After “suffering martyrdom” last summer due to cracked vertebrae, Enrico Macias is back on the road to celebrate six decades of career. And for the French singer of Algerian origin, a visit to La Belle Province was “obligatory”. Nothing less. “It was Quebec that launched my international career,” he remembers.
Enrico Macias fans got a good scare last summer; their idol had to cancel a handful of concerts in Europe after cracking two lumbar vertebrae. On the other end of the line, the 85-year-old singer is as reassuring as he is confident.
“I’m doing much better! I’m in great shape, I still have the voice and the energy. And I am very, very looking forward to meeting Quebecers again. It was my concerts given here that opened the doors to the United States and Japan for me. So it makes me want to come back and see you as soon as I can,” he confides.
It is well known that artists tend to profess their love for the regions to which their tours take them. But in the case of Enrico Macias, it is obvious that this affection for Quebec is sincere, impossible to show off.
The call of gastronomy
He fondly recalls his concerts held on this side of the Atlantic, in addition to the establishments with which he wishes to reconnect during his stay with us. First on his list: the legendary Schwartz’s restaurant on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.
“I admit it, I love to eat! Every time I come to Montreal, I need my pastrami sandwich from Schwartz’s. And you have some truly magnificent steakhouses like Moishes and La Queue de cheval,” he enthuses.
But Enrico Macias is not arriving in Quebec for a culinary pilgrimage. The singer is preparing to come and celebrate six decades of career – and success – on our stages. The perfect opportunity, therefore, to revive the immortals such Goodbye my country or even The girls of my countrytitles which helped elevate the singer to the rank of global musical icon.
Question de feeling
But after six decades on the charts and more than 800 songs recorded, how do you put together a program for such a tour? “By feeling”, quite simply.
“Over the years, I’ve identified a few benchmarks, so I know what songs people like to hear when I’m on stage. It is certain that successes like Tell me what’s wrong, we cannot escape it. But for the rest, I go by feeling. I want to revisit my musical roots with this tour, so I am spoiled for choice,” says Enrico Macias.
And even if this singing tour – expected in Joliette, Gatineau, Montreal, Quebec and Saint-Hyacinthe – is presented as his last tour on Quebec soil, Enrico Macias wants to qualify this statement. Because the word “retirement” does not appear in his vocabulary. And he has no intention of adding it.
“At my age, you never know if a tour will be your last. But I have no intention of saying goodbye. As long as the Good Lord gives me the energy and the voice, I will continue to sing… and go to meet my fans as far as Quebec,” he promises.
- Enrico Macias’ Quebec tour will begin at the Joliette Cultural Center on November 20. She will be visiting the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in Montreal on November 26 and the Palais Montcalm in Quebec on November 29. For all dates: revelprods.com
