Great Canadian Skyline Thread II

[davidivivid]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Wow $140? It's not expensive by any means. It's not cheap either standing with 125,000 other bodies watching on giant screens.

The sound and views are surprisingly good on the Plains of Abraham stage. A natural slope at the back of the venue somewhat gives an amphitheater vibe to the place and those in the back can enjoy really decent views of the stage whilst certainly also enjoying the big screens! Younger folks obviously tend to aggregate near the stage but the crowds are always very diverse. Families and older folks tend to hang out on the slope in the back.

You can especially appreciate the topography of the place during nightime concerts:

Les Cowboys Fringants - FEQ 2023 by Festival d'été de Québec, sur Flickr

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I like to think of Quebec as being reasonably well-balanced between appreciating its own stuff and partaking in the stuff that the rest of the world also enjoys. Though in a global village this is increasingly challenging to maintain.

As for Les Cowboys Fringants I'd say they are as big or bigger in relative terms as The Tragically Hip in the ROC. (Perhaps a bit moreso as they cut across more age demographics I'd argue.) In a tragically ironic twist of fate, their frontman has also been diagnosed with cancer at a fairly young age (40s or 50s) - though he is still fighting it and led Monday's show.

Les Cowboys are Quebec's band of legend for the 2000s. Beau Dommage was the band of the 70s, and Les Colocs were the band of the 90s. Can't really think of one for the 80s.

1980s: Voivod!

Probably not, but they were a pretty interesting band.

[davidivivid]

Originally Posted by niwell

Very impressive but just looking at that QC crowd gives me anxiety! There's a reason I don't really enjoy all but the smaller outdoor festivals - even sold out Budweiser Stage is brutal.

Was tempted to poke fun over Pitbull drawing that big of a crowd in Quebec, but seeing above that it also happened for Les Cowboys Fringants checks out. Though I didn't realize they were that big.

The Festival is really trying to strike a balance between promoting Quebec/Francophone artists while also drawing big international names. The main stage was basically full for Foo Fighters, Lana Del Rey, Greenday and Imagine Dragon. Les Cowboys Fringants is one of the rare Quebec band which can draw such big crowds.

Quebec bands like Les Louanges and Coeur de Pirate usually perform on a smaller stage located right next to the Parlement:

Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project - FEQ 2023 by Festival d'été de Québec, sur Flickr


There are also smaller venues as well as pop up concert scattered all over downtown.


Gab Bouchard - Pop-Up FEQ 2023 by Festival d'été de Québec, sur Flickr


Boogey the Beat - FEQ 2023 by Festival d'été de Québec, sur Flickr


Robert Charlebois - Pop-Up FEQ 2023 by Festival d'été de Québec, sur Flickr

Tenille Townes - Pop-Up FEQ 2023 by Festival d'été de Québec, sur Flickr

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

1980s: Voivod!

Probably not, but they were a pretty interesting band.

Haha! Nice try. Agreed.

There was also Harmonium which were significant in the 70s but like Beau Dommage they were really 70s only.

Offenbach (another big historic band) actually started in the 60s and lasted until the mid-80s, though their style was very much bluesy 70s rock.

Much of the world was doing glam rock of some variety in the 80s (think Platinum Blonde in the ROC) but Quebec didn't really have any significant groups in that genre. Unless I am forgetting someone.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by davidivivid

There are also smaller venues as well as pop up concert scattered all over downtown.

Gab Bouchard - Pop-Up FEQ 2023 by Festival d'été de Québec, sur Flickr

What's with that row? Looks like the one on the left dates from the early 1900 and the rest of the row to the right are modern.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Haha! Nice try. Agreed.

There was also Harmonium which were significant in the 70s but like Beau Dommage they were really 70s only.

Offenbach (another big historic band) actually started in the 60s and lasted until the mid-80s, though their style was very much bluesy 70s rock.

Much of the world was doing glam rock of some variety in the 80s (think Platinum Blonde in the ROC) but Quebec didn't really have any significant groups in that genre. Unless I am forgetting someone.

Maybe Daniel Lavoie is the 1980s. He had a couple of very big records. I liked Beau Dommage a lot when I was in high school (mid 80s), but living on the prairies it was only through some friends that I learned of them. Friends who had ties to St. Boniface.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by davidivivid

The Festival is really trying to strike a balance between promoting Quebec/Francophone artists while also drawing big international names. The main stage was basically full for Foo Fighters, Lana Del Rey, Greenday and Imagine Dragon. Les Cowboys Fringants is one of the rare Quebec band which can draw such big crowds.

Quebec bands like Les Louanges and Coeur de Pirate usually perform on a smaller stage located right next to the Parlement:

Gab Bouchard - Pop-Up FEQ 2023 by Festival d'été de Québec, sur Flickr

That's a pretty expensive pedalboard setup on the left.

[J.OT13]

If we're doing festival skyline series.

Escapade at Lansdowne Park




https://www.youredm.com/2019/07/31/escapade-music-festival-why-canadians-do-it-better/

Bluesfest (2022 based on the buildings u/c) at LeBreton Flats



Jazz Fest at City Hall/Confederation Park




City Folk at Lansdowne Park


https://ottawatourism.ca/en/ottawa-insider/can-t-miss-music-festivals-ottawa-summer

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Maybe Daniel Lavoie is the 1980s. He had a couple of very big records. I liked Beau Dommage a lot when I was in high school (mid 80s), but living on the prairies it was only through some friends that I learned of them. Friends who had ties to St. Boniface.

I gather you're aware that Daniel Lavoie is from Dunrea, Manitoba?

Anyway, regarding the overall scene, the 80s in Quebec had lots of individual singers that were popular, just not so many bands. There was Lavoie of course but also Richard Séguin, Claude Dubois, Martine St-Clair, Robert Charlebois, Roch Voisine, and this girl named Dion. Also many people from popular 70s bands had big solo careers during that decade, like Michel Rivard (Beau Dommage), Gerry Boulet (Offenbach) and Marjo (Corbeau).

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I gather you're aware that Daniel Lavoie is from Dunrea, Manitoba?

Anyway, regarding the overall scene, the 80s in Quebec had lots of individual singers that were popular, just not so many bands. There was Lavoie of course but also Richard Séguin, Claude Dubois, Martine St-Clair, Robert Charlebois, Roch Voisine, and this girl named Dion. Also many people from popular 70s bands had big solo careers during that decade, like Michel Rivard (Beau Dommage), Gerry Boulet (Offenbach) and Marjo (Corbeau).

Yes. He gets listed with Quebec music all the time, rightly or wrongly.

I totally forgot about Roch Voisine.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Yes. He gets listed with Quebec music all the time, rightly or wrongly.

I totally forgot about Roch Voisine.

Rightly to a significant degree. Daniel Lavoie has lived permanently in Quebec for over 50 years and virtually his entire musical career was "made" here.

Roch Voisine is a similar case. He was born in New Brunswick and spent his early childhood there, but his teen years and adult years were all in Quebec AFAIK.

Again, he is a product and a mainstay of the Quebec-based music industry.

It's extremely hard to make a good living outside Quebec in music, and even very Acadian-focused artists like Lisa LeBlanc and Salebarbes are with Quebec labels, distribution and booking networks. If you want to book them you're likely to be calling a 514 phone number. Their tour dates are also generally very predominantly filled with stops in Quebec. (Not saying they don't play the Maritimes too.)

EDIT: The hottest Acadian band right now, Salebarbes, has about 80 Quebec tour dates on its website going into 2024, and barely 10 dates in New Brunswick. None that I could see in any other provinces. https://www.salebarbes.com/spectacles

[Coldrsx]

https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/25808637/8638-saskatchewan-dr-nw-edmonton-windsor-parkedmo


https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/25502481/11831-saskatchewan-dr-nw-edmonton-windsor-parkedmo


https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/25641370/64-valleyview-cr-nw-edmonton-parkview

[Coldrsx]

^the edge of Mr. Katz's house and more of it below.


https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/25579997/10-valleyview-pt-nw-edmonton-parkview

One more unique angle.

https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/25676121/13810-ravine-dr-nw-edmonton-glenora

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Rightly to a significant degree. Daniel Lavoie has lived permanently in Quebec for over 50 years and virtually his entire musical career was "made" here.

Roch Voisine is a similar case. He was born in New Brunswick and spent his early childhood there, but his teen years and adult years were all in Quebec AFAIK.

Again, he is a product and a mainstay of the Quebec-based music industry.

It's extremely hard to make a good living outside Quebec in music, and even very Acadian-focused artists like Lisa LeBlanc and Salebarbes are with Quebec labels, distribution and booking networks. If you want to book them you're likely to be calling a 514 phone number. Their tour dates are also generally very predominantly filled with stops in Quebec. (Not saying they don't play the Maritimes too.)

EDIT: The hottest Acadian band right now, Salebarbes, has about 80 Quebec tour dates on its website going into 2024, and barely 10 dates in New Brunswick. None that I could see in any other provinces. https://www.salebarbes.com/spectacles

People listen to music. People really listen to lyrics. If the audience isn't adept at French it is a hurdle to get your emotion across and draw listeners in. Such is life.

I don't seem to be having that problem even if my French is incredibly bad, but then I am listening to a lot of music from Spain and Japan. It's not the same as listening to a vocalist in the language you really know, but it doesn't seem to bug me much. Most of my favourite new bands are from Japan now. I like the vocals even though I understand none of it. I also generally listen to the French station here in the car if I have the radio on because they have a better diversity of music and a way with a pop song that I adore.

Anyway.

An old skyline photo of Regina, from 1988.


Parking Lot by (HomeInMyShoes), on Flickr

[WhipperSnapper]

I would put that the other way around

People really listen to music. People listen to lyrics. Not every song that goes viral tells a story. Often the foundation is just a catchy phrase that repeats over and over.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

People listen to music. People really listen to lyrics. If the audience isn't adept at French it is a hurdle to get your emotion across and draw listeners in. Such is life.

I am the same as you though obviously most people aren't.

In that sense we may be said to have culturally regressed as historically people were for example listening to operas in multiple languages they didn't understand!

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I would put that the other way around

People really listen to music. People listen to lyrics. Not every song that goes viral tells a story. Often the foundation is just a catchy phrase that repeats over and over.

True, but I know a lot of people that don't listen to instrumentals at all. My wife doesn't get non-lyrical music. Whereas I'll be happy with Oscar Peterson or Tangerine Dream or surf music. When I listen to something from Japan I have no idea what the catchy phrase is and the voice at that point is really just another instrument which is a totally different context to understanding the lyric and being sympathetic to the story it is telling. Sure, there's a lot of very catchy songs that are phrases, like "Boom, there it is", but sing that in a different language and people will struggle to connect with it.

[J.OT13]

Festibière Gatineau at Zibi. They could get some far greater skyline shots with that location.




https://www.tourismeoutaouais.com/attraits/festibiere-de-gatineau/

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

True, but I know a lot of people that don't listen to instrumentals at all. My wife doesn't get non-lyrical music. Whereas I'll be happy with Oscar Peterson or Tangerine Dream or surf music. When I listen to something from Japan I have no idea what the catchy phrase is and the voice at that point is really just another instrument which is a totally different context to understanding the lyric and being sympathetic to the story it is telling. Sure, there's a lot of very catchy songs that are phrases, like "Boom, there it is", but sing that in a different language and people will struggle to connect with it.

Instrumental is a different topic altogether. There have been foreign language pop songs that have done really well on billboard charts and there likely wouldn't be much of a story told if you were to translate them too. We have been in an era in which a song is far more likely to tell a story than the boomer era. A catchy cord or phrase (even in a language not understood) still happens. It's also not historical for people to listen to classical vocals in language they do not understand.

I'm probably mistaken but, even our resident linguistic implied that a catchy tune is a broader attraction than a good story.

No one really paid attention to the lyrics of Try That in a Small Town before the context ... right wing propaganda .. was shown in the video.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

No one really paid attention to the lyrics of Try That in a Small Town before the context ... right wing propaganda .. was shown in the video.

Ooh, you just had to bring that up, did you?