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Patrick Watson composes, performs, and records his albums with his long-time bandmate and collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Mishka Stein and Olivier Fairfield. The Canadian artist reached gold and platinum status in multiple countries (including five certified gold albums in Canada), and his shows sell out around the world. Over the course of his career, Patrick has retained the uncanny ability to coexist in mainstream pop-culture spaces and on the avant-garde fringes. Patrick's songs have been featured in primetime crowd-pleasers like Grey's Anatomy and This Is Us, as well as in multiple arthouse films from Denis Villeneuve (Polytechnique), Wim Wenders (Perfect Days), and Philippe Falardeau (C'est pas moi, je le jure!) and more. He's an artist who's as comfortable performing impromptu pop-up shows on the train tracks in a Quebec mining town as he is leading the BBC Orchestra at London's prestigious Barbican. He's an in-demand composer with over 15 film scores under his belt. He was awarded the prestigious inaugural Impact Award at the 2024 Canadian Sync Awards. Watson's viral single Je te laisserai des mots became the first francophone song to accumulate 1 billion streams on Spotify.
His international profile has been raised by media appearances in several key markets. He's been featured on billboards in New York's Times Square, performed at an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, and was called "an outstanding storyteller" by legendary All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. Patrick has also made TV appearances on Taratata (France 2), France TV Info La Matinale, and hosted an episode of BBC Music Life Podcast in the UK with guests Weyes Blood, Flume, Caroline Shaw, and more.
Patrick Watson's 2006 Polaris Music Prize-winning breakthrough, Close to Paradise, is a defining document of the fabled post-Y2K Montreal indie scene, a magical memento of an era when rent was still cheap and creativity was pouring out of every storefront gallery space on the Plateau. But as much as he seemed to embody the whimsical spirit of the flaneur roaming the depanneur-lined streets of Montreal, Patrick has since amassed an expansive and eclectic body of work--from the art-folk odysseys of 2009's Wooden Arms to the cosmic synth-washed songcraft of 2015's Love Songs for Robots, to his latest Better in the Shade, featuring the beautiful piano anthem Ode to Vivian.
But whether you discovered Patrick Watson through your local indie record shop, a movie soundtrack, a social-media video, a European music festival, his hit collaboration with Cinematic Orchestra (2007's "To Build a Home"), or through his appearance alongside Patti Smith and Michael Stipe at the 2021 Pathway to Paris all-star benefit concert, his music has a similar effect on all who enter his kaleidoscopic sound-world. The songs of Patrick Watson transform your everyday surroundings into your own imaginary wonderland, translating stress and sorrow into joy, and helping you find peace within the chaos of modern life.
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Thursday night's show was truly one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Watson led the adoring crowd through a musical journey of crescendos and quiet moments that showed both the sheer talent of all the band members as well as their proficiency for creating a mood and blowing the roof off of Massey Hall at the same time.
First time attended a Patrick Watson concert and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The band was so casual and relaxed it felt like they were playing at home for a group of friends. Will definitely see them again in December.
Great Show! Great Sound! Patrick Watson is very comfortable with the crowd and has a very quarky sense of humour. The light show was a little tiring after a while as the light from the projectors beamed into the balconies on either side. The lighting set, however create a very cool effect!
Patrick Watson begins with ridiculously complex orchestrations. Then his band animates them with tension and depth. Then he dresses the stage with apt and eloquent lighting to translate the songs further, adding even abstract cinematography projected from the stage to the walls of the music hall. He laces all the songs together with easy banter and endless wit. A guest arrives to contribute to a song here, the band leaves to create space for another song there... Constant movement, and always in the right direction. It's as if they're flying a plane. And though the best laid plans, and the best practiced bands, are always challenged with unforeseen obstacles -say, poor grounding in the stage lighting causing a hum to swell through the monitors to the point that even the audience in the back can hear, or perhaps a fire alarm that sounds several times throughout the encore- Patrick and the Wooden Arms manage to mount these challenges and ride them to the show's conclusion with genuine character and generous laughter, never once allowing it to taint their talent. Patrick Watson and the Wooden Arms refuse to disappoint.
Totally exceeded expectations ( which were high), great concert.
SO artistic and imaginative, I was in awe the whole time! It really isn't just abou the music with this band--although the music is AMAZING!
The band performed brilliantly. The performance was almost magical. I love Patrick's sense of humour on stage and dealing with some untimely fire bells!
I have seen Patrick Watson 3 times now and every show is a masterpiece. These guys are so talented it's scary.
Great show! Great musicianship! Some of the new stuff is really good and the old one keep getting better.
