{"id":3200,"date":"2009-07-01T15:23:44","date_gmt":"2009-07-01T19:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingmontreal.ca\/?p=3200"},"modified":"2013-01-21T11:22:40","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T16:22:40","slug":"whos-not-going-to-stevie-wonder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2009\/07\/01\/whos-not-going-to-stevie-wonder\/","title":{"rendered":"Who’s NOT going to Stevie Wonder?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sous<\/a><\/p>\n

“Who’s going to Stevie Wonder tonight?” I asked my Facebook-universe yesterday. And I got only one reply: “Who’s not<\/em> going to Stevie Wonder?”<\/p>\n

Arriving for the concert 2.5 hours early, I was able to snag a spot on the virgin paving stones of the Quartier des Spectacles plaza, within a tip-toe view of the stage.<\/p>\n

Pas Grave.<\/em> Not being much of a pop-culture afficionado, I went more to be immersed in a sea of Montrealers than for a glimpse of Stevie Wonder.<\/p>\n

Packing our public spaces with crowds and tunes is part of the defining Montreal experience. I regularly meet people whe remember the same Rockfest concerts (Grimskunk?) or Ile Ste-Helene shows as me over the decades.<\/p>\n

Last night’s crowd was a mix of cultures, classes and languages that I never doubted exists on this island, yet have rarely seen assembled for a single event. I guess it takes something both free and priceless to bring people from every background and income-bracket together. Thanks Jazz Festival.<\/p>\n

Then there was the rain, cold hard rain. Perfect. Nothing like a little adversity to foster bonding with total strangers. The square was a wall-to-wall surface of overlapping umbrellas and beneath them a sea of people huddled with anticipation. A kind woman draped a corner of her rain poncho over our umbrella, to extend our little waterproof shelter.<\/p>\n

The umbrellas came down reluctantly as Jazz Festival founder, Andr\u00e9 M\u00e9nard took the stage. People quickly realized that, as much as they wanted to stay dry, nobody was going to see anything if everyone kept their umbrella up. Everyone was going to have to take one for the team.\u00a0 And everyone did.<\/p>\n

To be honest, the sound was so-so from where we were (although apparently it was audible all the way to Mile End). But Stevie Wonder had the crowd singing along through the show, and he didn’t spare us any octave-leaps or tricky syncopation. Much to my surprise, my fellow Montrealers are a pretty awesome choir (I tried to capture it on video, but my camera isn’t cut out for this and I don’t suppose it quite lives up to the live experience).<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

Nothing quite like raising your voice with with hundred thousand or so of your fellow city-dwellers.<\/p>\n

And, while I’m on this crowd-induced high, I just want to add that it’s great to live in a place where so many of us can gather safely and peacefully (the media estimated the crowd at 200,000). It’s an assumption that we often make when we talk about public space but really, it’s not something to take for granted. So on that note, happy Canada day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Who’s going to Stevie Wonder tonight?” I asked my Facebook-universe yesterday. 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