By Jessica Dionne
After his incredible performance at Osheaga this past summer it was only a matter of time before Montreal had the pleasure of seeing Vance Joy take the stage again. Currently on the North American leg of the ‘Dream Your Life Away’ tour to promote his debut album by the same name, it’s safe to say that the Australian indie-rocker with the soft yet powerful voice took Metropolis by storm on the night of October 30th.
Originally scheduled to take place at the Corona theatre, the venue was changed to Metropolis to accommodate the overwhelming demand for tickets and it was evident why; The venue was packed – the floor all the way to the top – of bodies standing close together hoping to soak up as much of the ‘Riptide’ singer’s energy as possible.
As soon as he stepped out onto the stage wearing his signature Blundstone boots and jean shirt, the crowd erupted with cheers and sang along to every word of ‘Emmylou’, a song taken off his 2013 EP ‘God Loves You When You’re Dancing’.
Perhaps one of the greatest highlights of the evening was the song ‘From Afar’ which had the audience singing so loud that the singer had to start the song over after being caught completely off-guard by the overwhelming response to it.
Quoted on his official website as saying that you can ‘see people’s personalities in their eyes’, it was certainly clear that Vance Joy was truly touched by the love he felt from the crowd.
Songs performed from the ‘Dream Your Life Away’ album included ‘Wasting Time’, ‘Winds Of Change’ and ‘Best That I Can’ as well as the massive hit ‘Riptide’ that started it all.
After ending the concert with ‘Mess Is Mine’ and uttering inaudible words of thanks to an audience that was too busy cheering at the top of their lungs, the band came out for a final song – a cover of the classic ‘Stand By Me’.
An absolutely wonderful concert; Montreal – and certainly the world – hasn’t seen the last of Vance Joy; what a truly talented artist.
