After four packed days of genre averse programming, FME capped off celebrations of its 15-year anniversary with an ambitious, two-hour tribute to the life and work of another regional beloved, Richard Desjardins.
Staged as a free, open air event on the bank of a placid Lac Noranda, a towering festival bandstand erected directly in the lake, it felt like the whole city was in attendance as a rotating cast of regional heavy hitters and emerging performers (Fred Fortin, Matiu, Safia Nolan, and more) took turns giving thanks and interpreting work across the Québecois singer's near 40-year catalogue. And then, after Klô Pelgag opened a smoldering take on Les derniers humains' "Les Yankees" late in the set, Desjardins himself walked onstage with an acoustic guitar and took the lead, sticking around for a final, celebratory "…Et J'ai Couché Dans Mon Cher."
It was a thorough, spirited salute to the enduring legacy of a celebrated Rouyn-Noranda native, and one that won't soon be forgotten.
Staged as a free, open air event on the bank of a placid Lac Noranda, a towering festival bandstand erected directly in the lake, it felt like the whole city was in attendance as a rotating cast of regional heavy hitters and emerging performers (Fred Fortin, Matiu, Safia Nolan, and more) took turns giving thanks and interpreting work across the Québecois singer's near 40-year catalogue. And then, after Klô Pelgag opened a smoldering take on Les derniers humains' "Les Yankees" late in the set, Desjardins himself walked onstage with an acoustic guitar and took the lead, sticking around for a final, celebratory "…Et J'ai Couché Dans Mon Cher."
It was a thorough, spirited salute to the enduring legacy of a celebrated Rouyn-Noranda native, and one that won't soon be forgotten.