There are days and then, there are DAYS! Now, I know what you are thinking…when one puts it that way, that means that things turned dark or bad.
Nope. Not this time. No way, no how! About six months ago, I bought a ticket to go see Francis Cabrel, a French singer I’ve loved for ages. Tonight was the night I was going to the concert! (Tuesday, the 11th of June).
I worked a short shift, from 10 am till 3:30 pm, setting up the golf club for the mega benefit evening that night for a hospital foundation. I can’t say I was sad to miss out serving 400 people all-you-can-eat lobster. I had surprisingly little traffic on my way home – it’s been awful lately – and had more than enough time to go home and get ready, catch up on emails, read a few posts, etc., before heading into Montreal. What a surprise to find one from “Billeterie” (Ticketmaster) – time stamp 4:19 pm. In French, it stated:
We are taking the time to write you to advise you that the ticket you have in the “Mezzanine Loge” is slightly behind the stage which will not offer you an optimal view of the show.
In accordance with the show’s production company, we exchange your ticket for a loge on the “Corbeil” level (a lower level) which offers a better view of the stage. Also we are reimbursing you the sum of $100 on the credit card used to pay for the ticket.
The new ticket is attached.
They included the following images:
Your original view
Your new view
Wha??? Come ON! Who does that happen to? I won’t lie. I half-imagined myself arriving at the Maison Symphonique and being greeted with: “You lucky winner! You get to come back stage and meet Francis Cabrel!”.
Dreamer.
I wondered what traffic into town would be like and decided to leave just before 6:00 pm, even though the show started at 8:00. I figured I’d park, walk around and find a place to grab a bite before.
Turns out, traffic was nil. Which was great. As I drove along de Maisonneuve Street, I noticed a nice mural/graffiti art. I had more than an hour to kill so, after I parked the car, I took a stroll, on the lookout for my mural. I love Montreal in the summer. Both the Gay Village and the Ville Marie burroughs block off Ste-Catherine Street so it becomes pedestrian only. Place des Arts (PdA) just so happens to be in the Ville Marie one. As I headed east, some colour grabbed my attention to the right. It was a long mural along Berger Street, which looks more like an alley than a street. This particular graffiti was colourful in more than one way! I channelled my inner Resa and clicked away! IT was so large, I could not capture the whole thing.
I have just realised as I was going through my pictures that they deserve their own post. So what I shall do for now, is show you the one that got me to take my walk in the first place and save the others for tomorrow! I just wish I could crop out that car but hey… c’est la vie. I felt it was worth the walk-back to capture anyway.
By the time I walked back to the PdA area, it was 7-ish and I figured I should grab a bite to eat and checked in at Sesame. I asked the waitress if she thought service would be quick and she assured me it would. Better than a burger or a hot dog so I chose to sit outside on the terrasse (terrace for the non-Quebecers) and watch the folks walking by. I ordered a chili-lime chicken poke bowl, deciding to forgo the wine (and have one at the Symphony House. By 7:20, I still had not received my meal. The waitress came out, all apologetic, saying there had been a problem in the orders and mine was coming right up. Not five minutes later, it arrived. I usually take my time and use the chopsticks. Not this time. Gobble and out of there by 7:35. I suppose I could have taken more my time as the show was at 8:00 but whatevs. It looks kinda drab but was very tasty.
Place des Arts has six halls and one amphitheatre: the ‘newest’ member of the family and second largest of the halls is the Maison Symphonique, home of the MSO (Montreal Symphony Orchestra); Salle Wilfred-Pelletier, the largest one, where I have seen more than one production; Théâtre Maisonneuve, a favourite venue for ballets and such, Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, where many plays are held, and two others that I have not had a chance to visit, thus far.
The Maison Symphonique is a place of beauty and was my second time attending. First time being with my friend Alison from Louisiana which she came to Montreal to visit.
Funky sculptures in the waiting area.
And a few views of the inside.
I sat down in my comfy chair (not affixed to the floor) and chatted up my neighbours. It appears we all got the same email and found ourselves with these spectacular seats.
The stage was right there! They were real sticklers for non picture taking that I could only snap a few quick-quick-like…
I leave you with one of my favourites of his, “Je l’aime à mourir” and have included a translation of the lyrics. They sound so much better in French! I chose a live version because he did get the audience to sing, though not quite like this 😉
A Dalectable Life 