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The storm clouds had gathered as I made my way to Montreal. As I drove in front of the Théâtre Beanfield, the rain had finally come to an end. The clouds began to part and a giant rainbow hung over the city. There couldn’t have been a better omen for the great night that was ahead. The Tea Party was in town, and the city was buzzing.
The show wasn’t just sold out; it was oversold. Packed tight with people, even jammed up against the bar in the back. It made for a difficult walk around the historic venue. However, the building was buzzing in anticipation, and the atmosphere was electric. And not just because of the thunderstorm that had just rolled through.
Rouge Pompier got the chance to get the party started for this crowd. Translated to English, a ‘pompier’ is a firefighter. But that night, they were looking to start a fire rather than put one out. I feel a little foolish that I have never heard of the band before. The self-proclaimed ‘meilleur band de rock à deux’ came out to party like a Friday night. Even if it was Sunday, they opened with “Vendredi,” and I knew right away that I was going to love this band.
If there was any remaining doubt among the others in the crowd, they disappeared after “Maniaques.” A punk rock cover of Michael Sembello’s “Maniac”. “There may be lots of you who are over 40 out there,” said singer Jessy Fuchs, alias Jess Pompier, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a circle pit. Get moving!”
With that, the band broke into “Rouge Pompier” and the place began to cook. They kick ass on the stage. Which is a good thing, because they kind of suck as firemen. They ended up setting the joint ablaze.
The Tea Party forever share a bond with Montreal. The crowd was very vocal about it. On more than one occasion, a loud “I love you!” would rise from the crowd. Doing his best Han Solo, singer Jeff Martin replied: “I know.” Just one of several little moments shared between The Captain and his adoring crowd.
The band opened with “Writing’s On The Wall,” and it didn’t take long for the crowd to be cheering at full voice. Martin has a special presence on stage. He is part rock star, part musical shaman. He leaves you hanging on every word with the way he introduces each song. Offering to take us on a spiritual journey through Istanbul before the band played “The Bazaar.”
Jeff Martin also led the crowd in a singing of “Happy Birthday” for drummer Jeff Burrows, who celebrated a few days before the show. He reminisced about the 1990’s Canadian music scene and The Tea Party’s place in it. He dedicated a mix of “Somewhere Only We Know,” “Bobcaygeon” and “The Messenger” to the recently departed Donald Tarlton, a celebrated Canadian record producer and concert promoter. The Captain mentioned how Donald had been important in the band’s breakthrough, and it made for a very emotional moment.
The Tea Party rocked through “Temptation” to bring the main set to an end. Afterwards, an encore of “Winter Solstice” and the mash-up of “Sister Awake,” “Paint It Black,” and “Heroes” sent everyone home happy. These days, the world seems to be serving up lots of storms. Luckily, The Tea Party is around to provide us all with some rainbows.
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