Dozens of Billie Eilish fans began a camping experience overnight from Thursday to Friday that will last three days, near the Videotron Center, in order to be as close as possible to their idol when she launches her world tour, Sunday evening, in Quebec.
• Also read: At the Videotron Center on Sunday: Billie Eilish in 9 memorable songs
• Also read: Billie Eilish in Quebec: Visiting people from all over the world to see her
• Also read: Billie Eilish at the Videotron Center: 5 days to prepare everything
Daphné Couture, a young woman from Quebec who will be attending her second Billie Eilish concert, has been hanging around for three days. She is number one in line.
“You never know when you’ll get the chance to see her again. It’s better to live with the idea that you’ve done too much than with regrets,” she says.
Éliane Martel and Daphnée Couture will be among the first to enter the Videotron Center on Sunday to see Billie Eilish.
Photo CÉDRIC BÉLANGER
Éliane Martel, from Gatineau, adds: “I like eye contact. When the artist sings and you have contact, it creates a connection.”
According to our information, Billie Eilish arrived in Quebec on Thursday and she will take part in rehearsals.
Mariana Stolzembach-Montero, a spectator from the North Shore of Montreal who arrived in the middle of the night in front of the Videotron Center, also believes that the wait is worth it.
“I’ve seen her twice already. Every time, I was ahead. Looks like it’s that or nothing. Billie tends to interact with her fans, so the closer you are, the more likely you are to make eye contact.”
Well equipped
The campers are well equipped. Most have mattresses, sleeping bags, lawn chairs and food. “We have games, I brought my iPad to watch series, we are going to eat, we are going to talk and listen to music,” summarizes Éliane Martel.
They are grouped in enclosures that can each contain 250 people, on the north side of the amphitheater. Toilets are at their disposal. Water fountains, a locker and a merchandise kiosk will also appear around the Videotron Center.
When we visited on Friday morning, some spectators had coffee delivered while others made a trip to Walmart to buy pillows and mattresses.
These campers are well equipped for the next three days that they will spend in the shade of the Videotron Center.
Photo CÉDRIC BÉLANGER
Hydrate well
Spectators from as far away as Australia, Germany and Ireland are on hand.
Skylar Grant, a 21-year-old from Sherbrooke who regularly goes camping to see her idols up close, plays a bit of a mentor role with teenage girls who are new to this experience.
Skylar Grant, an admirer from Sherbrooke, shows a Billie Eilish tattoo.
Photo CÉDRIC BÉLANGER
“You have to hydrate well and eat well. Some people don’t do it on the day of the concert because they don’t want to go to the toilet so as not to lose their place, but it’s important so as not to lose consciousness,” she says.
“Never seen this anywhere else”
According to Sébastien Pelletier, customer experience manager at the Videotron Center, everything has been done to ensure that campers are safe.
Sébastien Pelletier, customer experience manager, gives information to spectators from outside the province.
Photo CÉDRIC BÉLANGER
“I have been in communication with fan clubs for months. We expected them to arrive early, it’s no surprise. This is the first part of their experience with us, so we make sure to welcome them well. Several people told us that they have never seen this anywhere else.”
It is expected that up to a thousand people will join the campers over the weekend. In total, around 2,000 general admission seats were sold.
