That Was Live: Seeing A-Trak and Chromeo Perform Live in Montreal

It was a perfect night, the fall air was just cool enough to be refreshing, with echoes of summer still vibrating through it as we walked through Griffintown, one of Montreal’s oldest industrial areas. On the corner of William Street and Notre Dame a line of fashionistas, hipsters, hip-hop heads and men in dress shirts stood outside a massive warehouse with “ARSENAL” emblazoned on it. The parking lot was buzzing with talks of the A-Trak and Chromeo show that was about to begin. As we queued up in line to wait for our bracelets I got hit with a sudden pang of nostalgia and excitement, since it really was Chromeo who defined my high school playlists, and I was finally getting a chance to see them play.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I arrived at The Altered States Concert Series presented by Molson, in partnership with Noisey, which made its debut in Calgary with Metric and Mac Demarco, but it was apparent as we walked into the newly renovated warehouse in the old shipyard of Montreal that this was going to be something big. As we walked into the massive warehouse, it was nothing short of impressive. The renovations had suited it well, as they kept the old lofty ceiling and the loading dock doors, but had revamped other parts so they were stark white. Candles stood upon standing tables to give the place a very je-ne-sais-quoi vibe while caterers lined the walls with bite sized hamburgers, roast beef sandwiches and, of course, poutine. We made our way to the drink table which was sponsored by Molson, grabbed some refreshments and picked out a good spot. As the venue started to “fill up,” by that I mean a few hundred people, when the place could easily engulf at least a thousand or more, the energy in the place became more and more vibrant, while a DJ spun some funky hip-hop beats to warm up the crowd.

Finally A-Trak appeared on stage clad all in leather with two gold chains, a nice touch as he is the owner of Fools Gold Records. He started off the night with blaring the “FOOLS GOLD” soundbite and began to scratch and spin away on his turn tables. His banter with the crowd was friendly as he shouted into the microphone “Tonight is a family affair. A-Trak and Chromeo playing together again in our hometown” and “If you love Bagels, make some noise!” So naturally when a city like Montreal which, is addicted to our own personal brand of St. Viateur bagels, went off the chain. A-Trak spun an incredible mix of new and old tunes, including his own “Head will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s remix intertwined with other samples from songs like “Jump on it” by Sir Mix-A-Lot and Tag Team’s “Whoomp there it is.” All this while he was jumping around, hyping the crowd and even DJing while standing on the table his decks were on. The energy in the room was crazy with bodies dancing all around, and then there were points where his hands were moving so fast over the decks I was floored and couldn’t help but just watch his technique in complete awe. His crowdsmanship was so on point, as he ended his set he gave Montreal’s ambiguously shaped mascot, Youpi, a huge shoutout, which just made every Montrealer’s heart melt and bring them right back to childhood.

As intermission hit we had time to go outside for a smoke, stock up on more free food and grab another drink before Chromeo graced the audience with their presence. The house DJ returned to pacify the crowd and some friendly dance-offs ensued. Then the venue became engulfed in complete darkness, accented by a flash of bright white lights which illuminated the stage and crowd alike, silhouetting the signature keyboard legs on both David Macklovitch and Patrick Gemayel keyboards as “Intro” off of Fancy Footwork came through the massive speakers that hung on either side of the stage. The crowd went wild as David strutted around the stage wearing a leather jacket, jeans and white t-shirt, and Patrick with his orange cut off tee and dyed beard to match rocked out on the synth. David looked like an Electro-Greaser, and instantly stole my heart. The energy in the room skyrocketed as they played “Night by Night” off their 2010 album Business Casual and David, became a guitar god as he bounced the light off of his exceedingly shiny silver guitar into the crowd. The room only grew more and more electrified as they played songs like “Come Alive (ft. Toro y Moi)” and “Sexy Socialite” off their latest album White Women, and after confessing that “we love Montreal, infact we Bondafide love you guys” they duo launched into “Bonafide Lovin’” off of Fancy Footwork. Of course no Chromeo show would have been complete without them playing “Fancy Footwork” where I literally danced so hard my thigh high socks slipped down around my ankles, this was played back to back with one of my personal favourites “Jealous” became the highlight of my night.

Hands down it was one of the most unique concert experiences I have ever been to. Between the venue, the professionalism of the staff, the amazing lights and sound technicians, it was a fantastic experience. But I really think that it was the crowd who made the night unbelievable. Never have I ever been to a show with such a loving crowd. With so much space to dance, there was no reason why anyone was pushing into each other, even the die hard, front liners were respectful of one another’s personal boundaries. I don’t know if it was because the venue was so massive, or because we all felt insanely lucky to be at the show, but it definitely added to the a community feel around the evening.

Chromeo ended the show on a high note as the bright white lights flashed over the crowd, kind of making us feel like we were in the middle of a laser light cage. As David hammered out the last chords of the show, I’m pretty sure he made eye contact with me, in which case, my 16-year old self can now rest in peace and the future me can cherish his dark gaze for the rest of the time.

Gabe Gilker is still shocked by how live it was - @GabeKill