July 20/08 - Free outdoor Paul McCartney concert on the Plains of Abraham, Québec City.
250,000 people. 7 hours of waiting. One unforgettable experience.
To be honest, my initial motivation for going to this concert was for spite -- for not getting Céline Dion tickets after several failed attempts. My days here in Québec are numbered, and I was planning on taking in as much as possible before leaving. Before the concert, I thought that Sir Paul's performance would probably be OK, but not having heard any of his recent recordings, I expected a night of so-so music by a washed-up has-been (wow, that sounds cruel). I was delightfully wrong.
The concert was to start after 9pm, and the 400th Anniversary Society announced that the gates to the concert grounds would be opened at 5pm. I showed up on the Plains at 3pm, and there was already a huge lineup of tens of thousands of eager fans, waiting to get into the section that would face the stage. To the right of the lineup, I saw a giant screen facing an 'overflow section.' Hmmm, do I get in line and stand waiting for several hours and risk not getting a great view on the other side, or take my 'bird in the hand' and set up my little camp right in front of the screen? Being vertically-challenged, the decision was easy. :) Not only did I get a great spot in front of the screen (where I promptly set up my blanket and laid in the sun while everyone else stood in a long, hot, crowded line-up), but when the gates opened to let everyone into the concert area, the overflow section thinned out even further and I was able to get as close as I wanted to the screen.
I had planned on meeting three friends (for whom I saved a spot on my little 'blanket camp'), but for various reasons, all three were hindered from meeting me there. I was OK with that, except for one moment halfway through my wait when I needed to leave to 'use the facilities'. Hmmm ... who in the group of complete strangers around me do I trust to watch my stuff? That decision took about 15 minutes as I scoped out the pot-smoking group of 30-something ladies on my right, the romantic 40-something couple eating cheese and drinking wine just behind me, and the man to my left who seemed to be reserving a section for everyone he knew. I watched them as inconspicuously as I could, but I probably made a few of them nervous. ha. Finally, I decided on wine-and-cheese couple, who readily agreed to help me out.
One great quality of people in Québec City is that for the most part, they are among the friendliest people I have ever met (rivalling even my prairie neighbours). Complete strangers will talk to you in the park, in line at the store, on the bus, you name it. And so far, none have been visibly put off by my anglo-French. Some even take the opportunity to encourage you in the attempt to integrate. A lady at Tim Hortons helped me out with an order I was having trouble ordering, and as I apologized for butchering the French, she smiled and said, "No, don't worry about it. We're just so glad when people just try to speak French." This has not been uncommon during my time here. I have yet to have a negative/anti-Anglo experience. Often, people here have asked me, "How have you found the people here in Québec?" I always answer with, "Seriously, Quebeckers need a better PR manager, because everyone has been so kind and helpful. The media really does this province a real disservice." This was highlighted, too, in the (very, very minor) controversy surrounding Paul McCartney coming to do a concert on the Plains of Abraham for Québec City's 400th birthday. For those of you who may not know, the Plains of Abraham are the exact site where the English and the French had it out for the last time. There was an EXTREMELY tiny group of malcontent artists and PQ politicians who wrote a letter to Paul McCartney just days before the concert, saying that he should reconsider coming because his presence (as a Brit) would bring up bad memories (?) of the English conquest on that very site back in the 1700s. In an interview with a local news station, Paul was asked about his reaction to this group's letter. He gracefully replied, "Well, I just came here so we can all have a good time. If that logic were sound, then I should never speak to Germans or sing in Germany. But I have German friends, and I have sung in Germany. Let's just bury the hatchet and have a great night." Not only was the rest of the population of Québec embarrassed by this tiny, insignificant group of protesters, but this same group that poo-pooed Paul came out after the concert and said that the media had misrepresented them, that they liked Paul and that they just wanted to inform him of the city's controversial history. The saddest part of all this is that this tiny 'misunderstood' group is the only part of the incredible event that got English media coverage. So, as your unofficial anglo-insider to Québécois culture, I am here to tell you to take media coverage of Québec with a grain of salt. Every society has its malcontents (in Vancouver, it's the anti-olympics vandals, the über-crazy PETA supporters, etc.), and this protest group just happens to have chosen linguistic survival as their cause. The average Quebecker is exactly like any other Canadian, and most of them are embarassed by those who make the news. Imagine if British Columbians were defined by our DUI-indicted Premier, or Saskatchewanites by their 'less-than-politically-correct' politicians. There, my little rant is over --- AND NOW, BACK TO THE CONCERT!
Speaking of friendly Québeckers, I made a few new friends at the concert. During one of the opening acts, an older couple was walking through the crowd trying to find the perfect place to sit down. They saw that there was extra space on my blanket, and asked if they could just sit down for a few minutes while I waited for my friends. I said sure, then called my friends to see where they were at. My friends informed me that security wouldn't let them into my section, so I told my new 'blanket-mates' that if they wanted, they could stay with me for the concert. They were so happy - true to French form, they each gave me a big kiss. My anglo sensibilities would have been happy with a thank-you and a handshake, but oh well, friendly is friendly, right? haha. We're so uptight. :)
Soon after about 9:30, the jumbotron came back on and without an introduction, Sir Paul McCartney started right into 'Jet'. The crowd went crazy -- and stayed crazy for the duration of the 2.5 hour concert (no intermission!). He sounds (and looks) as good as ever, and his new band played his greatest hits (Beatles stuff, Wings, and some solo numbers) exactly like they were done originally. What a show ... it wasn't until he started playing some Beatles hits I recognized that I realized that this was a chance of a lifetime. Who would have thought that I, born some 20 years after he started with the Beatles, would, at 29, get to a 'Beatle' concert? Beatles music is the soundtrack to fun times in the summer, and that's exactly what it was like ... only being serenaded by the man himself with 250,000 of your closest friends singing along. The weather was perfect, the crowd was courteous yet exuberant, and it really couldn't have come off any better. He even made a valiant effort to speak French in between songs (to the incredible delight of the crowd, who probably wouldn't have cared if he spoke English anyway). They reacted especially to 'Michelle, ma belle' (which is a love song to a French woman), 'Yesterday', and 'All my lovin'. He introduced 'Birthday' by saying, "Cette chanson est pour une dame qui a 400 ans" (this song is for a woman who is 400 years old, in reference to the city's birthday).
The 'crème de la crème' for the crowd was on one of his encores, when he ran out onto the stage brandishing a ginormous Québec flag. The audience went nuts - even the 400th anniversary committee has been hesitant to use the 'fleur-de-lys' anywhere in their advertising for fear that it might suggest some sort of separatist political statement. And here, for the first time in the official festivities, who comes out waving a giant Québec flag for all to see? A Brit. :) It was a goosebumpy moment. And the next day, contrary to all the English-language press who focused on the handful of protestors, the French press focused only on the warm-fuzzies the entire city was basking in (and still are, and that was 5 days ago). There was even footage of an eager fan who followed Sir Paul's limo to get an autograph. SP told his driver to stop the car, he rolled down the window and offered to sign the man's guitar. You should have seen the reaction of the man with the newly autographed instrument - I have never seen anything like it. He was so excited I thought he may need to be admitted to hospital. The news reporter who witnessed the event tried to get an interview with the man, but he was so excited that he couldn't answer any questions -- he was running around screaming, almost like he may throw up or pass out. What an incredible gift to the city this concert was -- you would have thought the Pope was coming for the way people reacted to Sir Paul. A super great experience - I know I'll never forget it.
The concert was to start after 9pm, and the 400th Anniversary Society announced that the gates to the concert grounds would be opened at 5pm. I showed up on the Plains at 3pm, and there was already a huge lineup of tens of thousands of eager fans, waiting to get into the section that would face the stage. To the right of the lineup, I saw a giant screen facing an 'overflow section.' Hmmm, do I get in line and stand waiting for several hours and risk not getting a great view on the other side, or take my 'bird in the hand' and set up my little camp right in front of the screen? Being vertically-challenged, the decision was easy. :) Not only did I get a great spot in front of the screen (where I promptly set up my blanket and laid in the sun while everyone else stood in a long, hot, crowded line-up), but when the gates opened to let everyone into the concert area, the overflow section thinned out even further and I was able to get as close as I wanted to the screen.
I had planned on meeting three friends (for whom I saved a spot on my little 'blanket camp'), but for various reasons, all three were hindered from meeting me there. I was OK with that, except for one moment halfway through my wait when I needed to leave to 'use the facilities'. Hmmm ... who in the group of complete strangers around me do I trust to watch my stuff? That decision took about 15 minutes as I scoped out the pot-smoking group of 30-something ladies on my right, the romantic 40-something couple eating cheese and drinking wine just behind me, and the man to my left who seemed to be reserving a section for everyone he knew. I watched them as inconspicuously as I could, but I probably made a few of them nervous. ha. Finally, I decided on wine-and-cheese couple, who readily agreed to help me out.
One great quality of people in Québec City is that for the most part, they are among the friendliest people I have ever met (rivalling even my prairie neighbours). Complete strangers will talk to you in the park, in line at the store, on the bus, you name it. And so far, none have been visibly put off by my anglo-French. Some even take the opportunity to encourage you in the attempt to integrate. A lady at Tim Hortons helped me out with an order I was having trouble ordering, and as I apologized for butchering the French, she smiled and said, "No, don't worry about it. We're just so glad when people just try to speak French." This has not been uncommon during my time here. I have yet to have a negative/anti-Anglo experience. Often, people here have asked me, "How have you found the people here in Québec?" I always answer with, "Seriously, Quebeckers need a better PR manager, because everyone has been so kind and helpful. The media really does this province a real disservice." This was highlighted, too, in the (very, very minor) controversy surrounding Paul McCartney coming to do a concert on the Plains of Abraham for Québec City's 400th birthday. For those of you who may not know, the Plains of Abraham are the exact site where the English and the French had it out for the last time. There was an EXTREMELY tiny group of malcontent artists and PQ politicians who wrote a letter to Paul McCartney just days before the concert, saying that he should reconsider coming because his presence (as a Brit) would bring up bad memories (?) of the English conquest on that very site back in the 1700s. In an interview with a local news station, Paul was asked about his reaction to this group's letter. He gracefully replied, "Well, I just came here so we can all have a good time. If that logic were sound, then I should never speak to Germans or sing in Germany. But I have German friends, and I have sung in Germany. Let's just bury the hatchet and have a great night." Not only was the rest of the population of Québec embarrassed by this tiny, insignificant group of protesters, but this same group that poo-pooed Paul came out after the concert and said that the media had misrepresented them, that they liked Paul and that they just wanted to inform him of the city's controversial history. The saddest part of all this is that this tiny 'misunderstood' group is the only part of the incredible event that got English media coverage. So, as your unofficial anglo-insider to Québécois culture, I am here to tell you to take media coverage of Québec with a grain of salt. Every society has its malcontents (in Vancouver, it's the anti-olympics vandals, the über-crazy PETA supporters, etc.), and this protest group just happens to have chosen linguistic survival as their cause. The average Quebecker is exactly like any other Canadian, and most of them are embarassed by those who make the news. Imagine if British Columbians were defined by our DUI-indicted Premier, or Saskatchewanites by their 'less-than-politically-correct' politicians. There, my little rant is over --- AND NOW, BACK TO THE CONCERT!
Speaking of friendly Québeckers, I made a few new friends at the concert. During one of the opening acts, an older couple was walking through the crowd trying to find the perfect place to sit down. They saw that there was extra space on my blanket, and asked if they could just sit down for a few minutes while I waited for my friends. I said sure, then called my friends to see where they were at. My friends informed me that security wouldn't let them into my section, so I told my new 'blanket-mates' that if they wanted, they could stay with me for the concert. They were so happy - true to French form, they each gave me a big kiss. My anglo sensibilities would have been happy with a thank-you and a handshake, but oh well, friendly is friendly, right? haha. We're so uptight. :)
Soon after about 9:30, the jumbotron came back on and without an introduction, Sir Paul McCartney started right into 'Jet'. The crowd went crazy -- and stayed crazy for the duration of the 2.5 hour concert (no intermission!). He sounds (and looks) as good as ever, and his new band played his greatest hits (Beatles stuff, Wings, and some solo numbers) exactly like they were done originally. What a show ... it wasn't until he started playing some Beatles hits I recognized that I realized that this was a chance of a lifetime. Who would have thought that I, born some 20 years after he started with the Beatles, would, at 29, get to a 'Beatle' concert? Beatles music is the soundtrack to fun times in the summer, and that's exactly what it was like ... only being serenaded by the man himself with 250,000 of your closest friends singing along. The weather was perfect, the crowd was courteous yet exuberant, and it really couldn't have come off any better. He even made a valiant effort to speak French in between songs (to the incredible delight of the crowd, who probably wouldn't have cared if he spoke English anyway). They reacted especially to 'Michelle, ma belle' (which is a love song to a French woman), 'Yesterday', and 'All my lovin'. He introduced 'Birthday' by saying, "Cette chanson est pour une dame qui a 400 ans" (this song is for a woman who is 400 years old, in reference to the city's birthday).
The 'crème de la crème' for the crowd was on one of his encores, when he ran out onto the stage brandishing a ginormous Québec flag. The audience went nuts - even the 400th anniversary committee has been hesitant to use the 'fleur-de-lys' anywhere in their advertising for fear that it might suggest some sort of separatist political statement. And here, for the first time in the official festivities, who comes out waving a giant Québec flag for all to see? A Brit. :) It was a goosebumpy moment. And the next day, contrary to all the English-language press who focused on the handful of protestors, the French press focused only on the warm-fuzzies the entire city was basking in (and still are, and that was 5 days ago). There was even footage of an eager fan who followed Sir Paul's limo to get an autograph. SP told his driver to stop the car, he rolled down the window and offered to sign the man's guitar. You should have seen the reaction of the man with the newly autographed instrument - I have never seen anything like it. He was so excited I thought he may need to be admitted to hospital. The news reporter who witnessed the event tried to get an interview with the man, but he was so excited that he couldn't answer any questions -- he was running around screaming, almost like he may throw up or pass out. What an incredible gift to the city this concert was -- you would have thought the Pope was coming for the way people reacted to Sir Paul. A super great experience - I know I'll never forget it.
