Lordy, Lordy, Quebec’s Fest is Turning Forty
And What a Party It will Be
Edited by Jennifer L. Price
 For
its 40th anniversary, the Québec City Summer Festival has pulled together all
the ingredients required to sweeten the pot and offer festival-goers a program
of events worthy of the “mother-of-all-cakes.” It makes for a spectacular
confection rich in talented artists and into which the organization has expertly
folded several major exclusive performances, international music of all
varieties, and events and activities for the whole family. It will all
take the stage between July 5 and 15.
As befits this historical battlefield, the Plains of
Abraham, home to the Festival’s biggest shows at the magnificently located Scène
Bell, will be wheeling out the heavy artillery. The opening shot will be fired
the evening of July 5 by famed French singer/songwriter Renaud, who will be
joined on this double bill by Quebec’s beloved Cowboys Fringants. Five other
Grands Événements Desjardins will follow, on various
evenings, and several other performances will also take place:
 Man of the people Manu Chao, supported by the undeniably
inflammatory performance of European street theatre sensation Bängditos Theater
(July 6);
Nickelback who will literally transport its fans to 7th
heaven on the 7th day of the 7th month of 2007;
Mega-show “Tryo: de bouches à oreilles… et plein les yeux”
dazzling the audience with gargantuan images that will surround the Scène Bell,
adding a surrealistic touch to the repertoire of the acclaimed French group.
Further elevating the mood will be Spanish production K@osmos by Grupo Puja !, 8
artist-acrobats who will transform the sky with an exceptional aerial ballet
with the help of an enormous metal sphere and an original soundtrack performed
live by 5 musicians (July 12);
Kanye West, one of the leading hip hop stars since the turn
of the century, accompanied by a 100% female string section, with opening act
Lifesavas, whom Rolling Stone considers one of the “Top Ten Artists To Watch”
(July 13);
Energetic Toronto four-piece BILLY TALENT who, as everyone
in Québec City still remembers, charged up 50 000 die-hard fans in 2005 (July
14).
At Place Metro, a smorgasbord of major discoveries is on
tap. There, festival-goers may sample not only some new culinary delights in the
company of the expert chefs at Gazebo Metro, but also the extraordinarily rich
musical serving of international artists promising a high world music quotient.
Festival-goers are certain to appreciate a now wider range
of attractive venues, made possible thanks to the creation of the new Escales
Vacances Transat series of nearly 70 select indoor concerts at the Palais
Montcalm, the Impérial de Québec, the Largo Resto-Club and Pub Saint-Alexandre.
Music lovers of all types will enjoy everything the
festival has to offer. For more information on the fest, visit
www.infofestival.com (follow the link in the upper-right corner to translate
the page into English). |
