If you doubted Loud’s popularity, a crowded Festival Square—that’s tens of thousands of people—should dispel that doubt.
The many artists invited to share the stage with him also confirmed the rapper’s status as a leader in the Quebec hip-hop community.
Loud kicked off the evening without wasting a second with Provider, the opening track from his most recent album, No Promise. After a verse of
Note the quality of the sound, while the powerful growls of the bass never overwhelmed the words spoken by the master of ceremonies.
Loud sat down on the steps in the center of the stage, a single spotlight illuminating him, to perform Oil Painting, “one of [his] favorites from [his] repertoire” — we agree. After this moment of serenity, Loud offered The Bridge on the River Kwai, a song whose intensity is similar to a roller coaster.
The energy of this piece seemed ideal to precede a first interlude featuring a pioneer of rap from here. Our age probably betrays us, because the crowd’s lack of reaction to Sans Pressure’s Hostile Territory performance took us by surprise. Because barely a few hundred people were singing the chorus “Ready to die, ready to kill”. As you write these words, you might realize why…but, hey, it’s a classic, right?
The new song Guiddy, the result of a collaboration between Loud and Ya Cetidon, further won over the crowd with its summery rhythm. “Everyday sidekick” Lary Kidd then joined Loud to perform Gym Bag and then On My Life with 20some. The latter elicited a strong reaction from the crowd.
Souldia and Lost for Rêve de jeunesse and Parano, respectively, then showcased the tracks they made with Wednesday night’s headliner. Connoisseur Ticaso interspersed the two songs with a 1990s hit, In Montreal. The public this time reacted a little more.
“LLA is not dead,” Loud assured after performing XOXO and Candlewood Suites, hits from his old band Loud Lary Ajust.
Never in Life and Sometimes, All the Times, a duet with Charlotte Cardin, came later. In the absence of the Quebec singer, the crowd chanted her verse with pleasure.
The expected explosion for the mega-hit All Women Can Dance — 22.5 million plays on Spotify — has taken place. La Vi Ti Neg, of Muzion’s “Three Visionaries”, kept the mood high. This refrain, thousands of people have sung it.
The crowd didn’t have to wait long for the encore, launched forcefully by No Promise. TTTT, one of our favorites, followed with the same weight. Loud then told the thousands of spectators that he had “fulfilled [his] dream of becoming immortal in downtown Montreal” before delving into the song that bears that title. Contemporary anthems Hold Up and Win Win, featuring veteran Imposs and young Raccoon, closed the 95-minute show, which confirmed Loud’s enormous popularity.
