Laughter, tears and nostalgia. Thousands of Cowboys Fringants fans pay their last respects to singer Karl Tremblay Tuesday evening at the Bell Centre. Arriving at the ceremony, Prime Minister François Legault highlighted the unifying songs of a Quebec group that marked its era.
“We say goodbye to Karl Tremblay, a man who left his mark on Quebec. It’s incredible what we’ve seen since his death, a wave of love, of sadness. It’s as if millions of Quebecers had lost someone in their immediate family,” said the Prime Minister.
Member of Parliament for L’Assomption, where Karl Tremblay’s family lives, François Legault plans to rename the local disc golf course in honor of the singer. “Disc golf was his new passion. We are looking at what we can do to honor him, because he is a god in L’Assomption, Karl Tremblay,” said the leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec.
The secular ceremony resembling a national funeral, which is due to begin at 7:30 p.m., promises to be full of emotions. The audience who were feverishly waiting to enter the amphitheater, in a cold heralding of winter, were remembering an artist who has accompanied Quebec for the last 25 years.
“We’re going to tell him: “Farewell, Karl Tremblay”. This is the last time. We can’t miss it,” summarized Jacynthe Gauthier, who came with her daughter, niece and other family members. The group arrived in the afternoon, to be sure of being in the front row of the stage.
“We’re going to have as much fun as we can. We will cry if we need to,” added Éric Janelle, whose 14- and 22-year-old boys grew up listening to Karl Tremblay’s tape.
The father “would like it not to be the last time”. He already imagines the Cowboys playing in the future with guests like Émile Bilodeau, Sarah Dufour or others.
Flags at half mast
“It reminds me of when Beau Dommage happened [dans les années 70]. The Cowboys make music like no one has done before,” adds Jacynthe Gauthier.
“The lyrics are deep. It tells us. Our lives, our families, our daily lives. It speaks to me,” she says.
More than 14,000 people are expected at the Bell Center for this tribute to the most popular Quebec singer of recent years. The free tickets were sold out in just a few minutes. The ceremony is broadcast on a giant screen next to the Bell Center, as well as on the Cowboys Fringants accounts on social networks.
At the time these lines were written, on a rather chilly evening, there were no crowds around the amphitheater located in downtown Montreal. On this ceremonial day, the Quebec flag was lowered to half-mast at the National Assembly as well as at Montreal city hall.
A comfort
Joey, 26, arrived around 1 p.m. at the door of the Bell Center. He doesn’t want his full name written because he took sick leave to make sure he got to the ceremony early.
The young man was one of the first in line. He even thought about showing up in the morning, to be sure to be in the first row, in front of the stage. The young man has seen the Cowboys Fringants in concert countless times. “I lost count,” he said.
“Karl Tremblay’s voice comforts me. He was really close to people. You feel understood when you listen to the Cowboys,” says Joey.
Hugo Lavoie was also one of the first to arrive near the Bell Center, late in the afternoon. He felt a mixture of sadness and joy to pay a last tribute to the singer of Cowboys Fringants.
“He’s a big guy who just left. He rocked my youth. It’s the least we can do to be here tonight,” he said. The Cowboys singer is of the same caliber as giants like Céline Dion and René Angélil, according to him.
Further details will follow.