What was one of the most memorable concerts you’ve attended?  Try to think about why you remember that concert.  Was the venue jam packed? Did the music touch you? Was the performance thoughtful and creative?

Sunday, I attended one of those concerts at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. It was a free event like no other at which Patrick Watson performed an outdoor show in front of an estimated 100,000 people.

…it was more like a Cirque Du Soleil; a moment where unbridled creativity finds the perfect outlet for dissemination, completely changing the way we think about music and performance art.  - CHARTattack

Rather than reviewing the show, I propose this question to performing artists: what do you consider when preparing for a show? Do you think about artistic concepts such as stage presence, decor, visuals, lighting, and audience engagement? Patrick Watson clearly did. These facets of his concert were sensitive, thoughtful and made his show a success.

The music was only one of many important ingredients in the concert experience; when describing the show, many people referred more to the performative elements than they did the music. While the music is still crucially important in performance,  a combination of the two can surpass what music alone can do. In this respect, Patrick Watson’s show was golden.

If you missed the show you can watch it in its entirety here.