The Strumbellas Bring Their “Into Dust” Tour to Montreal [Photos]

Noted stone-age philosophers Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm opined that we should open up our hearts and let the sunshine in. Their beliefs were on full display on this Friday night in Montreal. It was rainy and grey outside, but inside the Théâtre Beanfield, The Strumbellas were bringing musical sunshine. And all of their fans had their hearts wide open and ready to receive it.

I will admit that my musical taste trends more towards dark and brooding than shiny and happy. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like to turn that frown upside down from time to time. From the moment I entered the concert hall, I immediately could feel the warmth in the air. We could all use some positive energy these days.

Someone who I didn’t know, known for their upbeat songs, was the opening act. This was my very first Sarah Vanderzon experience, and it was delightful. Originally from Montreal, she was already all smiles as she hit the stage. The same stage, she explained, that she had seen her own musical heroes perform on.

With her awesomely named Vanderband backing her, Sarah Vanderzon pumped the crowd full of positive vibes. She opened with “Cheers,” which was a terrific way to break the ice. It also got the audience in on the fun right away as they would repeat the chorus from the song. “Hey Partner,” a track from her just-released EP, Fortune Teller, followed before a great cover of “Give Me One Reason.”

After that came my personal favourite track of the evening. “Look Ahead,” a three-minute ode to not giving up on your dreams. It really reached out to me. Evidently, Sarah Vanderzon already had a good collection of fans on hand for this concert. She certainly left with several more.

Getting back to our theme of happiness, is there anyone on the planet able to listen to The Strumbellas live and not smile? I don’t think it is physically possible. Even though some of their songs deal with dark themes, listening to them played live oddly fills me with joy. Just looking at singer Jimmy Chauveau makes me smile. With his wide eyes and big hair, he looks like a giant singing Muppet. I don’t mean that in a bad way at all. I love The Muppets. Everyone loves The Muppets.

Although he has only been with the band since 2022, Jimmy has made the songs his own. The band opened with “Hanging Out In My Head” from the new EP, Burning Bridges Into Dust. It was just released a few weeks back, and they played most of it on this night.

“Salvation” followed, and by this time, indeed, the audience was grooving. I myself couldn’t stop bobbing my head and tapping my toes in the pit. There was a touching moment where Jimmy mentioned how his mother had asked him which song was his favourite. He specifically mentioned the song “Diane” and how he then played it for her. By the end of the song, they were both bawling their eyes out in the restaurant.

What followed was an evening of hits and a cover of “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia. This all led to The Strumbellas mega-hit “Spirits,” which brought the evening to a spirited end.