History
The festival has been taking place annually since 1968. First editions were organized by a group of businesspersons and artists of Quebec City in order to show the artistic, economic, and tourist potential of the region. During the 1970s and 1980s, the festival specialized in musicians from the Francophonie and world music.
Francophonie is the quality of speaking French. It is not to be confused with the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, sometimes also informally called "la Francophonie". The term designates the ensemble of people, organisations and governments that share the use of French on a daily basis and as administrative language, teaching language or chosen language.
The festival grew substantially during the last decade after its decision to diversify its music offering and go after international headliners from genres across the board, including rock music, punk, hip-hop, classical music, world music and electronic music.
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the early 1950s, and developed into a range of different styles in the 1960s and later, particularly in the United Kingdom and in the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, a style which drew heavily on the genres of blues, rhythm and blues, and from country music. Rock music also drew strongly on a number of other genres such as electric blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical and other musical styles. Musically, rock has centered on the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with electric bass, drums, and one or more singers. Usually, rock is song-based music usually with a 4/4 time signature using a verse–chorus form, but the genre has become extremely diverse. Like pop music, lyrics often stress romantic love but also address a wide variety of other themes that are frequently social or political.
Punk rock is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in 1960s garage rock and other forms of what is now known as "proto-punk" music, punk rock bands rejected perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. They typically produced short, fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and singing styles, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. Punk embraces a DIY ethic; many bands self-produce recordings and distribute them through independent record labels and other informal channels.
Classical music is art music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western culture, including both liturgical (religious) and secular music. While a more precise term is also used to refer to the period from 1750 to 1820, this article is about the broad span of time from before the 6th century AD to the present day, which includes the Classical period and various other periods. The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common-practice period.
The festival reached the million spectators mark for the first time in 2007 and sold-out passes for the first time in 2010.
Main bands since 2010
2010 : Iron Maiden, Rammstein, Rush, The Black Eyed Peas, Arcade Fire, Dream Theater, Santana, Billy Talent, Steve Winwood, Roger Hodgson.
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The band's discography has grown to thirty-eight albums, including sixteen studio albums, twelve live albums, four EPs, and seven compilations.
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. Throughout their existence, their six-man lineup has remained unchanged — lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe, bassist Oliver "Ollie" Riedel, rhythm guitarist Paul H. Landers, keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz, and drummer Christoph "Doom" Schneider. Prior to their formation, various members were associated with acts such as Feeling B, First Arsch and Die Firma.
Rush was a Canadian rock band consisting of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson (guitars), and Neil Peart. Formed in 1968, the band went through several configurations until arriving at its longest and most popular line-up when Peart replaced original drummer John Rutsey in July 1974, two weeks before the group's first tour of the United States.
2011 : Elton John, Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, The Black Keys, Hollywood Undead, Dropkick Murphys, John Fogerty, Ben Harper, Simple Plan.
Sir Elton Hercules John is an English singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer. He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriting partner since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums. John has sold more than 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. He has more than fifty Top 40 hits, as well as seven consecutive number-one albums in the United States, 58 Billboard Top 40 singles, 27 Top 10 singles, four which reached number two and nine which reached number one. His tribute single "Candle in the Wind 1997", rewritten in dedication to Diana, Princess of Wales, sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single in the history of the UK and US singles charts. He has also composed music, produced records, and has occasionally acted in films. John owned Watford F.C. from 1976 to 1987, and 1997 to 2002. He is an honorary Life President of the club, and in 2014 had a stand named after him at the club's home stadium.
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California by drummer Lars Ulrich and vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield, and has been based in San Francisco, California for most of its career. The group's fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Metallica's current lineup comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band.
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Synyster Gates, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny Christ, and drummer Brooks Wackerman.
2012 : Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Lionel Richie, LMFAO, The Offspring, Our Lady Peace, Sarah McLachlan, Skrillex, Metric, Mastodon, City and Colour.
2013 : Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses, Bruno Mars, Wu-Tang Clan, Weezer, Rush, Stevie Wonder, Foreigner, The Black Keys, Tiësto, Ellie Goulding.
2014 : Lady Gaga, Billy Joel, Journey, Bryan Adams, The Killers, Soundgarden, Snoop Dogg, Queens Of The Stone Age, Cypress Hill, Deadmau5.
2015 : The Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Boston, Megadeth, Keith Urban, Deep Purple, The Doobie Brothers, Jack Ü, Iggy Azalea, Milky Chance.
2016 : Rammstein, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Duran Duran, Selena Gomez, The Cult, Ice Cube, Brad Paisley, The Lumineers.
2017 : Muse, The Who, Metallica, P!nk, Gorillaz, Kendrick Lamar, The Backstreet Boys, Lady Antebellum, Flume, Melissa Etheridge, Migos, DNCE.
2018 : Foo Fighters, The Weeknd, Neil Young, Shawn Mendes, Beck, Lorde, Future, Dave Matthews Band, The Chainsmokers, Jethro Tull, Sum 41.
2019 : Twenty One Pilots, Slipknot, Mariah Carey, Blink-182, Imagine Dragons, Kygo, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Live, Logic, Diplo, Alt-J, The Offspring.
