Indie rock darlings Dear Rouge brought a high-energy performance to Ottawa’s Bronson Centre Music Theatre on Thursday night, leaving the crowd exhilarated and wanting more. The band’s dynamic stage presence, combined with their infectious blend of indie rock and pop, made for a great night for fans of the band.
Opening the show was Orillia’s Bleeker, who played a fantastic set, and clearly had some of their own fans in the crowd, including one who gladly took the mic from vocalist Taylor Perkins to sing along for a few bars. I always make a point of catching the openers whenever I can, and Bleeker reinforced why. They did a fine job of warming up the crowd, with fun, catchy songs like “Highway,” “Let’s Go,” and a new track that they just wrote last week, which had the crowd instantly singing along.
I’ve only seen Dear Rouge once before, at the 2023 edition of the Ottawa Dragonboat Festival so I was excited to see them again. From the moment they took the stage, Dear Rouge had complete control of the crowd. Lead singer Danielle McTaggart’s powerful vocals soared through the Bronson Centre, while husband Drew McTaggart’s guitar riffs and melodies added an edge to their sound.
Dear Rouge crafted a setlist of old favourites and new tracks from their latest release Lonesome High. Danielle noted that the tour almost didn’t happen, as Drew’s mom had passed away just three weeks ago, but that they decided that his mom would have wanted them to do this and be together with their fans.
After kicking it off with “Cutting Teeth,” they tore through songs like “Black to Gold,” “Modern Breakdown” and “Meet Me at The Rio,” which had the crowd whipped into a frenzy, with some of the loudest applause that I’ve ever heard at the Bronson Centre. They also showcased their versatility with a more intimate acoustic rendition of “Live Through the Night,” allowing Danielle’s vocals to truly shine, as she and Drew played alone together sitting at centre stage.
The atmosphere at the Bronson Centre was electric, with the crowd feeding off the band’s energy and the dynamic stage set of various flashing LED bars and colourful spotlights that added to the experience.
Dear Rouge clearly enjoyed performing for their Ottawa fans, and their enthusiasm was infectious. Danielle even took a moment to pop a bottle of champagne on stage to toast Ottawa fans. The band’s connection with the audience was evident, including when Danielle left the stage to snake her way through the crowd, getting up close and personal with the fans.
It’s always a fulfilling experience to see music fans together at a concert. This sentiment was echoed early in the evening when Danielle said, “Music has a way of healing us, bringing us together and making us weirdly vulnerable.” There’s just something special about that community of music creators and music lovers, coming together and last night’s show was a perfect example of that experience.
Dear Rouge’s Lonesome High tour continues on with dates across Canada. The new album, Lonesome High, can be found wherever you stream/buy music.
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