Pearl Jam fans across the US and Canada have been camping out in front of the Videotron Center since Tuesday to catch their favorites up close and personal at the first concert of the North American tour on Thursday night.
Four tents were already set up at the north-west entrance of the amphitheater when the journal visited on Wednesday afternoon.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
As in 2016, when Pearl Jam last visited Quebec City, fans from across America decided not to miss their shot at the best standing tickets for this concert, even if it means missing out on more than 48 hours outside.
“You want to be in front. That’s the passion,” explains Matthew Gagné, a member of a group of Maine admirers.
Seated on folding chairs, Kathy Brehan, originally from Seattle as her favorite group, and her friend Lory Tone, from Toronto, will also have front row seats.
“The people at the Videotron Center are very accommodating. They don’t let us settle in like that everywhere,” says Ms. Tone.
Under the stars
Arriving early is the mark of the real ones. Matthew Gagné opted for two nights under the stars. Without a tent.
“I have a chair and a sleeping bag. That’s all I need, ”says the one who has almost thirty Pearl Jam concerts to his credit.
For her part, Kathy Brehan saw 11 concerts across Europe this summer, including her 50th since the 1990s grunge quintet.
Did Eddie Vedder ever recognize you, we asked him? “I think he recognizes my Wonder Woman sunglasses that I wear during shows,” she smiles.
soundtrack of your life
For many, Pearl Jam’s music is closely tied to important events in their lives.
“I moved to Seattle in 1992 when everything was moving musically. I met my husband and all of their music wrapped my wedding. Those are just good memories. They make us feel so good,” says Kathy Brehan.
Ditto for Matthew Gagne. “It’s the soundtrack of my life. Every song and every album reminds me of where I was when they came out. »
Expected reunion
It is undisputed, the reunion with Pearl Jam is eagerly awaited in the capital. This concert was the first to be rescheduled at the Videotron Center in Spring 2020 as COVID-19 began to decimate the show schedule.
There are only a few hundred tickets left, suggesting that we could be approaching 17,500 attendances in 2016, which remains one of the largest attendances in Videotron Center history.
What Pearl Jam has in store for us on Thursday is a surprise. The group rarely, if ever, performs the same concert twice and are used to putting on marathon performances.