AN ULTRA-COOL BREEZE TO BLOW OUT THE QUÉBEC CITY SUMMER FESTIVAL'S 40 BIRTHDAY CANDLES

For its 40th anniversary, the Québec City Summer Festival (FEQ) 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, such as Nickelback, Renaud, Tryo, IAM, Johnny Clegg, BILLY TALENT, Kanye West, Hammerfall, Daran, Isabelle Boulay, Hinder and Michael Franti & Spearhead, who will all take the stage between July 5 and 15.

SCÈNE BELL (PLAINS OF ABRAHAM)

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:

- 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).
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On July 8, bearers of the Hydro-Québec badge will have the opportunity to attend a historic musical encounter of two titans of Francophone music – Francis Cabrel and Zachary Richard – for the incredibly low price of only $10, payable that evening at the site entrance.
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Les Trois Accords, Alexisonfire, Hinder, Pépé, Magnolia, La Rue Kétanou, Xavier Caféïne, Bunka Busta, Tricot Machine, The Hedrons, Nikki Yanovsky, Big Chief Bo Dillis & The Wild Magnolias, Kwe Kwe Ataro and musical revue Du Rock à l'Opéra, a smash hit at the Casino de Montréal, are among the other major shows making up the 2007 program of events scheduled for the Scène Bell, which will close on a high note on July 15 with the show by Quebec torch singer Isabelle Boulay.

Young up-and-comers will be thrust into the spotlight on July 11 with finalists of the "Le plus beau RYTHME du Québec" and "Le plus beau ROCK du Québec" contests organized in collaboration with Rythme FM and 93.3 respectively, all capped-off with a rousing performance by Kaïn.

May 25, 2007   Posted in: Canada