Theory Of A Deadman Deliver Eclectic Unplugged Performance at Montreal’s Théâtre Beanfield [Photos]

“Let the music smother me, whole weekend recovery, dancing on a Friday night.”

Our Monday night review opened with a quote, so it seems only fair that our Friday night show gets one as well. This lyric from a song by The Darkness also very fairly describes the atmosphere inside of Montreal’s Théâtre Beanfield. Jeff Martin and Theory of a Deadman were in town, and the sold-out crowd was ready to party, knowing that there were two days ahead to recover from their rock n’ roll excess. Also, feel free to hunt out the great interview with The Darkness’ Dan Hawkins that appears right here on the pages of V13.

As we were saying, Theory of a Deadman brought their “Unplugged Tour” to Montreal, and they went all out with the effort. The evening began with the band arriving on stage by walking down a set of stairs to a decorated set meant to look like a 1980s-style basement. I’m not going to lie; they nailed the décor to a T. Right down to the wood-panelled wall that we had at my house growing up. They mentioned that they ran out of place for the bar, which got a chuckle from the crowd, but they were pretty common in 1980s basements, and yes, we had one of those as well. Though it was easy to get distracted by all of the decorations, neon signs and mismatched furniture, once the music began, the crowd was immediately rocked back to the present.

Opening the evening was another acoustic set, this one led by some Montreal royalty. Though he may be from Ontario, Jeff Martin of The Tea Party has been an honourary Montrealer for a good many years now. Sitting center stage, he regaled the crowd like musical royalty. He played some great songs from the deeper parts of The Tea Party catalogue as well as telling stories about those songs and some of the life experiences that inspired them along the way.

There was also a small message for a certain President inserted into the lyrics of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” a brief portion of which was played during “The Kingdom.” Jeff Martin has one of those voices that pulls you in and grabs your attention. You hang onto every word of the stories and feel that passion for the words being sung. A true superstar who never disappoints when he is on the stage.

This was my first live Theory of a Deadman experience, but what an experience it was. Though the show was billed as being acoustic, it still rocked as hard as any other concert I have been to. After the band settled into their seats, they began with “Gentleman,” and the party had begun. Singer Tyler Connolly retreated to one of the previously mentioned recliners at the back of the set after explaining where some of the pieces had originated from but quickly returned to his feet, circling his bandmates for “World Keeps Spinning.” What followed was a collection of their greatest hits that covered several albums and had the fans cheering for more.

The band mentioned that the tour served as a little bit of fun between albums, so I guess it is pretty safe to guess that some new music will be coming from Theory of a Deadman shortly. Their latest, Dinosaur, was released two years ago, and they have never gone more than three years between albums, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to find out a new album will be appearing soon. In the meantime, this “Unplugged Tour” is great fun for the band and fans alike. Everyone wins.

Theory of a Deadman (w/ Jeff Martin) @ Theatre Beanfield (Montreal, QC) on March 14th, 2025

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