[Report] Solidays 2018 – Friday, start of the party!

Solidays 2018 – The festival celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. Friday, June 22, was the beginning of the party and Justfocus was present not to miss anything and tell you everything.

It was cool but sunny on Friday when the Solidays festival opened. But already the festival-goers were numerous on the Longchamp racecourse, ready to make the most of it.

Solidays 2018 – beginning of Friday… restless!

For Justfocus, the festival began with a meeting of Eddy de Pretto. Artist in vogue and very acclaimed, darling of this summer's programming, he is a talented young man who likes to play with words and the French language: he has no equal to tell who he is in song. It was a privileged moment to be able to exchange with him on his recent notoriety and his first album: Cure.

Find Eddy de Pretto's press conference

As soon as this meeting is over, no time to lose, we go under the Dome: in the distance, we hear that it is agitated. And indeed, L'or du commun did not take long to wake up the audience of Solidays who are already completely crazy: it jumps, it shouts, it moves away… It's almost like a metal concert, because it's a Braveheart we're attending. And yet it is a French Hip Hop group that plays with festival-goers already very numerous for this first concert. A crazy atmosphere that gives us an idea of what this first evening of the festival will be.

And it's just getting started!

Requin chagrin takes over under the César Circus tent. With a fluid Pop Rock music that sounds retro without falling into kitsch, the band makes swing an audience that waddles and dodeline. We let ourselves be seduced by this fresh sound. Carried by the voice of Marion Brunetto, we also recognize on stage Grégoire Cagnat, a volunteer of AIDS Solidarity who has been working for the festival since 2005. After helping to set up the festival, this is the first time he has been on stage, as drummer of his band Requin Chagrin.

We continue our festival on the big stage Paris where Camille has just appeared. Like a wacky fairy inhabited by an ancient spirit… Or simply through her music, she takes the audience with her into a trance. The staging is theatrical, almost pagan and offers us a show that impresses more than one festival-goer… especially those who are discovering it for the first time. Perched? Certainly, but so singular and imaginative. She invites a few people from the audience to go on stage to dance a frenzied two-stroke bourrée. Inspired by traditional folk music, she could have transformed Solidays into a ball… If festival-goers knew how to dance! It brings together an audience, shy at first, but which finally lets itself be completely embarked.

Eddy de Pretto, the elegant French rap

Before the concert begins, Michaël Jeremiasz comes to talk to us about the problems of the disabled and enjoys this little moment of glory. Indeed, few know this sportsman, tennis player emeritus, with multiple medals, including several Olympics!

The public came en masse to see Eddy de pretto and it jostles in front of the stage of the Bagatelle. It must be said that we are at peak times. People got out of work and we finally managed to get into the festival. Eddy joins his drummer on stage and launches his phone with Rue de Moscou, a superb text written by Martin Dust, aka Sister Rose of the Liver of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, whom we meet several times on the festival. He dedicated Beaulieu to the suburbanites, gently snubbing the Parisians. On stage he does not hesitate to address the audience, but nevertheless has a little trouble occupying the space that seems perhaps a little too big for him. So he wanders around and provokes the audience with his words. The truth is, everyone already knows his songs. It is in front of a compact crowd that he sings Kid. He will finish his set with Party too many. A success that he is about to repeat many times this summer: we wish him!

Already Nekfeu has taken place on the stage of Paris and balances a raw flow. Accompanied by his crew, he will light Solidays based on "Are you hot? ", "Pariiiiiiiiis" or "Make noise". Quite honestly… We took advantage of this memorable moment to go to dinner… Feet in the sand!

Jain warms up Solidays with his new titles

This is the third time Jain comes to Solidays and we quickly recognize the regulars. At first, they have a big stage and have completely inhabited it. Just like at home, they put down their equipment, their décor, their lights and… It makes its little effect as soon as they enter the scene. This year, we rediscovered Jain. It is no longer this reserved girl in a little black dress who stood straight behind her machines when she first came. She had managed to convince us though! This time, it is a mature, assumed woman who occupies the space. We welcome this new assurance that suits him well. It must be admitted that thanks to her new controller on the forearm of her suit, she can launch her loops and direct her machines remotely, leaving her more movement for her show. In any case she masters! We have the chance to discover some of his new tracks live and we predict that his next album will be great. She notably interprets Alright whose clip has just been released: a resolutely feminist clip !!! 

The show benefits from incredible lights and columns/screens that give extra depth to the scene. Jain will end with the highly anticipated Makeba that ignites the audience of Solidays. She will manage to get everyone to sit down for an impressive jump and take a small crowd bath in her Makeball before greeting everyone to leave the stage.

It is a little shivering under the 15 summer degrees that we leave the festival this Friday to be able to better attack the Saturday which promises to be epic!

Find the postponement of Saturday at Solidays

Find the postponement of Sunday at Solidays

Photos : Antony Gomes – http://www.antonygomes.com/