Gentle mini-Francos

The 32e edition of Francos kicked off Thursday evening, without fanfare. The beginnings were modest, but oh so much appreciated, for the return of this event to the Quartier des spectacles after a year of hiatus. Sanitary measures oblige, the crowds were much less compact than in previous years. Despite a long power failure which delayed the performances of Klô Pelgag and Alaclair Ensemble by several minutes, and the death of a technician the day before which darkened the atmosphere, the pleasure was there.

• Read also: The vaccination passport required for Francos

Passport and other measures

The vaccination passport was compulsory.

Photo QMI Agency, Thierry Laforce

The vaccination passport was compulsory.

The Francos are one of the first festivals to have to apply the health passport. To reduce the wait, the organization placed “vaccination passport validation” kiosks on the festival site where people could obtain a bracelet that certifies their double vaccination. Spectators without a bracelet could also present their passport in their phone along with their ticket. By the early evening, the process seemed to be going well at the sites of both stages.

Kiosks have been placed on the site to validate passports.

THIERRY LAFORCE / QMI AGENCY

Kiosks have been placed on the site to validate passports.

Due to the measures dictated by public health, the Francos could only accommodate 2,500 people per stage, in areas of 500 spectators. Between each show, the organization had to empty each area to disinfect it. After the performance of Laurence-Anne, at the Place des Festivals, the areas all emptied in top eight minutes.

Modest early evening

The zones were not showing full.

Photo QMI Agency, Thierry Laforce

The zones were not showing full.

How good it was to see Francos again at the Place des Festivals for the first time since 2019 on Thursday evening! The superb weather even made us think that we were back in June, on the usual festival dates. When we arrived at the Quartier des spectacles, shortly before 7 p.m., however, we were far from the frenzy of the Festival des belles années. The five areas for each scene were not showing at all complete. However, the 2,500 tickets allocated for the evening shows were mostly used up. The spectators absent were obviously numerous. The very sparse floor did not, however, mar our appreciation of the evening. Without hesitation, we take little Francos before any show in a drive-in.

Long power failure

Gentle mini-Francos

Photo QMI Agency, Thierry Laforce

The Francos team probably had a cold sweat for a good half hour, Thursday after the show by Laurence-Anne. Without warning, a power failure occurred on the sites of the two stages. No more music and lights, the spectators present were all in the dark. And in the sky, in the distance, we could see many lightning bolts. This did not bode well for the future … Fortunately, the dreaded thunderstorms avoided Montreal and the preparations for the Klô Pelgag concert were able to resume. At the time of writing, the songwriter had just arrived on stage, about fifteen minutes late, initially scheduled to start at 9.45 p.m.

Laurence-Anne performed on the Place des Festivals in the early evening.

THIERRY LAFORCE / QMI AGENCY

Laurence-Anne performed on the Place des Festivals in the early evening.

On the stage of the Symphonic Parterre, Alaclair Ensemble also started with a delay of about thirty minutes.

“The skies of the Francos have darkened”

The Francos started off very sadly on Wednesday. Following the suicide of a technician on the organization’s site, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the festival decided to cancel StudioFest, a preview of the festival.

Thursday morning, the head of programming, Laurent Saulnier, shared his emotions on his Facebook page.

“The skies of the Francos darkened Thursday because one of us took his own life. Our first thoughts turn to his loved ones to whom we all offer our support. We also think of our shaken team, because a festival is also a family. […] And we said to ourselves that the most beautiful thing we could do in the face of this immense sadness is to continue. Make the most beautiful mini-Francos in the world! For you, the public, the friends. Family. “

IF YOU NEED HELP

SEE ALSO …



www.journaldemontreal.com

Leave a Comment