Wu Tang Clan
JULY 4-14, QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC
I stood high above the streets of Quebec City in my 12th floor room in the Hilton hotel. Overlooking the famous Plains of Abraham, I saw throngs of people, both young and old, smiling, laughing and all walking in the same direction: towards the giant stage erected to house some of the world’s most talented and diverse artists throughout the eleven day Festival D’Ete, Canada’s largest outdoor music festival.
On this night, as the sun set over picturesque old Quebec, it was the crafty veterans of hip-hop, Wu Tang Clan who were the main draw. Though to look at the program for the festival, it became even more evident why everyone was smiling: the festival organizers curated a line-up that features something for everyone. From young critical darlings such as Odonis Odonis and Young Galaxy to pop icons like Bruno Mars and Carly Rae Jepsen to legendary show-stoppers (And conversation starters) such as Stevier Wonder and Guns N’ Roses, it would be hard to take in the festival, with every venue within walking distance of Old Quebec, and not leave happy. And forgive me for sounding like a part of the promo machine, but with 11-day passes going for only $76, those smiles became even more understandable. The whole festival falls in line with the purveying attitude throughout Quebec City, one which the rest of Canada could certainly learn from: that music and art have the power to bring people together and can be more than just a distraction from everyday life. And exposure to diversity can certainly enhance the quality of life.
“Because of the passion and strong, patriotic feeling that Quebecois people have in general, there’s the need to support anything local, anything homegrown. And you mix that in with the general open-mindedness of Quebecois people, they love discovering things. It’s the perfect storm,” says Montreal-based singer-songwriter Andre Papanicolaou, whom I caught up with in the Hilton lobby a few hours before one of his performances at the festival.
“There’s a lot of opportunities to discover art,” he continues, speaking of what sets Festival D’Ete apart. “They’ve managed to strike that tone between something familiar and something much larger and international. It’s ours, whether you define that as Quebecois or Canadian, it’s a community driven festival but it’s so well organized that at times, you feel like anyone who attends the festival has some sense of ownership as well.”
The Black Keys
I quickly joined the hordes at the Plains of Abraham, easily one of the largest crowds I’d ever been a part of. While official numbers weren’t presented, I would hazard a guess of 75,000 in attendance for the first Friday night headline show.
Wu-Tang was, naturally, incredibly entertaining. They bridged the gap between curious onlookers and the dedicated fans who had waited hours to stand crushed against the front rail. Though with the dudes dressed in vintage Quebec Nordiques jerseys hauling cases of Molson Dry throughout the photo pit to those up front, it didn’t seem as if anyone was bothered. In fact, their ability to flash the classic “W” sign in perfect unison and movement while balancing those bottles of beer was downright impressive. There’s a collective passion and spirit that festival attendees felt towards every aspect of life that quickly became immediately evident; whether it was engaging in an overwhelming call-and response with the mighty Wu or the exuberance they showed towards their late-night poutine (How refreshing it was to be able to skip trendy hipster joints and find the best poutine at a fast food outlet, Chez Ashton) the people of Quebec City manage to define “Je ne sais quoi.” And with apologies to the hockey fans in Arizona, this city deserves an NHL franchise immediately.
Late night sets with Odonis Odonis and PS I Love You were deafening, though a handful of the new songs premiered by the duo from Kingston seemed even more laden with melody than their previous release, Death Dreams.
A lack of publicized day shows meant a few hours to shake off inevitable hangovers and wander through the countless alleys and take in Old Quebec in all its postcard glory. Evidently, allowing not only festival attendees, but the artists performing a chance to relax and take in Old Quebec is another highlight.
“You really remember that kind of thing, and it makes a big difference,” says Jace Lacek, lead singer of Besnard Lakes of the festival surroundings. Besnard Lakes let their expansive rock loose on the Imperial Theatre on Saturday evening at Festival D’Ete.
“It’s the efficiency and making sure everything’s running on time,” he adds of the festival. “That way there’s no confusion and people can be very relaxed. You can tell that a festival has been doing things for a long time because things run very smoothly.”
Later that evening, the Plains of Abraham stage traded turntables for six-strings, with three guitar heavy acts taking the stage. Father John Misty swayed in all his rambling glory and Eagles of Death Metal were even more seducing. But the night belonged to radio-rock mainstays the Black Keys. If possible, the crowd was even larger and denser this time around. The Keys shrugged off what looked at first to be unmistakeable exhaustion, turning in a chunky and eventually, powerful set. Not one for crowd banter, the duo let their now extensive back catalogue do the talking. And Quebec City was listening, loud and clear.
The end of the night found me buying the entirely too inebriated Father John Misty a pint in a local bar. Too wrapped up in the festival state of mind, he lit a smoke in the bar and was quickly given the boot. Nevertheless, he, like nearly everyone else I met, was embracing the attitude one would imagine Festival D’Ete hoped we would.
In a area of Canada that many do not understand because of cultural isolation, how ironic is it that Festival D’Ete is attempting to do just the opposite: open one’s eyes to the wealth of diversity possible and unite every festival attendee through music and art.
By Joshua Kloke
Photos By Jessica Hammond and Joshua Kloke
