Sion under the stars again

Le Regard Libre N° 41 - Jonas Follonier and Loris S. Musumeci

For its fifth edition, the Sion sous les étoiles festival once again brought together great artists from different popular genres. Fraissinet and Julien Clerc were among them. Here's a look back at the evening of Friday July 13.

Although spectators have travelled from all over the French-speaking part of Switzerland, the atmosphere of this musical event is very much Valaisan. More oenophiles than music lovers populate the Tourbillon plain, where a number of top-quality artists are set to perform. Under a blazing sun, smiling, sometimes purplish faces. A joie de vivre between epicureanism and beauf-attitude, reminiscent of the Christ-like evening of Johnny Hallyday's concert at the same venue two years ago. This year, the advertising screens projected a tribute to the rocker, with a beautiful image of the septuagenarian soberly accompanied by the mention of his three visits to Sion, in 1999, 2006 and 2016.

Rock was less present this year, with the exception of Calogero's rhythmic pop and the alternative music of Placebo. The latter undoubtedly disappointed on Saturday July 13, giving the impression of a «provincial concert» of no importance whatsoever, not even worthy of a smile or a word to the audience. Nor even a glance, for that matter, as the musicians were glued to their instruments. Nevertheless, the British band rounded off an evening that had been much appreciated by the audience, with Fraissinet and Julien Clerc among others.

A Fraissinet at ease

Much has been made of Fraissinet's «pop» turn with his album Live released in 2015 and confirmed by his latest opus, Voyeurs. Pop, his concert in Sion under the stars was undoubtedly. Some miss the Swiss Nicolas Fraissinet and his atypical melodies, marked by his mastery of the piano and his high-pitched voice. Basically, this was an artist whose instrumentations relied less on the strong presence of bass, electric guitar and drums, but perhaps more on the subtlety of words and melodies.

Nevertheless, if you want to break through, you can't ignore what's going on in the music world today. In order to get on the radio, the production stage is of the utmost importance, since it is this stage that will offer contemporary sounds to lyrics and melodies that are unlikely to suffice on their own. The limited acoustic capacity of an Open Air venue doesn't help with the «risk of saturation» that can befall an artist like Fraissinet, whose lyrics and voice we appreciate.

Despite this minor drawback, everything about the show is to be applauded. Most of the songs are very catchy, the band seems tight and motivated, and the atmosphere fills the audience with sunshine, which is often why they come to this kind of event. The pop trend we've been talking about comes into its own with Stop or The memory of our fathers, from their latest album. Many of the songs by this «Option Musique» artist are familiar to the audience. Despite all the difficulties of a first evening concert at 6.00 p.m., the sauce takes. Fraissinet is at ease, much to our delight. An authentic, joyful artist!

A Julien Clerc with tubes

Julien Clerc was a favorite. From his lifelong admirers to the curious onlookers who came to hear him «because it's a great singer who's coming to Sion», everyone was seduced. The interpreter of the famous Women, I love you arrived on stage soberly. Less sober, however, was the stage set-up: several musicians, sublime backing singers and a very classy look. Was Julien really sober? No doubt he'd enjoyed a fine Valais vintage in his dressing room before the concert. 

Whether or not the artist had been drinking before appearing in front of the crowd, it didn't matter, because he was simply brilliant! After the first song, his human warmth exploded. He loves his audience; he loves the audience. Julien was both courteous in his greetings and wacky in his style. We saw a free man. A man who fully assumes his identity, with the grimaces and trembling voice that make up his unspeakable charm. Afterwards, he told a few short stories and, above all, paid a flamboyant tribute to his entire team. And of course, he made it clear that he's one of the happiest people in the world, «where the scenery is magnificent», giving his all to the point of sweating, to the point of undoing his cufflinks. 

But what will remain engraved in all the hearts that populated the Tourbillon plain on the evening of July 15: the hits. Julien Clerc is a hit singer. Those who didn't know much about him - or thought they didn't - soon realized that they had the vast majority of his songs in their heads. From the touching and elegant My preference to the most reggae Melissa to the intimate Yours until the end of the world through the serious The Separates, These are songs that are part of our everyday culture. Julien Clerc made us dream with his hits, and the audience once again gathered under the stars.

Write to the authors:
jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com
loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Nendaz Switzerland