When Karl Tremblay left the Plains of Abraham stage on July 17, 2023, he took off his famous tie, taking care not to undo the knot, then handed it to his agent, saying: “Here, it’s for the museum.”
• Read also: Les Cowboys Fringants at the Summer Festival: unforgettable wave of love and tears for Karl Tremblay
This precious piece of clothing, with which Karl Tremblay often wiped his face, is part of a fascinating haul collected by the Musée de la civilisation following the legendary Cowboys Fringants show at the Summer Festival, in front of 90,000 people, the largest crowd ever gathered for a concert by a French-speaking Quebec artist.
In addition to the tie of Karl Tremblay, who died on November 15, the museum’s collections have also been enriched by the pink dress worn by Marie-Annick Lépine, the t-shirt of Jean-François Pauzé and the espadrilles of Jérôme Dupras.
That’s not all, the museum also acquired the list of songs performed and signed by the Cowboys Fringants as well as those of Robert Charlebois and Sara Dufour, who were the opening acts.
The list of songs played by Cowboys Fringants.
Photo Cedric Bélanger
“It’s a magnificent gesture on the part of the artists for posterity. The Musée de la civilisation tries to keep in memory the important moments of Quebec society and this show is one of them,” says the president of the Musée de la civilisation, Stéphan La Roche.
An emotional gift
Alerted in advance by the FEQ of the potential historical nature of the concert, the museum team expressed to the artists its desire to acquire pieces of clothing or other souvenirs from the evening.
“They were very generous. I think they themselves felt that it was a pivotal moment in the band’s career,” said Mr. La Roche.
The day of the donation, last January, was emotional. “Representatives from La Tribu came to wear the clothes. Before leaving, they put their hands on the clothes one last time. Everyone was very moved,” says curator Lydia Bouchard.
Sara Dufour’s pride
Involved in this historic evening, Sara Dufour agreed to give the museum everything she wore during her performance at the start of the evening: leotard, bow tie, shorts and her Doc Martens.
The outfit worn by Sara Dufour during her performance as the opening act for Cowboys Fringants, on July 17, 2023.
Photo Cedric Bélanger
“I feel immense pride in being able to offer the clothes I wore during an event bigger than myself, a day that will remain forever etched in my memory and that marks the musical history of Quebec,” says the singer.
The FEQ says it is honored that “this moment, which marked our festival and our festival-goers, finds a new resonance within the Museum of Civilization.”
The big shows
When will we be able to see all these memories of a magical evening?
Without revealing their whole game to the media, the museum people talked about an exhibition on the great shows in Quebec’s history that could be presented sometime around 2026.
Stéphan La Roche also mentioned certain collector’s items that could be found in this exhibition, including Claude Léveillé’s piano as well as guitars by Dédé Fortin and Michel Rivard.
