Richardine Bartee
√LIVE private viewing: Intimate, private and dark, a room full of warm folks watched as the French-speaking Pop star sang and danced for two hours.
On a Monday night, Stromae shared an exclusive preview of his first-ever live concert video: √LIVE. It was at a luxe venue I’ve never visited. Intimate, private and dark, a room full of warm folks watched as the French-speaking pop star sang and danced for two hours. It was magical. From his outfits to his hair and vocal tone, everything was perfect. He’d been performing this material for a while as most, if not all of it, comes from his 2013 release for “Racine Carrée.”
In the dark, old friends and new ones laughed, commented and sung along to the Rwandan-Belgian artist’s unique upbeat dance music. At one point, one of us mimicked the odd, spider-like dance moves he does when “Quand c’est ?” cued. To say the least, I think the unlimited champagne and branded macaroons begun to work its magic. His immaculate set design, geometric logo and the beautiful faces of his fans are unlike anything else I’ve seen on-screen—and my personal favourite track is “Moules frites,” after “Papaoutai.”
What I enjoyed most about Stromae’s live performance is that he looks comfortable, and looks great when he sweats. It’s almost like he purposely walked through a water sprinkler for a risqué Thom Browne ad. Now known for playing to a sold-out crowd in New York City at Madison Square Garden, Stromae has an everlasting hold on you when you lay eyes on him —even if you don’t understand what’s he saying.
“√LIVE” is a 120-minute long video that features 17 songs and comes with a specially designed digi-book hardcover accompanied by an exclusive 80-page booklet with behind-the-scenes souvenir pictures from the 209-date tour. Luc Junior Tam, Gautier & Leduc are responsible for its direction, and it’s setting is at Bell Centre in Montreal during his Square Root Live tour. Support great artistry and purchase the √Live DVD on Amazon or iTunes.
