“It’s so special, it’s so magical,” said the star whose name will shine on the awning of the MTelus for nothing less than 13 evenings.
Posted yesterday at 10:17 a.m.
She mightn’t have said it better.
We praised Charlotte Cardin’s performance last fall in Osheaga, our colleague did so shortly following in New York. It would have been surprising if it had been otherwise on Friday night for Charlotte Cardin’s first of many shows at the MTelus.
Once once more, Charlotte Cardin was imperial on stage. And once once more, his show had an eventful character.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS Charlotte Cardin and her musicians on the MTelus stage, Friday evening
There was excitement in the air in downtown Montreal. The Quartier des Spectacles and its restaurants were crowded and lively. It was dusk on one of the most beautiful days of spring. It was Friday night…
Looking at the crowd at the MTelus, one thing was clear: many of the 2,000 spectators felt like they were coming back to life.
Only 8,000 people had seen Charlotte Cardin at the Osheaga festival last October, and that was clearly too few for the great success she is experiencing, since her 13 shows at the MTelus – by July – are sold out. In Las Vegas, we would talk regarding a residence…
For a premiere evening, Charlotte Cardin and her musicians – Mathieu Sénéchal and Benjamin Courcy – were perfectly grounded on the MTelus stage. There were a few glitches in the sound system, but no more.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS Charlotte Cardin and Mathieu Senechal
As in Osheaga, the show opened with Passive Aggressive. The drums were well ahead, and the crowd was noisy, so during the applause, we had one regret we hadn’t had in ages, that of having forgotten our plugs.
The crowd was also ecstatic following the ballad Oceans. Charlotte Cardin said how good it was to perform at home. She continued with the excellent Scorpio Seasonand there was a sea of hands in the air during the chorus.
Many faces on stage
On stage, Charlotte Cardin excels in all facets of her pop personality. She was visceral on Sad Girlgraceful on XOXOmoving on Anyone Who Loves Mebewitching on Romeo and carnal on Dirty Dirtyinterpreted with Zach Zoya, who provided the first part.
The artist explained that she preferred to perform several evenings at the MTelus rather than at the Bell Centre, because there is an impression of both a “large crowd” and “closeness”. We completely agree with her on this point.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS On stage, Charlotte Cardin excels in all facets of her pop personality. 
A more intimate segment followed where her vocals were featured. She notably interpreted alone on the guitar Sun Goes Down (Buddy). “The most personal song on the album Phoenix “Charlotte Cardin told the crowd. A ballad where she reaches out to a friend who is going through a difficult time.
Children, couples, baby boomers…
Charlotte Cardin’s sold-out 13 shows at the MTelus were supposed to take place in January, but they were postponed because of you know what… It was awe-inspiring to see how the crowd in front of her was of all ages and styles. Rarely have we even seen that… It’s a sign that Charlotte Cardin is unanimous.
One thing is certain, the star of the evening deserved the bottle of champagne which she opened at the encore with her musicians and the members of her team to mark the first anniversary of Phoenixher first official album (thanks to which she won six nominations at the next Junos Awards Gala, more than Justin Bieber and The Weeknd).
What a past year…and what a first of 13 nights at the MTelus.
As we write these last lines, viewers are leaving the MTelus with bright eyes, fulfilled and happy.
The feeling of coming back to life, they said.
