Paris (AFP)
Mobile concerts, floating stage and a lot of digital: from Grenoble to Nantes, the Fête de la musique dimanche is organized to be "corona-compatible" with artists going to meet the public rather than the opposite to respect health rules .
This year's edition is marked by the coronavirus but also by a fatal anniversary: the death a year ago of Steve Maia Caniço in Nantes during a controversial police operation at the end of an electro party.
Jack Lang, creator of the Fête de la Musique, dedicated the 2020 edition to the 24-year-old extracurricular presenter whose body was found in the Loire, while the news is marked by a mobilization against police violence.
"The death of this music lover (...) forever mourns the Fête de la Musique. Steve is in my heart," wrote the former Minister of Culture in particular.
In Nantes, still marked by drama, playlists are proposed by artists of the city on a web page of the town hall and the inhabitants called to perform in the evening from their home. The people of Nantes are called to participate in a white march in tribute to Steve Maia Caniço in the afternoon, before a festive rally which has been banned by the prefecture.
- Virtual concert -
The live performance world has been hit hard by the pandemic and considers itself to be the "big loser" of the crisis. All over France, gatherings, and therefore concerts of more than 10 people on the public highway, are still prohibited and artists must show their imagination.
Jean-Michel Jarre set the tone by announcing that he would play live on Sunday "as an avatar, as in Matrix", in a virtual universe where he can be joined "by the avatars of spectators in total immersion, a world first.
In Paris, a family audience already gathered in the afternoon for a giant karaoke in front of the Institut du monde arabe, with a clear distance between large tables and disinfection of microphones between each song.
In the four corners of France, it is especially the idea of mobile concerts which seduces.
In La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime), the municipality proposes to bring hip-hop sets, brass bands and concerts in horse-drawn carriages to different places to avoid crowds. Les Francofolies, canceled like the overwhelming majority of major summer festivals, has put a musical program online.
In Bordeaux, the opera house also reconnects with the public who can attend a ballet class and two concerts. Concert halls, bars and restaurants must not "exceed 105 dB (A)", that is to say the level "that one perceives in a discotheque", according to the municipality, which bans amps on terraces and beer taps outdoors .
- Floating scene -
Further south, in Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), five trucks will criss-cross the city for a musical marathon in the streets and on the internet.
The idea is also in the spotlight in the East: designated "creative city Unesco music", Metz will also see DJs criss-crossing its streets on floats to make the inhabitants dance in their apartments.
In Strasbourg, a "floating stage" with DJs and local groups is installed on a boat that will sail on the Ill river, to set the mood on the quays.
In Lyon, the Fête de la Musique is especially punctuated by bans, the ban on playing even hitting amateur musicians. Michael Jones, British singer, guitarist and sidekick of Jean-Jacques Goldman, will play in front of fifty people. A nice "birthday present" for Valérie Decrolier-Laurent, who came specially from Isère to attend.
And good news for theaters: the Minister of Culture Franck Riester announced Sunday that they could now go beyond the half-gauge initially recommended.
burs-ram-laf / rh / rhl
© 2020 AFP