Bertrand Fournier is a jack-up that has seen the country. “”I am 55 years old and organized my first concert at sixteen years old; Then, I produced artists, albums, mounted a label; I went on tour… I landed at the Francos in 2005 because I worked with the Taloche brothers in France, which connected me with Belgium. “
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The housekeeper
Being a stage manager in a festival such as the Francofolies, “It is to welcome the artists who are linked in one day, to respond to their technical constraints, to combine them to ours, to ensure perfect coordination between the different trades that meet, the artist, his producer, the technical providers, the management of the festival. In short, it is to remedy all requests, all problems; It is reacting as quickly when the national dirt generates a general power cut – its biggest hassle in two decades at Spa – understand the logistical constraints and make binder. “ There is no doubt that Bertrand Fournier, warm and enthusiastic, was born for such a job.
A job that also requires good alarm clock. “”Some artists start with light tests and sound scales from eight in the morning. I arrive earlier. I like to be the first on the scene. I clean my scene, give a broom; I empty the garbage cans. I put away the house. It’s like when you organize a little party at home. We like to welcome in clean even if we know that we are going to return everything in the night. In the evening, well after the last concerts, I find my bed around two or three in the morning. I no longer stand up at the end of the Francos but I am happy, I live for that. “
“Some are complicated to manage”
20, 30, 40 years ago, the artists had to whip, says the stage manager again. “”And Pascal Obispo started with the small scenes. He was done in the trade, gradually grew up. “ Today, many careers no longer look like this. “”You have a young guy out of nowhere who publishes a song on the internet, which participates in a program, which arouses a buzz and then is propelled over a large stage before disappearing in nothing six months later. Some have become consumer products that we use and then throw, like a Kleenex. “
Bertrand Fournier does not want to generalize but the habits of artists have therefore changed. “”Some have become small princesses and are complicated to manage. They have huge requirements, require overpriced hotel rooms. Previously, it was more the reign of the resourceful. Besides, they were ready for everything if they had spent the afternoon at the thermal baths in the city. In the discharge of young generations, it is true that the profession has changed. Twenty or thirty years ago, an artist was running a few months, perhaps a year, then he agreed two years to compose a new album. Today, we do not sell any more records. Singers and groups are therefore much more on the road to make a living. Therefore, I understand that some are looking for good conditions and comfort. “
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Spa, it’s the family
To spare his eardrums, Bertrand Fournier quickly departs from the scene once the concert has started. “When I see the singer turning with a big smile to his musicians at the start of the song tour, I tell myself that everything is perfect and I go to meet the next artist.” So it’s not a “fan”as he says, even if some singers impressed him: Cali “who gives everything “Pagny returning from her cancer and who experienced real communion with the public.
It is not a legend, promises French, “The Belgian public is one of the best. “” Belgians are enthusiasts. They have a huge musical culture, they listen to everything, they like to party. In Belgium, the show is sometimes in the pit, more than on stage. This is what I like about Spa, even if you curl when the July sun changes behind the hills. But the Francos remained a family adventure; It is also their strength. I do not count the little hands when I arrive, as many of them, the teams who seek to arrange everything, who are very caring. A few years ago, with the girl who organized the reception in the scenes lodges, we asked a friend to predict a soup pot for lunch at noon. Just before the first concert, we were working with the technicians. The atmosphere was a good child. The director passed, the general manager also because they knew it was the quarter of an hour of the soup and a good slice of fresh bread. And, the last evening, when we finish putting out the last show, that the truck is ready to leave at three in the morning, we offer an aperitif, a good beer before everyone resumed their journey and their life. “