Nightlife Illuminated

This weekend we shed some light on the dark city nights. Pun intended - I mean light, and lots of it. Through the light polluted orange haze of the night sky we find no stars (something we've taken for granted in Vermont), so we look elsewhere to brighten our curiosity. Friday night I went with a few Champlainers to Club 1234 for a little fun. We had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to just be a packed dance floor with a talented DJ. I've been hearing about how "crazy" Montreal crowds are at shows like this, but it turned out to be the exact opposite of what I expected. Don't get me wrong, it was a great night and I loved every second of it, but for a note on culture: the Montreal crowd was extremely timid and space conscious. We were all packed into a very tight room, and so bumping into one another should become a commonplace thing (no need to apologize) - it's the spiritual feeling one seeks from a gathering like this: to lose your sense of self and to merge with this collective mindset that simply embraces the music and the feeling, disregarding all else. But at Club 1234, no one wants to be touched by anyone. Brushing up against someone often yields a look of confusion or distaste. We brave four Champlain students were dancing before anyone else was. All these well dressed and very attractive Montreal youths were just standing around in little cliques for the first two hours while the DJ was playing, like it was a seventh grade school dance or something. Perhaps I'm going to the wrong shows at the wrong clubs, but I've seen much livelier crowds in New York. I mean, every genre of music has its own demographic of listeners and every show attracts a different crowd. Some countries like Germany and Japan tend to have less crowd participation when it comes to music. Perhaps Canada is the same way. Every nation has its own way of letting out stress and feeling as one. Communitas: it's the same reason why sports fanatics are so fanatic and choose a certain sport with a certain team and bond with the other fans. It's also the same reason why religious people go to a Church or a Mosque or a Synagogue (although this is much less common in the 21st Century). Now we spend our weekends "going out," enjoying the presence of close friends as well as total strangers - but are they really strangers if you both end up at the same place on a Saturday night? Not exactly; you know you at least have one thing in common. Every culture does this differently, but in the end they fulfill similar desires. In Japan they might sing karaoke and throw plates at a brick wall, while in Spain the get-together is not only in the bars but in the streets, everywhere and every night, while for US college students it's all about meeting everyone at a house or a frat or a sorority and playing various games, but in Montreal?... I haven't figured it out yet. It's too complex for what I'm used to. In a big city like this, meshed together with an array of diverse cultures, liveliness takes many forms and it's all around you, all the time (if you know where to look). Rue Saint Catherine has all the bars and clubs you could ever want, but they have nothing in common sans the fact they all serve alcohol. There's no single place in the city that unifies these cultures and serves as a perfect symbol of Montreal. At least, that's my perspective thus far. I'm still just an outsider looking in. I feel it would take many years to assimilate into a place like this.

Saturday night Champlain sponsored a laser tag event for the students - nearly all of us went. Good, clean, light-filled fun, what more could you want? It felt like being a kid again. During the week we work hard, and on the weekends, well, we play even harder...

On the way back from laser tag, I ran into a bizarre fountain and light show at Place des Arts (see pictures above). Psychedelic colors were flashing on the buildings and through the water fountains all around us as World music played in the background. It was quite unexpected. For a full video of the performance, look here. There's always a gathering whenever it happens, but I have no idea who designs and runs the show.