BEST OF MONTRÉAL NIGHTLIFE 2009

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With 2010 just around the corner, it’s time to look back at the year we’ve had. It’s been a treat and a privilege for me to be involved in this incredibly cool campaign. I still can’t quite believe that I get to write about music and nightclubs in a city like Montreal and actually get paid for it. Both the blog and I will be back in the new year and will continue to cover this city’s dynamic nightlife scene, but before that let’s take a minute to look back at some of the highlights…

Best Show: While Stevie Wonder’s performance at Jazz Fest was huge, I got there late and couldn’t actually see anything. So the highlight for me has to be Lee Fields and the mind-blowing show he put on during Pop Montreal. Words don’t do it justice. As a friend of mine observed, I think some babies were made that night.

Neatest Nightlife Idea: A great show is more than enough to keep my attention, but when you do like the MACM did and allow people to hear some of Montreal’s best bands in one of Montreal’s most interesting art galleries, you’ve got something special on your hands.

Best use of out-sourcing: Perhaps this is shocking, but there are people out there who know as much about Montreal’s nightlife scene as I do. So, when covering the Just For Laughs festival, I asked local comedian Mike Paterson to give me a behind-the-scenes look at the fest. He did not disappoint.

Most popular Facebook topic: This campaign is intrinsically tied to social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, so occasionally when writing a post I took to my Facebook account for feedback. Which question was it that most riled up my Facebook friends? Where to get Montreal’s best mojito.

Best use of my dog: Dogs are wonderful companions but everyone knows they are slackers when it comes to work. So this year I made mine earn her kibble from the very beginning. But, it was only when I asked Milly to sing that she truly earned her keep.

Best Drink: By far the toughest question to answer, so I’ll call it a tie betweenBaldwin’s Bourbon punch and the hilariously named “brojito” served at Blizzarts.

Best Bartender: I was told beforehand that the woman who took care of the bar at L’Opera was absolutely charming and was the main reason that the place had some many regulars. This turned out to be absolutely true.

Most fun involved in a post: Some may even say I had too much fun doing it, but getting paid to make a video about your friend’s bachelor party cannot really ever count as “work”.

Best new club: Even though it just opened, I’m pretty confident that the Velvet Speakeasy is going to take over 2010.

Best new pub: Even though I haven’t even been there yet, I’m equally confident that the Dominion is going to be a very big deal next year.

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