Alestorm, Twilight Force, Greyhawk
May 19, 2026
Place Bell, Montreal, QC
On May 19th, Swedish pirate metal legends Alestorm sailed into Place Bell for a night of absurdity, power metal glory, and beer-soaked chaos. Despite the venue being configured in its smallest setup with only around 2,000 attendees, the crowd delivered arena-level energy from start to finish. Supported by Greyhawk and Twilight Force, the evening turned into one of the most entertaining metal shows Laval has seen in quite some time.
Greyhawk opened the night with a sound that felt ripped straight out of classic heavy metal’s golden age. Their style was heavily influenced by bands like Iron Maiden, packed with soaring guitar harmonies, galloping rhythms, and fun, flashy solos that immediately won over the crowd. The band carried themselves with confidence and had a surprisingly strong stage presence for an opener. One of the night’s coolest moments came when they dedicated their song “Ascension” to the Montreal Canadiens and their playoff ascension, earning a loud reaction from the hometown fans.
Next up was Twilight Force, who transformed the stage into a full-blown fantasy campaign. Dressed in elaborate LARP-style outfits inspired by medieval fantasy role-playing games, the band leaned fully into their theatrical identity and made the entire set feel like an adventure quest with guitars. Between songs, Blackwald taught the crowd how to laugh like a wizard, which somehow became one of the funniest moments of the evening. Musically, the band was incredibly tight, delivering fast, melodic power metal with precision and energy. Kristin Starkey’s female vocals added a fantastic dynamic to the performance and elevated several songs throughout the set. The crowd also loved the band’s reminder that they were selling “magical trinkets” at the merch table. Twilight Force closed their set triumphantly with “The Power of the Ancient Force,” leaving the audience fully warmed up for the madness to come.
Then it was time for Alestorm.
The stage setup itself was hilariously simple: three giant inflatable rubber duckies towering behind the band. Somehow, it perfectly matched the ridiculousness and charm of an Alestorm show. They exploded onto the stage with “Keelhauled,” instantly igniting the crowd. From the very first note, the audience was completely invested. What the crowd lacked in size, they absolutely made up for with enthusiasm and nonstop participation.
A few songs into the set, vocalist Chris Bowes jokingly introduced “Under Blackened Banners” as “our only song about pirates,” which was especially hilarious considering nearly every Alestorm song is about pirates. The band’s humor remained a huge part of the show throughout the night.
During “Banana,” several fans dressed as bananas surfed across the crowd, having an absolutely peeling good time while the audience roared with laughter. Later, during their cover of Taio Cruz’s “Hangover,” a person in a shark costume joined the band onstage to perform the rap section, somehow making the absurdity even better.
The highlight of the evening came during “Nancy the Tavern Wench.” As the song kicked in, nearly the entire floor crowd sat down simultaneously and began rowing together like a pirate ship crew. It was one of those unforgettable concert moments that perfectly captured the spirit of the night: ridiculous, energetic, communal, and just plain fun.
At one point, the band declared, “You have sat through enough shit — now it’s time for the good stuff,” before launching into “P.A.R.T.Y.,” sending the crowd into another frenzy. For the encore, the band introduced themselves by saying they were there for one reason, prompting the entire audience to scream back, “TO DRINK YOUR BEER!” “Drink” ended up being the most explosive and entertaining song of the night, with the entire venue shouting every lyric at the top of their lungs.
All in all, it was a spectacular show. Between Greyhawk’s classic metal swagger, Twilight Force’s fantasy-fueled power metal spectacle, and Alestorm’s unstoppable pirate party, the night delivered nonstop entertainment from beginning to end. Even with only 2,000 people in attendance, Place Bell felt alive thanks to a crowd that embraced every ridiculous moment with total enthusiasm. Concerts like this are proof that sometimes the best shows are not the biggest ones — they are the ones where everyone in the room is fully committed to having an unforgettable time.