On the last night of the Francos, the MTelus was packed to welcome Franco-Quebec darling Aliocha Schneider.
To thunderous applause and shouts, he smiled, a little shy of the warm welcome, and offered his first song alone on acoustic guitar. He then skilfully went through his repertoire, including such staples as Ensemble, Feu de paille, Avant elle, Paradis and L’océan des amoureux, with candor and kindness, punctuating the show with little Montreal anecdotes and short jokes that were always apropos.
A charming, intimate, unpretentious concert, in which the artist brought out her simplicity and sensitivity, drawing us into a musical universe in her image: full of sweetness.
Billie du Page had kicked off the evening with an energetic medley of songs from her debut EP, mixed with a few surprise new releases, including Not Your Princess, Et si and Sorry, against a backdrop of a projection of her name that unfortunately worked half the time. This first part effectively got the audience revved up for the arrival of Aliocha Schneider.
The Francos 2025 indoor final was well worth the detour!
Photo: Émanuel Novak-Bélanger
