Article: Cult MTL
Cult MTL (December 24, 2013)
These are the top 6 concerts of 2013
Sparks at le National, Nov. 1 At an age when most have long since thrown in the towel, the Mael brothers are still proving themselves skilled purveyors of weirdo pop — read my interview with them here. Their recent Montreal appearance was miles away from the sort of sad, cash-grab reunions that so many tired nostalgic acts keep trotting out, year after year. Over the course of their 23-song, career-spanning set, Sparks proved their vitality to the modest yet enthusiastic crowd. When the normally stoic Ron Mael broke character during the encore, and leapt up from behind his keyboard to dance the Charleston, you could feel the incredible warmth radiating from the crowd for two of pop music’s most enduring and endearing outsiders. (Mike Sallot)