Club Soda was sold out on Saturday night, packed with nostalgic bon vivants ready to die for Canada.
Mononc’ Serge kicked off the Canadian evening with the thrash metal of La ligue du vieux pouèl, dragging his solute behind him. Alongside Anonymus, he’s been around long enough that he’s no longer a member of the young metalheads’ club – even though he insists that aging as a metal veteran is fundamentally tacky. Even before he begins his usual affectionate mockery of the audience, Mononc’ sets the tone: self-mockery reigns supreme here.
The audience, a little shy at first, as if in an observation phase, was soon shaken by Anonymus. An invitation to a circle pit from bassist Oscar Souto broke the ice. The call did not go unheard. A wave of support quickly spread through the room. The circle formed, and the crowd, still static, was suddenly animated by a galvanizing federal energy.
Some of the spectators unwillingly embodied the parody held up to them as a mirror – it was as if the Club Soda kegs had all been siphoned off before the encore. The beer age wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable without the traditional “moron fishing”, where Mononc’ points to a fan who’s as thirsty as he is overheated – often already tipsy, sometimes downright unstable. The youngster was then brought on stage for some wobbly choreography, before wedging in his beer to the cheers of the crowd.
Hommage aux hommages was one of the highlights of the evening. With its double-bottomed text, the play mocks the very contemporary mania for multiplying tributes, salutes, tributes and posthumous celebrations to excess. The theme is deliciously ironic, carried by the memorable line: “On a mis a quelqu’un au monde / On devrait peut-être lui rendre hommage. More than twenty years after L’Académie du massacre, initially seen as improbable, this marriage between Mononc’ Serge and Anonymus remains impressively solid on stage. A symbiosis that never runs out of steam.
