Metro Festival | Lil Wayne first… but not for long

The Metro Metro Festival started three hours later than planned due to technical issues, but went off without a hitch until Lil Wayne’s performance was abruptly cut short at 11:01 p.m. in the same way left the place in peace on this beautiful Friday evening in May.

Without implying that the other artists on Metro Metro’s line-up are untalented, Lil Wayne’s is definitely taller – by six or seven feet, to quote one of his songs. The forty-something MC, who has been recording since the age of 12, has not lost his vigor on stage. Displaying a permanent smile, his charisma, his ease and his verve were however only deployed for about fifteen minutes, and not for an hour as expected.

Flanked by a DJ and a drummer, “the best rapper alive” had time to interpret hits such as Mr Carter, mona-lisa, Uproar, Blunt Blowin And 6 Foot 7 Foot, thanking the crowd each time between songs. We appreciate his courtesy, but it would have been even more polite to start on time.

A safer site, between the two stadiums

When questioned by The Press, an SPVM agent pointed out that the site was much safer than last year. “The problem last year was the breaches. People were posting that on social media and it was creating crowds. The fences are now taller and stronger, and he has more security walking around,” he explained. At 7:30 p.m., he confirmed that “everything was going very well”.

The look is also perfect for Instagram. The single stage, erected behind the Saputo stadium, faces the Olympic Stadium, the Biodôme and the Planetarium.

Coi Leray and Cordae

Among the other rappers on the program, the Bostonian Coi Leray showed great energy. Flanked by dancers, she chained fun choreographies and smiles to the crowd. His covers of What Is Love? and of Pump Up the Jam delighted the crowd. To close her passage, she interpreted a brilliant remixed version of her piece Players on the beats of The Message and of Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.

It was with a glass of tea in hand that Cordae showed his love for Montreal. The rapper, whose album The Lost Boy had been nominated twice for the Grammys in 2020, offered a heartfelt performance that alternated between quiet and powerful songs.

The popular The Kid Laroi, the hooded Yeat and the depressed Destroy Lonely pleased their fans, but offered nothing memorable.

The delay did not have a major impact on the lineup. Only the Canadian Murda Beatz lost his place. All the other artists came on stage, but stayed there a little shorter than planned.

However, there were very few spectators for Mischa, an Ottawa rapper, and Montrealer Mr. Severe, who got the ball rolling shortly after 5 p.m.

Festival rhymes with fashion

Music festivals are an opportunity for many people to stand out through clothing. Revealing, colorful, coordinated, original, chic – there is everything. The author of these lines wore a t-shirt from the Montreal label Boro and Nike SB Parra. Our credibility thus assured, we went to meet well-styled festival-goers with our photographer Josie Desmarais.