Montreal Madness: Osheaga Afterparty w/ Rich Aucoin (playing Daft Punk) & Diamond Rings DJ Set @ Corona Theatre

Rich aucoin, osheaga, 2013, montreal
Rich Aucoin at the Corona Theatre, Montreal, Aug. 2, 2013. PHOTO: Pierre Bourgault

For most people in life, there tends to be a direct correlation between age and responsibilities. When we’re children, the concept of freedom manifests itself through tough decisions like whether to get “bubble gum” or “rocky road” ice cream at Baskin Robbins in the mall food court. When we’re in our adolescent and teen years, we actually have to start making decisions that will influence our lives, like whether to become friends with a weed dealer. All this to say that having only partial responsibilities in our pre-mortgage and pre-parent lives allows us to make completely irresponsible decisions with only minimal implications, such as randomly fleeing to Montreal for a night of partying with friends. Not just any party either – an Osheaga afterparty with Rich Aucoin playing a Daft Punk cover set with his band at the Corona Theatre. What more could you ask for?

So the decision was made. My Showbox comrade, Eric Scharf, and I decided to jump in a ride share to the big city and be on our way. The ride was pleasant, and being ride share virgins, it was nice to have a good conversation with other people in the car. Philosophizing and reflecting on lost love and life decisions can happen anywhere.

montreal skyline
The beautiful Montreal skyline. I certainly did not take this photo, but someone did.

As we pulled into Montreal, I remembered the feeling I got when I first visited five years ago. A little anticipation, a lot of excitement. Since I hadn’t visited in three years, it sort of felt like I was heading there for the first time again. I’m not going to lie, I don’t know the city very well. I grew up in London, ON, about two hours from Toronto, which never afforded me much opportunity to familiarize myself with Montreal’s streets, venues, and charming cultural hotspots that one learns over time. However, it’s never too late to start.

We arrived at our destination, and my only way of knowing I was near downtown was by seeing the skyscrapers and skyline in the distance, which did not seem so far away. Luckily, I consider myself to be directionally adept, and normally find points of association and landmarks to guide my way. The first landmark was beer. Eric and I made our way to a park after our beer purchase and drank on the bleachers. Apparently the law is if you’re having a “picnic”, then you are able to drink booze (so long as the label is covered). So we brown-bagged it until Liam (of Jackpine) and Ming (Photogmusic) showed up, as our Ottawa entourage fully assembled.

We hung with some people who were playing frisbee and offered them some delicious beer from Beyond the Pale, a delicious craft brew company from Ottawa which provided us with several “growlers” for consumption. Without going into too much detail, we played some music, someone took their pants off, and we did a pretty good number on those growlers.

diamond rings, osheaga, afterparty, corona theatre, dj, rich aucoin

We proceeded to head to the Corona Theatre, and met up with some friends there. Not too many people had entered yet, so we claimed our spot front and centre right where Diamond Rings was spinning some tunes. It was cool to see him in casual dress, and he came up to say hi and give some high fives. After his set, more people started to make their way into the venue as the festival finished for the day. It wasn’t long before Rich Aucoin came out to do some last minute set up, at which point he came up and hung out with us for a bit. Again, some small talk and high fives were in order, which got us that much more excited.

Let me tell you, the pride of Halifax, NS, Rich Aucoin, is something else. He often plays tiny venues like Cafe Dekcuf here in Ottawa, but no matter what the size of the place, he makes sure that everyone is jumping and partying the entire time. He is manic – running around the stage, firing confetti bombs all over the place, jumping into the crowd and getting everyone to sing along – his performances are on another level, to the extreme. I sort of knew what to expect, but since I’d never seen Rich Aucoin before, I was pretty excited for his over the top performance. Of course, what made it more interesting was the fact that he was interpreting Daft Punk songs all night. With two drum sets facing each other on opposite sides of the stage, and the rest of his band ready to go, the music began.

Daft Punk, a group who needs no introduction, isn’t particularly easy to cover – let alone perform an entire set’s worth of music. The energy was incredible right off the bat, as there seemed to be a unique push-pull type thing going on between Rich and the crowd. He’d give us some, and we’d throw it right back at him. No wonder he can’t stand still on stage, the guy’s music and expression of movement are one in the same. Seemingly, one cannot exist without the other. Perhaps this explains why he has run partial marathons and biked between tour stops.

He played Daft Punk covers like “Human After All,” “Da Funk,” “Robot Rock,” and of course the mega-hit of the summer, “Get Lucky.” With lyrics on screen, he got the crowd to participate in singing, and in return, he participated in being part of the crowd. At one point, Rich climbed up the rafters on the right side of the stage and got up to the balcony. The intensity of the performance and the unique interpretation of Daft Punk’s music made for a really memorable experience. Rich brought out a couple of his friends, including Neil Fridd from Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt to play a few songs. Their fun, let-loose performance fit perfectly into what was becoming a frenetic night of partying.

I dare not say that there was a climax to this show, but one of the high points was the parachute. If you’ve been to a Rich Aucoin show, you know that he almost always brings along a giant parachute (like the ones we used to use at play day in elementary school), which is used as a “party tent” of sorts. As the parachute covered us, we continued to dance, sing, and sweat the night away. He ended with some of his originals such as “Brian Wilson is A.L.I.V.E.” and “It”, which got the crowd into a frenzied fever pitch.

As the night came to a close, we look back at reckless experiences like this one and recognize the importance of random experiences. The romance of Montreal’s streets, the exhilaration of a performer singing with you and hundreds of others, being with people you love and making memories, and the refreshing feeling of getting to know a new city a little better.

Montreal, you have not seen the last of us. From your friends in Ottawa.

Here are some more pics from the night care of photographer Pierre Bourgault.

Rich Aucoin, 2013, Montreal, Osheaga, Corona Theatre
Rich Aucoin performing on August 2, 2013, at the VM Corona Theatre. PHOTO: Pierre Bourgault
Rich Aucoin, 2013, Montreal, Osheaga, Corona Theatre
Rich Aucoin performing on August 2, 2013, at the VM Corona Theatre. PHOTO: Pierre Bourgault
Rich Aucoin, 2013, Montreal, Osheaga, Corona Theatre
Rich Aucoin performing on August 2, 2013, at the VM Corona Theatre. PHOTO: Pierre Bourgault
Rich Aucoin, 2013, Montreal, Osheaga, Corona Theatre
Rich Aucoin performing on August 2, 2013, at the VM Corona Theatre. PHOTO: Pierre Bourgault
Rich Aucoin, 2013, Montreal, Osheaga, Corona Theatre
Rich Aucoin performing on August 2, 2013, at the VM Corona Theatre. PHOTO: Pierre Bourgault