Down With Webster At Théâtre Beanfield

Everybody loves a good comeback story.  After having taken a 10 year break, and an even longer 12 years since their last visit to Montreal, Down With Webster have returned.  The Canadian rap/rock band burst onto the scene in 2009 and rocketed to fame immediately.  They earned Juno nominations for their first two albums as well as New Group of the Year and Group of the Year in 2010.  They were also a mainstay on MuchMusic, back when the station played music videos, often performing live from the iconic MuchMusic Building on Queen Street.  But, as we are told, all good things must come to an end, and Down With Webster decided to take a break.  Their triumphant return began with an announcement on April 1^st which was followed with a Summer Tour.  That extended out to the current WinTOUR, which arrived in Montreal on December 18th.  It was their first visit to the city since an appearance at Osheaga in 2012, and their fans gathered early in the cold with a gently falling snow at the legendary Théâtre Beanfield.  Down With Webster hit the stage with an energy equal to their performances of a decade ago.  The buzzing crowd, made up of long time followers and some younger fans getting their first Down With Webster experience, immediately sprung to life.  Singing the songs back to the band and bouncing with every beat, the old building came to life with energy.  Everyone collectively, the fans and the band, wore huge smiles and were enjoying this long awaited reunion. Opening with ‘One In A Million’ and following up with ‘Time to Win’ and then ‘Go Time’, this  little nibbling from each of their albums was all it took to get everyone worked up for the rest of the show.  Each of their three albums was well represented and the fans in attendance got to hear every one of their favourite hits.  In the end, it’s true what Tom Petty once said.  The waiting is the hardest part, especially if you’ve been doing so for more than a decade.  However, if you were to ask those in attendance if the wait had been worth it, you would have certainly got a positive response.  Along with the hope that wouldn’t have to wait another 10 years to see their rape/rock heroes again.  All of the photographs were taken at f/3.2 while using various different shutter speeds, ISO setting and focal lengths.  Here are the rest of the photographs that I took of Down With Webster while they performed on the Théâte Beanfield stage.

If you would like to find out more about Down With Webster and their music, you can do so by following the link to their website.  If you would like to see the photographs that I took of Sunsetto, who performed later that night, you can do so by following the link.  Much thanks goes out to Down With Webster and Christopher Gonda of V13 Media for getting me a pass to shoot the show.  As always, it is very much appreciated.  Down With Webster’s WinTOUR 2024, which by the way featured one of my favourite tour posters of the year, was short, sweet and already over by the time you read these words.  However, the band appears to be back in the swing of things after all of their reunion shows this past year.  Down With Webster will likely be back on the road in 2025, so head out and see them for a night of energetic fun.