The plan for the day included attending Gopal’s (who I befriended in Malaysia) performance with his band, the Chair Warriors, where he played drums. Waking up around 9 a.m., I started the day with a refreshing shower before heading downstairs. Gopal greeted me with a breakfast he had prepared—eggs on toast. Grateful for his hospitality, I thanked him warmly.

Gopal’s Rental Apartment

We left the house around 10 a.m., and I was filled with excitement for the Dutch match later in the day. I had high hopes for a win, though, as it turned out, they didn’t deliver—but more on that later.

We set off on the drive to the apartment, a journey of about 30 to 45 minutes. Gopal, along with some friends, ran a small rental business with a few units they managed together. One of the tenants had recently moved out, leaving behind quite a mess. Today’s task was to inspect the apartment and ensure all traces of the cat urine had been cleaned.

Before arriving at the apartment, we stopped at a music shop where Gopal picked up some spare drumsticks as a precaution. His performance was set for later that night at 10 pm.

A Fresh Start for the Apartment

Upon arrival, we spoke with a maintenance worker who had prepared the apartment for the next tenant. Stepping inside, a faint smell of cat urine lingered, though Gopal assured me the room was now in great shape. He explained that before the cleanup, it had been a complete mess—the previous tenant hadn’t been the tidiest person.

I took some photos for Gopal to use online. It felt good to help him out and give back in some small way for everything he had done for me.

Nap Time Once Again

Gopal conversed with the maintenance worker entirely in French, leaving me clueless about their discussion—though I was confident they weren’t gossiping about me. After about 30 minutes, Gopal settled the payment for the work completed. Together, we loaded some leftover junk from the previous tenant into Gopal’s car, planning to dispose of it once we got back home.

About 45 minutes later, we returned to the house and enjoyed a nice lunch. Feeling unexpectedly tired, I decided to rest for a while. Meanwhile, Gopal needed to run some errands and pick up groceries for his father. Since the Dutch game was set to start at 4 p.m., we planned to head out around 3 p.m.

I had a good nap and woke up at the perfect time. Gopal arrived a bit later, around 3:20 p.m., mentioning that the lines at the store were insane.

The Match of Netherlands – Argentina

We left around 3:30 p.m., which was fine, as it was only a 20-minute drive to Old Montreal, where the bar was located. I had found a bar for Dutch fans and expected it to be crowded. Gopal thought there weren’t many Dutch people in Montreal, but he was in for a surprise when we arrived. I suggested he grab an orange t-shirt, but he didn’t have one.

The traffic was heavy today, and it was very busy. We arrived at the bar 10 minutes late—navigating without GPS was a challenge, haha. Everything depended on Gopal’s knowledge of the area, which was fine. The bar was packed, so we ended up standing outside. The match was frustrating; no goals, and the Argentinean players were solid on defense. Towards the end of the game, a guy showed up with a big dog dressed in orange. He announced that he had let the Dutch win the last match, so he was here to support them again.

The day ended in disappointment with a loss in the penalties. However, there was a silver lining: I no longer had to change my tour date for July 13th, when the final match was scheduled. Watching Germany vs. Argentina held no appeal for me, as I was certain the Germans would win, one way or another. A tour was already booked for that day, but if it had been a Dutch final, I would have rescheduled.

Jamming in the Studio

Around 6 p.m., we left the bar, and Gopal asked what I wanted to do next. I suggested playing some music, as we had talked about it the other day. We had a few hours to spare before heading to the bar. Gopal called the studio to check if they had a room available, and luckily they did. So, we drove over to the place, though I had no idea where it was located.

We had the room for an hour, and Gopal played a few songs. I asked him to play “Toxicity” by System of a Down, and he nailed it with ease. Next, he played “Question,” which had a more complex drum part, and I loved it. We decided to make a video for a friend of mine back in the Netherlands, who was also a drummer. I wanted to show off Gopal’s skills. I had a few attempts myself, but I wasn’t great at it—keeping track of three different rhythms was way harder than I expected.

After an hour, it was time to head out to the venue for the performance of the Chair Warriors. We only paid for the room we used. We drove over to Sala Rosa, a place with a bar upstairs and a restaurant downstairs. When we arrived, we saw that Alessia was already there, sitting with her friend Nathalie.

An Amazing Performance

The first few bands were just okay. Then a solo artist performed, and he had a great voice with some really nice songs. Finally, it was time for The Chair Warriors, the last band. By then, I had already had two beers and decided to get another one. The Moosehead beer was quite tasty; I really liked it.

The lead singer of the Chair Warriors, Brandon, had an incredible voice, especially with his falsetto. I really enjoyed it. The band’s sound reminded me a lot of Muse, a band I’m a big fan of. Their performance was definitely the best of the night—polished and professional. You could tell the crowd was loving it too.

As I’m rewriting this, Brandon and Gopal visited me in the Netherlands in 2019, and we had a fantastic time! Since then, Brandon has gained significant fame in Canada through the program La Voix (The Voice, for international/Dutch readers).

Meeting Brandon and Nathalie

Afterward the Chair Warriors concert, we all chatted as people began to leave. Gopal introduced me to Brandon, who turned out to be a really humble guy. His voice and the songs were incredible, and Gopal was right—these guys were young and just starting out. I’m confident they’ll make it big one day.

That evening, I met one of Alessia’s friends, Nathalie, who was from Russia. A cat lover, she often talked about her feline companion. Without a job, she spent most of her time with her cat. Nathalie had a great sense of humor and kept the conversation lively.

Local Lingo

Back in the car, I was feeling a bit tipsy, and Nathalie taught me some French-Montreal curse words. They all had a regional flavor to them: hostie (pronounced “osti”), calisse (pronounced “chalisse”), and tabernack (pronounced “tabernacle”). I thought they were hilarious due to their catholic theme and couldn’t wait to use them the next day, haha.

We dropped Nathalie and Alessia off at the subway station before heading back to St. Laurent. By around 1 am, we were back. I brushed my teeth and went to bed, still feeling tipsy. Everything seemed a bit wobbly, and within five minutes, I was asleep. Life was good here in Montreal.