Le Nouveau Club Soda Review
By: Elyssa Manis

Personally, I think I may be getting just a tad too old for these kinds of events. It may be sad, but it's definitely true. Not that I'd ever want to stop preparing for hours, waking up at insane hours, and being in line at the venue as early as 8am; oh no. . . I could never do that. My back and feet may have different opinions though.

My friend Laura came in from Toronto the night before, which was really cool. The MOIST weekend began that night; preparing, contemplating, wondering, worrying and praying that we'd get four things:

• First place in line and inside
  
• Good weather
  
• We'd get to meet the guys after the show
  
• Photos

All I can say is. . . thank the Lord.

Sylvie and Melanie arrived about the same time Laura and I got there, and then it was quiet for a few hours. Then people came. There weren't too many people, so it was all good. We tried thinking of ways to make the time pass, and as bums and vagabonds 'passed' us, we decided to play a little game. We'd count how many bums and drunk, smelly men would come over and talk to us. By the time we were ready to go home after the show, the count was up to 28. That's quite a staggering number if you think about it. And that didn't include the number of men who waved, smiles, or looked like they were coming towards us. Only the men who talked to us would be included in the final count.

These was one nice man, who actually brought us all coffee. Wherever you are Mr. Green flannel jacket guy, thank you!

Waiting outside in the cold for 11 and a half hours wasn't that bad. It went by pretty quickly, and as more people arrived, it got more fun, and the anticipation grew.

Finally the doors would open, and we'd all get our place in front of the stage. I was in front of Jeff:-) The opening band were amazing. A local Montreal group called Modern Stories played an amazing set of songs, combining hip hop, rap, reggae and rock. I loved the part where they froze on stage; it made everyone cheer and it was quite exciting! They sorta reminded me of Bran Van 3000, with a female singer. Really cool band! I bought their CD, and met them after the show. Nice people!

Moist came on stage at around 9:45pm. They opened with Tangerine, which was no surprise, although it's about time they opened with something a little less predictable! It was basically the same set they played throughout the Mercedes tour. The performance itself was really energetic and loud! The new Club Soda had great sound, and the smallness of it made for a nice venue for the show.

We were all threatened by the security people. That's always a fun thing. "If you take ONE photo, we will bring you outside" they said to us, with such demeanor. So, I didn't end up taking photos, cause I didn't want to risk getting kicked out. I'm not complaining though, because for once, I was actually able to enjoy a show fully, without worrying about what aperture and speed I would choose on my camera, or how long it would take to switch rolls of film, after I was finished with one. Next time I guess!

After two encores and me being saved from fainting by Sylvie, who so conveniently dragged me out of the pit before she went backstage, we hung out around the bar, and I walked around for a bit; saw some old friends, chatted a bit, and waited some more for the guys to come out. But there never did. After that. Sylvie came out, and had a 'strange feeling' which meant that we should all go to the back and wait, so that's what we did. What a smart girl. . .

The night continued backstage outside, waiting for the guys to come out. We were stuck between some alley, and a whore house with a crappy sounding buzzer thing that would ring whenever the front door would open. I still can't get that stupid jingle out of my head.

David was the first to come out. I have never in my life seen him that drunk before. It was quite amusing. He couldn't walk, literally, and when he left, he had to be carried away in the arms of two friends. He had this little bottle of sparkles, and he put them all over us. I was covered with them for the rest of the night, and still am. I can't seem to get them off me! I was able to take a few shots of "drunken Dave" and he was wearing my favourite black sweater!

45 minutes after, Paul came out. He was very talkative, and spent the most time signing stuff, and taking pics. I think he has a new girlfriend, which is really cool! She seemed very nice! Mark came out shortly after. He didn't really talk that much, but stayed for a while to sign, and take photos. Then Jeff came out with a huge smile, as always:-) He thanked me for a CD I gave Sylvie to give to him backstage. He told me he bought a new laptop, and he was very excited about it! He posed for a few photos for me. Gotta love that smile! Kevin came out the last, with his girlfriend, but didn't look too well, so he just left. Poor guy.

As feet froze, hands shivered and lips quivered, we felt the time was right to venture our way back home. We finally got a taxi, and drove off into the land of "non moist". When we got home (Laura, Cynthia and me) we checked out the show I recorded on my computer. It came out really well!

So, that's about it really. The show was a huge success, and everyone had a ton of fun! Today is rest day for me, and I'll be thinking of all the weird things that happened, the time spent with old and new friends, and the show itself; what a fun day it was. Indeed. Till next time. . .

Elyssa Manis