Sam Roberts’ 20th Anniversary “Chemical City Tour” Comes Through Montreal [Photos]

Was Axl Rose singing about Montreal all those years ago? Certainly, the grass is green, and the girls are pretty. Some might describe it as paradise, but this past Saturday night, Montreal became a different kind of city. “A Chemical City.” Sam Roberts, the city’s favourite musical son, and his band were back in town. Like a good guest, they came bearing the gift of a great show to treat the sold-out crowd that had come out to see him.

The event was the 20th anniversary of the release of Chemical City. Sam Roberts’ sophomore album has aged like a fine wine. To celebrate, Sam Roberts has been on a special five-city Canadian tour. Montreal was the final stop on this quick cross-Canada trek. Why? Because there really is no place like home.

The album was recorded in Australia, and Roberts has resided in many other cities. He has always called Montreal home. A point he made to the crowd, which roared in approval. The lights went down when the seats in L’Olympia were finally filled. Every second of the unmistakable intro to “The Gate” saw the anticipation build. Up to the moment where the guitars come crashing in. Those seats quickly emptied again as the crowd leapt to their feet in a cathartic release of excitement.

“Bridge To Nowhere” and “With A Bullet” quickly followed before Sam Roberts took a moment to address the elephant in the room. Yes, there was, in fact, another big event happening that night. Although we were encouraged not to talk about it. Telephones were to be left in our pockets.  No looking at them out of wonder about what was happening a few blocks down the street. “Especially you!” he said while laughing and pointing out one concertgoer who was wearing the familiar bleu, blanc, rouge. For the most part, it looked like everyone went along with it. One final glimpse showed that the Montreal Canadiens were leading 2-1.

The first part of the set came to an end with Sam seated by the keyboards, bathed in a triangle of blue light for “A Stone Would Cry Out.” The soft tones of the song did feel like an ending. However, the show wasn’t over. A brief intermission followed. Just long enough to see that the Tampa Bay Lightning had tied the score at 2-2. Following the already established rules, my phone quickly returned to my pocket as the band returned to the stage.

The second half of the set featured many established hits. “Them Kids,” “We’re All In This Together,” and “Don’t Walk Away Eileen” all kept the party going. Nobody wanted the show to come to an end. As “Brother Down” brought the night to an end, one didn’t need to look far to find out where all of the good people had gone.

Undeniably, they had come down to the Chemical City. After all, the grass was green, the girls were pretty, and the Habs ended up winning in overtime. That’s what I call a perfect evening.