Called in to replace A$AP Rocky as Saturday’s headliner at Osheaga, Future did a fine job. Amid repeated streams of fire and smoke, the Atlanta native rapper ended day two of the festival strong.
Posted at 11:45 p.m
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“Montreal, it’s been a while! After taking the stage between two pillars of fire while reciting his verse from Life’s Good, a collaboration with Drake, Future did everything he could to get the audience at Parc Jean-Drapeau jumping.
Wearing a pink shirt, a damaged hat and a diamond necklace, the 38-year-old rapper interacted with festival-goers on multiple occasions. “That’s the kind of audience I fucking love! ‘ he told them, among other things.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Future in concert, Saturday
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Future in concert, Saturday
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
The crowd crowded in front of the main stage for Future’s performance.
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The headliner performed songs from her new album I Never Liked You, but didn’t forget her most popular tracks. When listening to Mask Off, Relationship, Way 2 Sexy or Bugatti, his fans completed the lyrics with ease when the music stopped.
Shortly before him, singer Burna Boy had the audience humming in unison. Born in Nigeria, he brought a touch of the exotic to this cool summer day. Meanwhile, she took the French duo Polo & Pan on a “journey,” to use her words, with tropically tinged house music on one of the side stages. DJ Porter Robinson ended the evening in this area.
In a completely different style, the duo 100 gecs took their fans to another dimension thanks to hypnotic visual effects and crazy costumes at sunset.
At the end of the afternoon, singer-songwriter Mitski mesmerized Montrealers with a mix of power and sweetness on stage. Like a cat, she kept a serious expression – and moved with an assumed sensuality.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Mitski in concert, Saturday
Toronto alternative rock trio Monowhales, Canadian-Moroccan singer-songwriter Faouzia and American pop-rock group LANY took turns on the two main stages in the afternoon. Swedish singer Tove Lo and New Jersey rock band Bleachers also performed.
“From the beginning, the DNA of the festival has been to book things that are a little different than others,” Osheaga founder Nick Farkas told us in an interview this week.
One by one, these artists greeted the waves of spectators who settled on the big hill, who stood near the food kiosks or who gathered as close to the stage as possible. The atmosphere of the day remained pleasant from 2:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. without a break.
Artists love the site. We are lucky to have Parc Jean-Drapeau: there is nothing like it in Toronto or anywhere else.
Nick Farkas, Founder of Osheaga
“I worked at La Ronde when I was 15 and it’s still special when I go there,” adds the festival’s founder.
obstacle course
If this first Back to Normal edition of Osheaga is doing very well so far, it’s thanks to the hard work of her staff over the past two years. In particular, they corrected the website’s technical deficiencies and redesigned the programming on several occasions, while coping with an increase in “virtually all prices” and a restrictive labor shortage.
Among the changes he’s proud of, Nick Farkas mentions the transfer of certain technical teams. “We moved the sound systems to the sides, towards the main stage, so the center is free,” he explains. For years we’ve been looking for a way to avoid having a huge control room directly blocking the view of festival goers. »
For us, the fan experience is the most important thing. We always want to find better ways of doing things.
Nick Farkas, Founder of Osheaga
After the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend, the Osheaga weekend is the most fruitful for Montreal’s tourism industry, the Greater Montreal Hotel Association told La Presse in June. “A lot of people tell me that,” adds Mr. Farkas. If we can make a contribution to Montreal’s economy, we’re always happy. »
The Foo Fighters, who were due to open on Friday, have been mourning their drummer Taylor Hawkins since March. Arcade Fire came as a backup. And on Saturday, Future A$AP replaced Rocky, who is in trouble with the law. The only one who hasn’t retired, Dua Lipa, performed at the Bell Center last week.
For 2023, Osheaga’s management says it will be better prepared to counter the instability of leading artists. “We’ve only lost a headliner once in the last 14 years,” recalls Nick Farkas. We’re really in customization mode now. »
Dua Lipa will be in charge of closing the celebrations this Sunday evening. Machine Gun Kelly, Glass Animals, Idles and Girl in Red are also among the headliners of this third and final day.