To Montreal And Back

November 2002: Club Saphir : Montreal, Quebec
I'm pretty sure this was the furthest we had ever driven for a show, and it was well worth it! Our friend Von tagged along, and we got an early start across the border in Detroit around 5am, they just waved us through. So far so good. And then it started to snow. And snow, and snow, and hail, and sleet, and slip and slide down the highway. The Rev's impeccible driving skills got us past many vehicles in the ditch, and we made it to Montreal from Detroit in time for soundcheck that evening. We also discovered that most people in Montreal do not speak English, and five years of German wasn't helping. :) Luckily a friend of our promoter spoke nearly perfect English, we also met a very helpful and beautiful girl named Gwelf that made sure we had everything in order..she met us at a coffeehouse down the street while they got the building unlocked for us.

So, Club Saphir was located in a nice downtown shopping area, and the venue was up a few flights of stairs with no elevator..I recall using the fire escape to get the bulk of our stuff in and out, but it really became a non-issue with all the assistance they gave us. Soundcheck went more smoothly than usual, and we were the only act headlining during a regular club night, so it was just a matter of getting the night rolling. Aside from the language barrier, it was an awesome show..I really wish I could have understood more of what people were saying to me. Oh, and I also met the guys from Headscan, which was a treat..I had seen them play in Detroit recently and really enjoy their sound. We stayed at the promoter's loft that evening, and I was shocked to discover they had Chiasm stickers from 1998 on their computer..in fact it was their roommate's who they'd just met, so it was a neat coincidence. Overall we decided it was a great trip and are considering maybe taking a train out the next time..we wanted to venture into the city a bit more but needed to be back to work Monday morning.

On the way back, we spent the night in Toronto, and made sure to hit the Savage Garden while we were there..and were recognized! I met DJ Todd from Real Synthetic Audio in person (finally) and some other people showed us around to some after parties as well,..it was a great welcome, and we'll definately have to come back to play! Minor search at the border on the way back, but we had nothing to hide, so it was all good. Oh, Canada!