufour @ Le Studio TD (Montreal, QC) on December 13th, 2024

15 photos