I’ve never been to Minotaure before and if there was one band that was worthy of being the first band I saw there, Karkwa was it.
I never knew about Karkwa until their reunion a few years back when JF got me their new album on vinyl. It was great!
We also went to Montreal to see them in all their glory and they gained an instant fan. For the past two years I’ve listened to all their albums and have a fairly good understanding of what they meant to their fans back in the 2000s. I believe they broke up around 2012.
Most of the photos in this post are not mine. I found them on Facebook.
Etienne had been wanting to see Karkwa because there were rumours that they were calling it quits again. We did catch wind of a show at Minotaure in Hull but tickets sold out instantly. I kept my ear to the ground and it paid off! They announced an additional concert at 3PM the day after! Total score. This would be the final date on their tour.
We couldn’t have asked for a better concert. An afternoon show is great for this old man who quite likes returning home around supper time! The crowd was super into it the band. The band was a bit melancholy seeing that it was their final show of the tour. I wasn’t just witnessing a concert, I was at an EVENT.
Our view from the side stage where we had a bit more room to breathe.
Etienne and I – concert buds for life.
Of note: a woman got tripped into a PA speaker and there was five minutes of figuring out if she was ok. This was hilariously timed when the band was coming back through the crowd for the encore and they had to stop and make sure she was alright. I’m not sure if they tripped her or if somehow she was shoved into a PA speaker. All I know is that it deflated the moment a bit when the house lights came on and they had to get security in to make sure she was ok. Turns out she was ok and the show went on for a few last tunes!
Sidenote: Francois Lafontaine is a beast on the keys. I’m always in awe of what he pulls off.
After the show Etienne picked up their vinyl and he was in the mood to see if we could meet the band and get it signed. I’m not sure how the fates aligned but we went upstairs and sure enough there were a few fans hanging outside the green room and the manager opened the door and said something like “Any items to sign?” at the exact moment we showed up.
I had instant regret of not picking up A SECOND VINYL for my collection so I could get it signed! But hey…I didn’t foresee my future of this possibility. Why would I want a second vinyl in my collection? Etienne managed to get the bands signature on this vinyl and he was super pumped.
A great concert with a great friend right as the Christmas break started. What more could I ask for?