Have you activated your passes? In a few days, big stars from here and elsewhere will invade the stages of the Festival d’été de Québec. Finally, it’s the return of that blessed period when discussions in town focus on the show the night before and the time at which to arrive in the queues to get the best seat tonight. To see who? Here are ten big names who will make the evenings of FEQ 2024 great.
• Read also: 11 artists to discover at the Quebec Summer Festival in 2024
• Read also: Quebec Summer Festival: Giant Screens Twice as Big on the Plains
Post Malone
July 12, Plains of Abraham
Photo d’archives AFP
Cornerstone of the 2024 FEQ poster, Post Malone will sing in Quebec for the first time in his life. It will also be a first visit to Quebec since a concert at the Bell Center in February 2020. Since then, there has been the pandemic, two albums which have seen the American artist drift from hip-hop towards a frankly more pop and I Had Some Help, a recent and successful collaboration with country singer Morgan Wallen. In short, enough to make you want to go and see what kind of stuff your friend Austin Richard Post is up to on stage.
Mötley Crüe
July 14, Plains of Abraham
Photo archives MEGA/WENN
The last time we saw the sulphurous standard-bearers of 1980s glam rock in Quebec City was during a farewell tour… in 2015. Nine years later, Vince, Nikki, Mick and Tommy’s farewells are dragging on, which is surely not going to displease all those who would like nothing better than to hear the Girls, Girls, Girls, Shout at the Devil et Kickstart My Heart.
50 Cent
July 5, Plains of Abraham
Photo d’archives Mario Beauregard/Agence QMI
In the purest rap tradition, Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, arrives here preceded by some controversial headlines: a documentary series against P. Diddy that he plans to produce and allegations of bad behavior against him, which he quickly denied, brought by the mother of his child. Our bet? No one will think about that when he does In Yes Club et Candy Shop.
Nickelback
July 4, Plains of Abraham
Archive photo René Baillargeon/Agence QMI
Like Foo Fighters and Imagine Dragons in recent years, the most unloved Canadian band of all time was scheduled to play at the FEQ, nine years after a cancellation due to singer Chad Kroeger’s throat injury. If their performance at the Videotron Centre a year ago is anything to go by, we should expect a shower (figuratively speaking, please) of hits, pyrotechnics and clumsy attempts to speak to us in French.
Zac Brown Band
July 11, Plains of Abraham
Photo d’archives Tammie Arroyo/AFF-USA.com/MEGA
After a shaky start in the mid-2010s, the country night is now a well-established tradition at the FEQ. It allows you to get to know stars you’ve never seen in Quebec, like the Zac Brown Band, headliner for 2024. In this genre, the ZBB is no small beer. Their Wikipedia page credits this group (there are nine of them) with 13 number 1s on the Billboard country songs chart and three Grammy Awards, in addition to those won at country galas.
J Balvin
July 13, Plains of Abraham
Photo archives MEGA/WENN
The FEQ is attempting for a second time to test Quebecers’ appetite for Latino culture on the Plains of Abraham, two years after a flood chased away Luis Fonsi before he even sang a single note. Colombian superstar J Balvin, 39, nicknamed the prince of reggaeton, is carrying the torch of Spanish-language music this year. To give you an idea of his importance, consider that he has collaborated, over the years, with Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Pharrell Williams, Pitbull and dozens of other stars.
Nas
July 9, Parc de la Francophonie
Photo archives Phil Lewis/WENN.com
Lil Nas X? No, no, Nas. One of the most prominent American rappers of the last 30 years shows up not on the Plains of Abraham, but at the Parc de la Francophonie. Creator of the legendary album Illmatic, Nas is also a subscriber to the juicy controversies that fuel the gossip magazines. He is known for feuds with the late 2Pac, Jay-Z, ex-Fox political commentator Bill O’Reilly and, more recently, with Doja Cat.
Jonas Brothers
July 6, Plains of Abraham
Photo d’archives AFP
We first saw Nick and Joe in pieces, in 2017, the first solo before the Backstreet Boys on the Plains, the other with his group DNCE at the Parc de la Francophonie. This time, it’s the complete trio, with the eldest Kevin, who will be there and will be the star of a pop evening during which the shrill cries of their admirers should resound to the sound of Sucker, What a Man Gotta Do et Only Human.
Alexandra Stréliski
July 8, Plains of Abraham
Photo d’archives Antoine Saito
The UFO on the 2024 poster. A pianist with instrumental melodies headlining on the Plains, that’s a shock. If there is one who can take up this challenge, it is certainly Alexandra Stréliski, darling of Quebec neoclassicism. As is the case for the carte blanche allocated to Quebec artists, she will have help. Loud, Sarahmée and musicians from the Quebec Symphony Orchestra will join her for this unique concert.
The Offspring
July 7, Plains of Abraham
Photo d’archives AFP
2012, 2019, 2024: the veterans of Californian punk will join the select club of international artists who have headlined three times on the Plains. The other club member? The Foo Fighters (including the famous four-song show stopped by a storm). Even though he’s been working for 40 years and has a catalog full of hits, The Offspring doesn’t seem ready to define himself as a nostalgia artist. A new album, preceded by a lively extract, is expected this fall.
