Stars of the last Saturday evening in April at the Videotron Centre, the Cowboys Fringants have played on almost all the biggest stages in the French-speaking world, but they take even greater pride in having been able to renew their audience after 25 years.
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That kids who are not yet ten years old attend their concerts in ever greater numbers than the previous one has not escaped the attention of Karl Tremblay, Marie-Annick Lépine, Jean-François Pauzé and Jérôme Dupras.
“It’s our greatest achievement, our greatest treasure,” said singer Karl Tremblay during a backstage meeting a few hours before their concert in Quebec, noting that four generations of admirers were now singing their hits.
“People love new songs as much as old ones. For us, it’s a bit of a headache when it comes to deciding which songs to do. So, we draw from all our albums,” says Karl Tremblay.
The desire to visit all regions of Quebec is another factor that works in favor of the Cowboys, believes their bassist, Jérôme Dupras.
“We could be satisfied with doing thirty festivals a year, then after that we do other things. It does not always tempt us to drive twelve hours to see people in Abitibi or at the tip of Gaspésie, but we do it. There are broadcasters, an audience, people who want to see us. We make it an honor, once per tour, to go see them and I think it’s appreciated.
The 11,000 people gathered at the Videotron Center this evening will also have a little attention. Knowing that they were in the stronghold of Metallica in Quebec, the group decided to trade their rereading of Smells Like Teen Spiritfrom Nirvana, which they have been doing since the start of the tour, against a cover ofEnter Sandman.
The important thing is the atmosphere
After doing three Bell Centers in the fall of 2021, a Paris-Bercy this winter and a first Videotron Center, what remains to be accomplished?
“We stayed in the Francophonie, we never tested other markets, observes Karl Tremblay. Over time, we had offers for Mexico, Germany, England, obviously in smaller venues. These are things we should have done fifteen years ago, before the kids. Now, we are less tempted to leave for three weeks to clear the land.”
“Anyway, continues Jérôme Dupras, I don’t think we work with a bucket list. We are more in the privilege of going to present our show, after two years of being inactive. Regardless of the venue, it’s the audience and the atmosphere that matter to us.”
Return to Europe
After Quebec, the rest of 2022 and 2023 will be very busy for the group, in full tour of the album The Antipodes. At least two other stays in Europe are on the agenda, not to mention all the concerts planned in Quebec, some of which have not even been announced yet.
“We wonder where we will manage to take a week off,” notes Karl Tremblay.
“We go there at a rate of two or three shows a week,” says Jérôme Dupras.