Shania Boards - View Single Post - Montreal Was “UP” As Well As Down

When asked to go to see Shania in Montreal, I thought, aw that’s a long way to go. But then I was told I already had a ticket if I wanted it in the 2nd Row. Hmm, I thought, can I really pass this up, I don’t think so! If it had been 10th or 15th, then, I probably wouldn’t have gone. So now it was a waiting game of months at first. I started to anticipate the show slowly at first, but as the time drew near, I knew the excitement was getting to me. I started to imagine being close to my favorite lady singer and what great pictures I might get. On top of that, I would be getting nearly a week off from my very boring job. Finally it was time to go……

I rented a Ford Focus for the trip. I picked it up on Sunday May 2nd. On the 4th I headed out from my home for the long pilgrimage North. I got a late start due to a last minute check with my insurance agent about taking the rental car to Canada. She said I was fine with it, and then she really surprised me. She asked me when the concert was and I told her Thursday night. She said that was wild because her sister had just remarried a couple of weeks ago and had asked her during the reception if she liked Country Music. She told her sister yes. The sister then told my agent that she was going to see Shania at the Monhegen Sun Casino in Connecticut on the 5th Wednesday. She said is that weird or what. Then she wished me a great time and told me to drop in sometime and fill her in. So, I got started and made it all the way into Malone, NY for the night.

Wednesday the 5th I started early and made it to Ottawa to stay with friends and do some shopping for Mothers’s Day.

The time has come!!! It is the 6th of May and it’s Shania-Time in Montreal. There are five of us in the car and we head for the Big City at 1:30. There is Roger, Skate Girl [Sue], her daughter Michelle, Shauna and me. We have planned a get together at the La Cage aux Sports Restaurant inside the Bell Centre. Along with us there is Andrea Kinsley, Claudine Rapuzzi from France and her Hubby [can’t remember his name]? We had a great time. I loved the music they played over their sound system. They played a lot of Steve Ray Vaughan and Blues in particular which I love.

Okay, now it’s time to mosey on over to the entrance. Wow, the crowd waiting for the doors to open is already large! Sue whips us onto the right side and when the doors open, walla, we get right in quite quick. We hit the souveigners immediately. I got 2 Programs, one for me and one for my wife’s niece back home who is a Big Shania Fan. Then I buy another black Tee with Shania sitting with her guitar and torn jeans. I like that one a lot. I also got a beige baseball cap with Shania Twain on the front. I love to collect baseball caps. Next we all head into the arena. We find our seats and my seat is unbelievable. It can’t be more than 6 feet from the edge of the stage. The first two rows are a lot closer than I thought they would be. They didn’t check us for cameras when we came in, so we thought we would just be careful and play it by ear. As I looked around, I didn’t see any cameras. This was not what I expected.

Now the show starts. Emerson Drive is good, loud but good. They weren’t quite as loud as Ottawa, but still somewhat distorted. People around me started to take pictures, many were digital, mine isn’t. Finally, I thought it was okay, so I started to shoot some shots. I got about 5 good pictures of E/D when a security guard tapped me on the shoulder and told me not to take any more pictures. Well, that sucked! In fact they later said they would confiscate cameras if they caught you taking pictures. However, I soon found out they were far too busy trying to keep fans away from the stage when Shania came around to our side and signed autographs and got gifts from fans. That was when I got some good shots.

On the show itself? Overall, it was great. Shania is always very energetic and entertaining, but her voice was not up to par. She was noticeably hoarse and it was quite evident when she did the accoustic The Woman In Me. It was a lot different from when she did it in Ottawa. She could barely be heard and the band was providing the harmony to cover for her on the high parts. Some songs like FAFA were fine, but for example on MIFLAW, you could barely hear her voice. Again, it may be that the music was just a tad higher to help her out. The other thing she did was interact with the audience a lot more. This provided a little more rest for her voice, but cut down the number of songs she did. She did around 22 in Ottawa last year, but I don’t think she did more than 15 in Montreal. Beyond that however, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I am concerned though that she is pushing herself too much. She should take a break until her voice is healed, but instead she has added more dates to the tour. I hope it all works out.

After the show, it was a real challenge to get out of Montreal and back to Ottawa for the night. Many thanks to Sue for showing us the way. A real “Skate Girl” she is when it comes to zig-zagging around the Big City of Quebec! We finally arrived around 12:30 p.m. I got to sleep around 1:00 a.m. Got up and 6:30 a.m. and headed for Maine. Got hassled at the Border. Had to pop the trunk to satisfy security I wasn’t bringing back anything bad. Then I was on my home. Made it in 9 ½ hours. Attended my son’s college graduation from the University of Maine, and all was well. Had a great time and hopefully will do it again sometime.

Steve