Mes longs voyages (show) : Daniel Lavoie's live show, Canada, February 2017

If you go see Daniel Lavoie's new live show Mes longs voyages and are familiar with his eponymous and unabashedly dark album (released in 2016), you are in for a surprise. Because oh, what a magician that Daniel Lavoie is! Hop-la and all the blood, sweat and tears of the album turn into champagne! Effervescent and luminous, Daniel Lavoie sings, dances, switches (or ditches) instruments, talks, laughs, grimaces, savors his time in the limelight, as if trying to put behind him all the troubles that followed him in 2016 (and inspired the album) as fast as he can, and he effortlessly pulls the audience into his happy vortex. And as for that guy on the promo photos - the one who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders – one wonders what he has to do with this show…

But seriously, Mes longs voyages is a truly great production, and so it's built on many details that are perhaps as important as the singer's remarkable voice, and include, among other things, great arrangements, 6 excellent musicians on stage (with a 3- and sometimes 4-member brass section), the lights and the video effects, Daniel’s stand-up comedy show, a remarkable rapport with the audience and all that je ne sais quoi that Daniel Lavoie does so well. 

Then there are the songs - happy, sad, philosophical, lyrical, romantic, sarcastic, pop, rock, country, chanson, jazz… - all of them great and all uniquely his -Daniel’s - own, even if not written directly by him. In the first part of the show we hear most of the songs from the album Mes longs voyages, and in the second one – a selection of his hits or the "best of". A nice touch is incorporating both of the “sonic landscape” pieces that open and close the album, into the show, thus enriching the sound texture of the show even more. 

 

The show has clearly been designed with the audience in mind - the audience that is very familiar with Daniel Lavoie, but not necessarily with his latest album. In the first part of the show every song is preceded or followed by a (usually hilarious) monologue presenting the song to the audience. In the second part we hear Daniel talk a lot less, but we are treated to the lavish and exuberant "show within a show", when Daniel introduces his team members. He takes his time, relishes the moment and gifts the audience with some of his most charming tricks.

 

One important technical innovation plays a big role in the new show. Instead of a fixed bulky microphone now Daniel is wearing a little one on his cheek and so all of a sudden the artist becomes free to move around the stage and sing/talk while on the move. And boy does he use that newly acquired mobility!  At times I could swear I saw him fly over the stage.
 

In general, it was hard for me to believe that the show I saw was played only for the third and fourth time*, it seemed so well-oiled, tested and comfortable like a soft glove. 

A word about the audience's reaction. The acceptance was immediate and complete, the enthusiasm was high and loud - a pleasure to observe and to take part in. Love and respect flew back and forth between the stage and the audience and to experience this was one of the best parts of the show.

And one more thought. Very often we are hesitant to admit the importance of a performer’s appearance for his art, and it’s true, one does not need to look good to be a great performer, but if one does, it’s one more color in his palette and one more gift for the audience. So go see wonderfully handsome and ageless Daniel Lavoie sing, dance and move around the stage with feline grace, go see him ooze all that proverbial endless charm of his, which was fortunately bestowed on a person of a great talent and a great heart.

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P. S. The author saw the Mes longs voyages show in Quebec on March 23 and in Ottawa on March 25, 2017.

P. S. For my review of the album Mes longs voyages, peek here.