All Photos by Steve Galli
The most climactic part of Weezer’s Festival D’ete de Quebec set might surprise you. Sure, the Los Angeles rockers hit the stage to Toto’s “Africa” and banged out a 21-song performance of classics, deep cuts, and newer material. A cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” even made the setlist. And while the singalongs were colossal and frontman Rivers Cuomo leaned into dad-on-vacation energy (the band is currently on the “Indie Rock Road Trip” tour, afterall), the moment that had people on their toes happened two minutes into the last song: the “Buddy Holly” riff.
A sea of phones emerged from the crowd as recordings of the viral lick were quick to circulate social media sites. Other highlights included clips of “Island in the Sun,” “Beverly Hills,” and Cuomo snapping a Polaroid of the crowd.
“It’s not a real road trip until dad takes a family photo!” Cuomo yelled.
Day 1 started off strong with several impressive international acts. Ak Dan Gwang Chil from South Korea, better known as ADG7, made their FEQ debut at the Hydro-Québec stage. The 9-piece played a vibrant set that mixed minyo (Korean folk singing), funk, and pop.
From D.R. Congo, Jupiter & Okwess also hit the Hydro-Québec stage. The quintet’s FEQ set was the penultimate stop of its North American tour, but you couldn’t have guessed that from their radiant and refreshed energy. Their combination of Afropop, jazz, and funk was a hit with the early crowd.
Ukrainian folk quartet DakhaBrakha rounded out day 1 on the Hydro-Québec stage, performing captivating instrumentals, ranging from a zgaleyka, djembe, and digeridoo to a cello, accordion, and piano. Often described as “ethno-chaos,” their folk-punk sound had fans in the groove.
And of course, FEQ had no shortage of Canadian acts representing music scenes across the North.
Ontario’s Billy Talent brought the heat in post-hardcore fashion. Images of churchlike stained-glass windows flanked the band as they broke into “Devil in a Midnight Mass.” Songs off their 2003 self-titled later made the setlist in honor of its 20th anniversary, including “Nothing to Lose,” “River Below,” and “Try Honesty.” After the latter, the band played “Pins and Needles,” which featured a special appearance from drummer Aaron Solowoniuk, who had been on a health-related hiatus. As a riotous closing hymn, the band ended with “Red Flag.”
Montreal acts Cœur de pirate, Milk & Bone, and Les Shirley each added their own flavor to the fest. Cœur de pirate filled the Loto-Québec stage with her iconic French synthpop and Milk & Bone brought dreamy electropop to the SiriusXM, while Les Shirley blasted the Bell Stage with their grunge-infused power rock anthems.
Quebec’s own alt-pop rising stars Rosie Valland and Ariane Roy, as well as indie singer-guitarist extraordinaire Salomé Leclerc also performed.
Day 2 saw an eclectic mix of hybrid genres, rounded out by a long-awaited performance from Imagine Dragons. The Las Vegas pop-rockers returned to FEQ for the first time since 2019, where their set was cut off two songs in due to severe weather conditions at the time. But this year, the band knocked out a full 18-song performance that drew a crowd of more than 100,000. Anthemic power ballads like “Believer” and “It’s Time” were met with pyro, smoke, and cheers, while an emotional moment during “Bad Liar” saw the packed crowd holding up their cell phone lights under some light rain.
TALK and grandson were also some of the day’s most anticipated acts. Making his return to FEQ, Toronto’s TALK delivered a fun set which included his TikTok-viral cover of “House of the Rising Sun” and him kicking his croc into the ether like a catapult. Fellow Torontonian (by way of LA) grandson turned in a high voltage performance featuring his signature alt-hip hop sound.
Cree musician Siibii opened the day with a playful, pop-laced set, followed by Danish-Turkish-Kurdish trio AySay, who fused folk and electronica. Michigan born, Montreal based Sophia Bel brought gen Z’s emo renaissance to the SiriusXM stage, as Brooklyn 7-piece Say She She brought a 1970s soul-type flavor to the Hydro-Québec stage.
Day 3 was for the alt fans, with Foo Fighters returning to the FEQ main stage for the first time since 2015. In true Foos fashion, the Seattle rock icons turned in a packed set of back-to-back bangers. Memorable moments included covers of Michael Bublé’s “Haven’t Met You Yet” and Nine Inch Nails’s “March of the Pigs,” as Dave Grohl introduced his bandmates. Grohl’s daughter, Violet, also joined onstage during “Shame Shame” and “Show Me How.” The beautiful, “Aurora,” was also dedicated to the late Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Though a FEQ newcomer, many knew Stephen Sanchez for his vintage-style crooning. The North Carolina singer-songwriter serenaded the SiriusXM stage with “Hey Girl,” a brief cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and TikTok hit “Until I Found You.”
Canadian artists Loviet, Vanille, Emma Beko, Debby Friday, Soran, and Thierry Larose kicked off day 3 with eclectic sets ranging from alternative hip hop and indie pop to 60s French folk and electronica.
Country fans and hip hop heads were in for a treat on Day 4, with Zach Bryan, Cypress Hill, and Tenille Townes as some of the most anticipated acts on the bill.
Zach Bryan turned in a 17-song performance in front of one of his biggest audiences yet, drawing in more than 60,000 fans. On his song, “Revival,” the Oklahoma Navy vet-turned-country star brought on stage Megan Moroney, who performed her own set earlier in the day. Meanwhile, before Bryan took the stage, Tenille Townes delivered a round of beautiful country ballads, also playing to what she called “the biggest crowd of [her] life.”
Cypress Hill drew in quite a crowd as well, performing a set that had everyone jumping around—quite literally. The hip hop four-piece covered House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” and brought out fan favorites such as “(Rock) Star” and “Insane in the Brain.”
Things took a funky fresh turn with Turkish quintet Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek, who combined funk and jazz with some sweet prog rock riffs. New Orleans’ Tank & the Bangas and Belgian group Jan Verstraeten also got the groove going with soul-infused sets over at the Hydro-Québec stage.
Meanwhile, artists on the Loto-Québec and SiriusXM stages were out representing Canada’s rap and hip hop scene, including Parazar, Q052, Shreez, and Killy.
Day 5 was an ode to timeless sounds, from Les Trois Accords’ headlining set that celebrated 25 years of the album Présence d’esprit to Ann Wilson’s legendary vocals belting out Heart classics like “Crazy on You” and “Barracuda.”
While Les Trois Accords played 5 songs off the seminal album, their set was expertly paced with other tracks across their catalog. Ann Wilson also included a variety of cuts in her set, including a few Led Zeppelin and David Bowie covers. Her powerhouse pipes were as phenomenal as ever.
Sets from Canadian artists Drogue, Deraps, and Lumière were soaked in 1970s nostalgia, revisiting the proto-punk era, glam rock, and classic folk, respectively.
Drogue and Lumière brought out French chanson cuts like “L’aube ou le crépuscule” and “LE.DÉFI.DE.L’AMOUR,” respectively, while Deraps started a riot with tunes like “Invasion,” Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll,” and a cover of Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher.”
Saga and Tom Cochrane leaned into classic rock. Meanwhile, The Sugar Darlings, Bywater Call, and Allison Russell had a case of the blues, and Bleu Jeans Bleu gave fans a dose of pop.
While our photographer, Steve Galli, only caught the first 5 days, here’s a brief recap of what went down for the rest of the fest.
After some last-minute lineup changes, Day 6 was ultimately canceled due to severe weather.
Day 7 carried on with Denver-based DJ Illenium headlining. Rapid bursts of pyrotechnics, fireworks, and confetti lit up his set, the massive production making every beat and drop feel larger than life.
But the party already started with metal giants Lamb of God and Ontario rockers Protest the Hero. Following basic etiquette, fans formed circle pits as Lamb of God broke into beloved cuts like “Memento Mori” and “Laid to Rest.” Meanwhile, Protest the Hero greeted fans with “C’est La Vie,” and continued with hard-hitters like “Bloodmeat” and deep cut “I Am Dimitri Karamazov and the World Is My Father.”
Day 8 was cut short due to worsening weather conditions, but a few acts like SYML and Metó got to perform. Meanwhile, Day 9 was out of this world with Pitbull and The Smile capping off the night. The Smile’s Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and Tom Skinner dove into ethereal sounds, as Mr. Worldwide himself kept the party going with his bombastic energy. Day 10 was a fever dream with Lana Del Rey, Streetlight Manifesto, and The Planet Smashers providing an eclectic soundtrack for the fest’s homestretch.
The last days of any festival usually call for a more relaxed vibe, but FEQ kept the energy going on day 11 with a heavy dose of pop punk flavor.
Green Day headlined with their signature nonstop barrage of early gems, rock opera hits, covers, and crowdwork. Like any show for the Bay Area rockers, the singalongs started before the set even began. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” played across the festival speakers, inciting a massive crowd karaoke session until the band took the stage and went on to play. They even debuted a new song, “1981.”
Bad Religion and Meet Me @ The Altar preceded with similar energy, and for those who wanted to conclude their festival experience on a chiller note, the ever-so soulful Dominique Fils-Aimé delivered.
Although weather conditions upended day 8, FEQ pulled off the unbelievable and added an additional 12th day to revive some canceled sets. One of the revived sets included that of Les Cowboys Fringants, who put on a moving performance for a record-breaking turnout of 90-thousand people.
Lead singer Karl Tremblay, who is currently battling prostate cancer, gave his all to perform 20 songs. Tremblay had to sit down for a track, but he nevertheless persevered and shared his brave spirit with the crowd: “We will get through it.”
The emotions this evening were high as the massive crowd outpoured their love and support for Tremblay. Fellow Québécois Sara Dufour, who played a set earlier in the day, joined onstage to duet on “Marine marchande.” The set closed with an acoustic rendition of “Un p’tit tour.”
Next year’s Festival d’ete de Quebec returns July 4 to 14, 2024.
https://www.facebook.com/FestivaldetedeQuebec
All photos by Steve Galli
Photos from days 1 and 2 – https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.766576785469243
Photos from days 3 and 4 – https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.766553782138210
Photos From day 5 – https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.766530238807231
