2013 Festival d’Ete de Quebec ~ New Performers Being Confirmed Daily!!!
THIS JUST IN! THESE PERFORMERS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED!!
Rush ~ photo by Andrew MacNaughtan ~ courtesy infofestival.com ~ performing Wednesday, July 10
The Joy Formidable ~ photo by James Minchin, courtesy of infofestival.com ~ performing Saturday, July 6
Bruno Mars ~ photo courtesy of infofestival.com ~ performing Monday, July 8
Ellie Goulding ~ photo courtesy of infofestival.com ~ performing Monday, July 8
Belle & Sebastian ~ photo courtesy of infofestival.com ~ performing Thursday, July 4
Get Your Passport Ready and Mark Your Calendar for July 4 -14!!
Although the complete line-up of performers and the finalized schedule for this year’s Festival have not yet been announced (and believe me, I check the website DAILY since the event is the highlight of our summer and knowing that it’s getting closer and closer helps get me through these obnoxiously cold months), there’s not a chance in the world that the line-up is going to be, as always, anything less than KILLER…and just to remind you of the kind of entertainment that’s in store, here’s our quick recap of 2012’s Festival followed…and then click on the link at the end of the article to read more about why I absolutely LOVE this Festival!
Festival d’Ete de Quebec 2012
So, yes, once again this year I have to be physically dragged home from the Festival d’Ete…I swear that in a former life I lived in Old Quebec City (which I guess might have been referred to as just Quebec City back then) because it just feels like a second home…and that’s just the icing on the cake. The cake is the Festival itself ~ the bands, the street performers, the energy, the people…
This year, we were treated to everything from the gorgeous voice of Sarah McLachlan (and the charming Suzanne Vega as her opener ~ having not kept track of Suzanne since “Luca” became an inescapable radio hit, it was a 
pleasant shock to hear that her voice could transition seamlessly from that of a soft and sweet indie girl to that of a brazen rock-n-roll chic), who shared not only her unparalleled singing but also a wonderful rapport with the crowd, to the high-energy and very polished Alkaline Trio and Our Lady Peace, both of whose music I’d heard before, but whose live shows really won me over.
Then there was Aerosmith…and what can you say about Steven Tyler and the guys that hasn’t already been said? They’re one of a kind, they ham it up, they invariably use parts of the stage (in this case, a long runway that took Steven out into the crowd) that other bands don’t, and they simply have boundless energy, get a total kick out of what they do, love to get the audience going, and show that rock-n-roll isn’t about youth, it’s about getting up there on stage and just going for it. To those who say that Tyler has gotten “soft” by doing television, well, you’re out of your freakin’ minds. And speaking of being out of you’re freakin’ mind, that brings us to the final show of the Festival ~ The Offspring. Now,
all the shows drew huge audiences to the outdoor space, but The Offspring seemed to double or triple those numbers ~ their fans were absolutely insane with anticipation and the second the band stepped on stage, the energy EXPLODED. Kudos to the folks who decided that this should be the band to wrap up the Festival, because it left the crowd flying high. The Offspring are, to state the obvious, a party. You want to drink, dance, and basically go crazy when you hear that first chord ~ whether from one of their classics or one of their new anthems. It is IMPOSSIBLE not to get caught up in the party-punk spirit of the show…if the band had played for another ten hours, the audience would have been right there with them, having the time of their lives.
So as I tell you every year, make plans to take a few days in July, head up to Old Quebec City (bring your passport, of course), and have the time of YOUR life at the Festival d’Ete de Quebec.
(Read more about my love affair with the Festival d’Ete de Quebec here.)