After his performance in Montreal on Friday, Michel Sardou thrilled the audience at the Videotron Center on Saturday evening. The French artist was back in Quebec as part of the tour after a ten-year absence I remember saying goodbyepresented as his final series of shows.
The 76-year-old singer was back on stage after announcing his retirement in 2017. The “I Remember A Farewell Tour” takes its name from a 1995 song that he didn’t perform Saturday.
The piece “The Lakes of Connemara” opened the show, followed by a video sequence with Irish landscapes, horses, violin and bagpipes.
“I am very happy to find you here in Quebec. It’s been years since I came to sing for you. You have not changed. You are still so beautiful,” said the artist, thanking his wife for encouraging him to go back on stage before continuing with Marie-Jeanne.
Also on the menu
This was followed by the songs “Casino”, “A Girl with Clear Eyes” and “Le Privilege”, a piece that deals with homosexuality, which were very popular with the audience. “I’m Gonna Love You” also received a warm welcome from the audience.
The successes In Singing, I Want to Marry Him for an Evening, La Java de Broadway, Ten Years Ago, J’accuse, The Old Woman, The Old Married People and La France were performed in the form of a medley that ended with a few bars Love’s Sickness. The artist was then entitled to an ovation.
Something from Tennessee that Michel Berger wrote for Johnny Hallyday was part of the show, as was “The River of Our Childhood.” This piece by Didier Barbelivien featured Michel Sardou and Garou, who, according to the French singer, are currently in Paris. Pierre Billon, artistic director and singer, therefore replaced the Quebecer for this duet.
Le Bac G, Let’s Talk About You and Me, Maybe Today, Vladimir Ilitch, Plea Against the Excesses of the Former Soviet Union, The Cities of Solitude, Mam’selle Louisiana, The Other Woman, Verdun, I’m Flying (Welcomed with Enthusiasm), The Ricans and Being a Woman were also on the program.
Musulmanes, a 1986 song about the plight of Muslim women in Arab countries, marked the official conclusion of the show.
As an encore we got As Usual, a Claude François classic that thrilled the audience, and Les Lacs du Connemara in an instrumental cover.
Excellent musicians
The artist was accompanied by an excellent orchestra of around twenty musicians, including six background singers, string and brass players as well as a solo guitarist who sometimes gave the songs a bit of rock color.
Sardou’s voice trembled at times, especially at the beginning of the show. The sound also seemed unbalanced at first, but these difficulties resolved themselves over the course of the evening.
At Michel Sardou’s request, photographers were not allowed access to the concert on Saturday. The photo accompanying this text was provided by production.
The classically trained pianist Antoine Decrop played the opening act. Alone behind his instrument, he gave a very good (but short) performance of around twenty minutes.