Rock singer JJ Wilde was in Montreal on Friday night. This show at Studio TD was the twelfth and final of a Canadian tour, the very first headlining tour for singer-songwriter JJ Wilde.
Visibly happy, radiant and in great shape, JJ showed up on stage, dressed in pink and white.
Eleven during the Canadian fall did not affect the voice of the new thirty-year-old: JJ (born Jillian Dowding) knew how to honor her albums. The crowd at the TD Theater was treated to the hoarse and sometimes powerful voice we are used to. As proof, the impeccable performance of Mercyone of his greatest hits.
The largely English-speaking crowd quickly enthusiastically welcomed JJ and his four musicians: 2 guitarists, 1 drummer and a bassist/keyboardist. JJ and his musicians form a real band; nothing to do with a singer and her freelance musicians. Everywhere on stage, we like to show off.
Rock, pop and classics
The set list was less rock than one might have expected, but some confident pop songs still hit the mark. One of the highlights of the evening was certainly Born To Die, song taken from the EP of the same title, interpreted, written and composed with Billy Raffoul, who provided the first part. We will come back to it. The latter has just joined JJ to perform this piece. The duo also performed Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, classic by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers and Stevie Nicks. We certainly haven’t finished hearing these two voices together.
It was for the end of the show that the slightly heavier rock presented itself, with its greatest hits The Rushsong taken from his first EP released in 2019, Wilde Eyes, Steady Hands and best boy. The performance hall, not quite full, was waiting for these songs, judging by the reaction; the spectators who had not yet left the room welcomed the final with great energy.
We salute the young spectator, inspired by the speech procannabis of the Ontarian, in introduction to Bushweed, who lit up a gigantic joint, much to the singer’s delight. Two security guards were quick to intervene…
An energetic first part
In the first part, Billy Raffoul’s trio set the table in a grand way! This great singer and guitarist with long, curly hair has shown that he is not the first comer: he appropriates the stage with the assurance of a star. The staging, his movements are worthy of a rocker who has a long experience.
With rich vocal harmonies, courtesy of its bassist, we could hear resolutely soul and gospel influences. During the more stripped down performances, the great Ontarian even managed to capture the attention of the crowd, who were attentive to hear his vocal performances. In these times when people seem to take advantage of shows to tell each other their weekends or other banal anecdotes, we can speak of a tour de force!
On this Friday evening at Studio TD, we had the chance to see part of the future of Canadian rock.
Bulk photos
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