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The ladies sure love their Roch. Too bad he can't rock.
Volume and clutter make poor substitutes for the raw urgency of real rock music, as Roch Voisine demonstrated for 2,500 fans at the Convention Centre on Thursday night. And calling attention to "soul" - like bragging about modesty - pretty much cancels it out.
For example, the Francophone star introduced Stay With Me by saying he learned to "put a bit of soul into my productions" during his recent stay in L.A. It was a very little bit of soul, as it turned out. His Barry White impersonation was comical, and the song came across like everything else Roch did during his 90 minute concert - overdramatic, personality-driven bombast. This guy wouldn't know soul if Sam Cooke came back from the dead and bit him on the nose.
Not that the majority of the fans cared one way or another. You see, at least 75% of the fans were women. From teeny boppers to married, middle-aged ladies, they all shared an almost frenzied adoration of this nice young man from New Brunswick. They screamed at his every word and move. Despite his pretensions, Voisine is a likable gent who seemed more at ease on stage than he ever has. He soaked up all the love in the room like a Las Vegas pro. Ladies, meet the future Tom Jones.
After a mercifully short opening set from the abrasive, shamelessly self-promoting Amy Sky, whose music ranged from maudlin ballads to bouncy, cliche-ridden fluff, squealing fans stormed out of their assigned seats and rushed the stage when the lights went down for Roch. Clutching bouquets of roses, they formed a "mush" pit (not to be confused with a "mosh" pit) that remained for the entire night. Security was helpless to prevent it.
Looking rather Elvis-like, Voisine opened with a solo a capella version of I'll Always Be There, with the faces of his fans just inches away. After tunes from two albums plus a sensitive version of Don McLean's Vincent (in honor of Voisine's recently deceased manager, Paul Vincent), he also closed the show with I'll Always Be There, this time with a full band. He even managed to sign autographs and touch the sea of outstretched hands as he sang. Can you say "fromage?"
Voisine certainly knew how to get the hormones stirring.
He said at one point, "I am 34 years old." (Eeeeeee!)
"I'm still not married." (Double Eeeeeee!)
"People ask me who I am waiting for." (Me! Me! Me!)
"When I see this many beautiful women, I know I'm not getting married soon ... maybe because I haven't found the right one yet." (Eeeeeee!)
This (obviously prepared) patter was the introduction to - you guessed it - a song called The Right One.
Roch can sing. He knows how to please a crowd of women. He's handsome. But if he thinks these traits make him a rock singer, or even a soul singer, he's got another thing coming.