Montreal

August/September 2024

Why Montreal?

There's a band I like a lot named Linkin Park. In 2017 their lead singer, Chester Bennington, committed suicide and the band had been in limbo ever since. I read about, and saw some great videos on YouTube, of a Linkin Park cover band from Portugal called, Hybrid Theory. They were coming to Canada for the first time and I had to jump on the opportunity to see them. They have never played in the U.S. and I think it might be due to copyright issues. This was the closest they've ever been to me in California. Their singer sounds so much like Chester and I wanted the opportunity to experience what it would have been like to see Linkin Park in their early days in a smallish venue.

Note: A few weeks after I returned home from this trip Linkin Park, the actual band, announced their come back with a new female lead singer. Although the new music is really good from their new album, I was super happy that I went to the Hybrid Theory show in Montreal as this was really the experience I wanted to have, small and with other super fans singing along to every song!

This being the year I turned 50, I wanted to also be a little more spontaneous and do something that felt a little out of my comfort zone. Flying across the country just to see a band is kinda silly, but it felt like something I would regret if I didn't so I decided to fulfil this bucket list item.

I reached out to a buddy of mine who I hadn't seen in years and he was quick to respond with a big fat, "yes, come stay at my place!" That made it all the more easy to make the leap and go. Normally when I travel solo I stay solo. So this was going to be a different experience for me.

Upon arrival in Montreal my friend picked me up at the airport and took me to his house. He had to work that day, so I was on my own that morning. After that he'd be free to hang out on the rest of the days.

He showed me how to rent bike from the many bike stalls they have there via a service called Bixby. Oh man, I LOVED this service. Montreal is such a bikeable city and has changed so much from the last time I was there. I was in Montreal about 20 years ago and didn't think much of it. This time, I fell in love. It's such a fantastic city. Small, yet full of life, history and a freshness that gives it a lot of life. If the weather was as good as it was when I was there in August I would definitely have it high up on my potential places to live, but the winter months with the cold and snow make it a no go for me :)

I saw so many great sites and ate at some great vegetarian and non-vegetarian restaurants. I heard a young talented female singing in the European town square, saw many abandoned churches that are now used as venues for alternative events. For instance, one hosts death metal bands once a month. Apparently the people of Montreal have made a point to renounce the religion and even have some funny sayings that support those claims. See the snippet below from the internet.

In Quebec French, the word for "tabernacle" is a vulgar swear word that's roughly equivalent to an English f-bomb. The word is used to express anger or frustration, and is often used in combination with other religious terms like "sacrament" and "chalice". For example, "Mon crisse de char est brisé, câlisse de tabarnak" literally translates to "My Christ of (a) car is broken, chalice of (the) tabernacle".

We went wakeboarding as well. I had only done it twice before, but it was super fun. Overall the trip was a blast and I had such a great time catching up with an old friend and exploring the vibrant and wonderful city of Montreal.

The show with Hybrid Theory was fantastic. I was right up front singing along and I met some Canadian folks who told me that, because I had traveled from so far away that I was Canadian today with them! They were super friendly and welcoming. We all sang along and high fived each other on every song. It was a great experience and the band sounded perfect!