Lou-Adriane Cassidy Continues Her Amazing Year at Montreal’s MTelus [Photos]

We still haven’t officially seen spring arrive. However, last Friday night, the MTelus was as hot as a Montreal summer. That is because Quebec’s hottest current act, Lou-Adriane Cassidy, was due to hit the stage. It has been a whirlwind year for her. Lou-Adriane has released two albums and is now about to headline her very first concert in one of Montreal’s legendary venues.

This concert sold out fast. This was even before Lou-Adriane had a near record-setting night in November at the Félix Awards. She took home twelve awards that night. “Female Artist of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” and “Concert of the Year.” She was already a star on the rise; this night shot her into the stratosphere.

She mentioned her whirlwind twelve months during the show. With two new albums released, to go along with a couple of other albums and collaborations, she found herself with a dilemma. How to prepare a set-list for this big night? The solution was simple enough, “I decided to choose the best songs.” The crowd burst into a roar as she continued on with the show.

Opening the evening was another young artist. N-Nao was making her very first appearance at the MTelus. Crowded against the curtain, she didn’t have much room to work with, but made sure that her music filled the room. Moody, haunting and melodic, she owned her little bit of the stage. Aside from the music, I appreciated the performance art aspect as well. Particularly, by planting a partner in the crowd to light her with a flashlight. It was then passed to her on stage, where she effectively lit herself while still singing. Good stuff.

The curtain rose after a short break, and Lou-Adriane Cassidy was shown to the crowd with a lone spotlight. I think she may have been trying to hold back a smile, but as the crowd grew louder and louder, the smile broke through. The first song played was “Valse frustrée.” It was an inspired choice to open the show as the lighting and intimate vocals acted as a governor. The crowd was ready to burst, but Lou-Adriane held the explosion back. That made the pop all the more deafening for the pumped-up version of “Entre mes jambes” that followed.

Lou-Adriane practically leaped into the guitar that was brought on stage for “Chanson pour Odile.” There was so much media demand for this show. We, the photographers, were split into two groups. I chose songs one, two and three. I was much happier with my choice after seeing that the guitar did not return for the other group.

The further into the night and deeper into the set list, the show seemed to only get more energetic. The last twelve months have featured two albums, twelve Félix Awards and sold-out concerts all over Québec. She took several moments to reflect on the past year and to thank all the fans.

Her final words to the crowd were that she would remember this concert for a long time. So will all of the people who were there. Lou-Adriane Cassidy has not arrived. She is taking over. And there doesn’t seem to be anything that can stop her.