What's a couple hundred secondary school students aboard a runaway roller coaster being chased by a pack of hungry velociraptors sound like? We'll never know, but I guanrentee you it ain't louder than a Shawn Mendes concert! Oy!
I gotta’ admit, I wasn’t cranked up and tuned in to the Mendes zone until last night. Maybe it’s because I’m not a 14-year old girl with the ability to transform my vocal chords into the combined pitch made by Mariah Carey, a power drill, and tree full of kakapos...maybe it’s because I need to listen to more pop-rock radio and less Chopin Nocturnes, but, damn, I'm hooked in now. You couldn't help but be infected by this crowd of pumped up kids! The screams I'm still hearing reverberating deep inside my ear canal tell me all I need to know: Shawn Mendes is a freakin' superstar!
If any of you have seen that clip of the Beatles walking out at Shea Stadium back in 1966, you got a pretty good idea of the kinda’ fan reaction I'm talking about. RBC Bluesfest's man stage was off the hook! A simple silhouette of the singing sensation was enough to work this group into a flipped out frenzy. Honestly, Mendes coulda’ been up there in a pink duck costume sporting one of those huge Dr. Suess hats and a purple tutu while belting out “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” and they’d still be screeching loud enough to frighten house cats in Orleans.
That all started long before Mendes took the stage. About seven hours earlier, when RBC Bluesfest opened up those gates, the most faithful of fans were sprinting in the 40- yard Mendes dash to claim coveted front of stage spots. After catching their breaths and realizing where they were, a pack of young girls erupted as though the guy had just appeared in front of them asking for hugglz and selfies. One of them burst into tears of pure joy. This was a scene re-enacted on a larger scale as the hours turned to minutes and then seconds before showtime when the spotlights washed the soon to be 9.1 on the Mendes scale soundquake about to rock LeBreton Flats. The sound was like lions riding thunder as it rumbled from the front of the stage with an ever increasing to roar.
“It’s good to be back in Canada,” said Mendes, smile beaming as he was hit by multiple waves of teenage affection.
As the set launched into cuts like “Nervous”, “Lost in Japan” and “Bad Reputation”, you had to be Arctic iceberg kinda' frozen not to feel the warm adoration from the fan base radiate from a crowd filled with equally large smiles between their squeals of youthful delight.
As for Mendes, he has a lot reasons to be flashing those pearly whites these days. The wave he’s been riding that's swept up legions of fans like those in the RBC Bluesfest crowd last night shows zero signs of cresting any time soon. Over the last few years, the 19-year-old has been listed as a “30 Under 30” by Frobes, hit the top 10 on Billboard and has sold out arenas all over the world. Last August he became the first musician under 20 to have three hits firing up the pop charts.
Not like they needed it but Mendes gave his audience a lot of power-pop fuel with early hit “Stiches” from his 2014 Handwritten album, “Where Were You in the Morning?” and “Youth”. Slowing things down at the piano for Frank Ocean cover “Thinkin’ Bout You”, the fans continued to sing back every word as though they’d heard these tunes a million times. They probably have.
“I lovvvvvvvve you,” was a cry that repeatedly joined the chorus.
There’s was a lot of heart out there for Mendes, somebody not afraid to wear his own on his sleeve.
Recent single “In My Blood” touches upon the musician’s battles with anxiety disorder, something he once kept away from the public eye. Mendes has since opened up about his struggles, stating that, with the song, he wanted to "make something as serious as anxiety tangible where everybody can listen to it and either connect with it or understand it.”
" Sometimes I feel like giving up / No medicine is strong enough," he sang, words he's said help unify others, show them they are not alone and that there’s hope to rise above and come out stronger on the other side. There were more tears during this one, for sure.
In another touching moment near the close of his 70-minute set, Mendes dedicated “Never Be Alone” to Casey Delaney, the Ottawa teacher who was injured last weekend in a hit and run incident on the Gatineau River.
“A few days ago I got the news that a friend of mine from Ottawa was in a serious accident. She’s in the hospital now recovering and I just want to take a moment because I know she has family here today and send all my love to her,” Mendes said to in a rare moment of silence during the show.
"If you guys want to get your lights out for this one it’d mean a lot.”
You didn’t have to ask them twice. The crowd light up the night, one they would never forget.
SETLIST: There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back Nervous Lost in Japan Stiches Bad Reputation Ruin Thinkin’ Bout You (Frank Ocean cover) Youth Mercy Where Were You in the Morning? Fallin’ All in You Never Be Alone In My Blood Use Somebody (Kings of Leon cover) Threat You Better