Performing on the Scéne Spotify stage on Sunday night at the 2024 Francos de Montréal, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC alt-country artist Alex Burger was not originally shortlisted as a must-see name to catch live when we scoured the festival schedule – but after hearing a couple of recent hits on the Racines Musicales SiriusXM radio channel, we were more than intrigued and took the opportunity whilst in town to enjoy his solid one-hour performance.
Backed by an incredibly versatile five-piece band, Alex leaned heavily on his 2023 “Ça s’invente pas” album material, opening with “Sainte-Marcelline” – itself one of those instantly recognizable (and distinctly ‘country music’) radio cuts – before progressing into the breezy “Du country dans le ravin,” and pausing midway to address the excited crowd that had flocked to the stage area.
Demonstrating a relatively calm demeanor during these laid-back opening tunes, it was evident that Alex was suppressing his energy, and would unlikely be restrained by the expectations a simple ‘country artist’ should have. And on cue, once the band moved into “Ça finit toujours,” they simultaneously unleashed their inner animals – cranking the intensity dial to the max and refusing to ease off the gas pedal for the rest of the journey.
Being completely unfamiliar with this tune, we were caught off-guard by the amazing flute accompaniment during an instrumental moment – the energy level moving off-the-charts as the tune pushed into Americana-meets-Jethro-Tull territory. Not a place we could have imagined, but thanks to Alex and co., a wonderfully energetic musical detour for sure.
This momentum continued through to “La pente descendante,” where the opening guitar riffs impersonated a revved-up motorcycle, with Alex donning an electric guitar of his own and closing the tune on his knees at center-stage, adding some stylish riffs of his own. Adding the trippy, roots-rock meets psychedelia crowd favorite “Le rock & drôle du bord d’la 20” as the set wound down, the band pushed the intensity level from the max to epic proportion levels – if your body was not moving along with this number, you needed a doctor – you had no pulse! Check out Alex’s “Live au Quai des Brumes” album if you are curious.
Demonstrating his understanding of crowd dynamics, Alex quickly brought the pace back down to near-normal levels with “Plue grande que nature,” before ultimately closing with “Le roi de la montagne” – itself, coincidentally, the tune that closes his recent album. Taking their bows and exiting the stage, the response for one more song by the engaged crowd was overwhelming, easily luring the six musicians back out for an encore number to send everybody home. What a show! We found ourselves here as curious and casual observers wanting to check out ‘the guy heard on the radio,’ but left as dedicated new fans of this incredibly talented and versatile artist.
Set List:
- Sainte-Marcelline
- Du country dans le ravin
- Allers-retours
- Ça finit toujours
- Ça fait ben l’affaire
- La pente descendante
- Sors ça de l’eau
- J’prends ça pour du cash
- Et je vais comme…
- Dormir sur ton couch
- Le rock & drôle du bord d’la 20
- Plus grande que nature
- Le roi de la montagne
Encore:
- Sweet Montérégie
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
