We wrap up our coverage of the 2024 Festival de la Poutine in Drummondville, QC with the Saturday night main stage headliner – and another artist that made our decision to attend this summer event a ‘no-brainer’ – the legendary Québecois folk-rock icon, Daniel Bélanger.
As long-time fans of this artist, we consider ourselves very fortunate to have witnessed a pair of his live shows over the last eighteen months. Catching him on the Southam Hall stage at Ottawa’s NAC back in April, and then just five months later at the intimate Paradise Theatre in Toronto gave us both the ‘large music hall’ and ‘old movie house’ concert experiences, making this latest ‘summer festival’ environment an opportunity to see another side of his live repertoire.
In a recent recap of a Jim Cuddy concert we attended, we noted how the artist was noticeably feeling under the weather during his performance, which appeared to ring true for Daniel Bélanger on this given evening (per his social media, Daniel postponed a recent show in Montréal – here’s hoping that this is nothing more than just a bad case of seasonal allergies). Ever the consummate showman, however, and just like Jim Cuddy, Daniel did not let this detract from his performance, delivering a solid 90-minute set of music from across his extensive back catalogue.
With “Apertura” bursting from the speakers, Daniel (vocals/guitars) and his regular touring bandmates – Guillaume Doiron (guitars), Jérôme Beaulieu (keyboards), Philippe Brault (bass), and José Major (drums) – received an incredibly rousing welcome from the packed crowd congregated around the Centre Marcel Dionne complex. On this glorious August evening (the weather was perfect for this event), an animated Bélanger delighted all with plenty of banter, jokes, and of course, some of his most popular hits.
While the set list pretty much mirrored that from his Toronto show last fall (with a few cuts made to satisfy the shorter stage time), we will never tire from hearing many of our own personal favorites – from “Sortez-moi de moi” to “Tu peux partir,” and from “Imparfait” to “Les deux printemps.” And the inclusion of “Le triomphe d’une perruche,” the haunting instrumental cut from Daniel’s cinematic 2020 “Travelling” album, is always a delight to witness (not many bands can carry off a live instrumental piece with this much impact).
As expected, Daniel would perform numerous cuts from his 2001 JUNO-Award winning “Rêver mieux” album – his third studio release, but first that incorporated the electronica elements that have since defined his musical style and identity (if you need evidence – attend a live show and see how many keyboards surround Jérôme’s spot on stage). From “Te quitter” to “Chante encore,” and “Dans un spoutnik” to “Intouchable et immortel,” we rejoiced in hearing these familiar cuts.
Daniel’s encore performance of the album’s timeless title track was supported by a choral outpouring of several hundred voices around us. And lest we forget that moment when both Guillaume and Philippe unstrap and remove their respective instruments at the song’s close, allowing Daniel his one final solo-acoustic refrain (backed by audience harmonies) that brings this spectacular show to a close – priceless, as always. So, just how soon can we see this again? Off to Daniel’s website we go to check out his tour schedule…
Set List:
- Soleil levant
- Chante encore
- Il faut s’accorder
- Sortez-moi de moi
- Il y a tant à faire
- Imparfait
- Te quitter
- Intouchable et immortel
- Dans un spoutnik
- Dormir dans l’auto
- Le triomphe d’une perruche
- Tu peux partir
- Au vent des idées
- Les deux printemps
- Fous n’importe où
Encore:
- Rêver mieux
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
