In Hauts-de-France, Thomas Dutronc, Gaétan Roussel and Nicoletta sing Brel for a TV show

On May 16, 1967, Jacques Brel gave his last concert in Roubaix, in the North, after bidding farewell to the Parisian public in 1966 at the Olympia. It is therefore quite natural that France Télévisions chose to shoot part of the program A day with Brel in Hauts-de-France.

From Dave to Anna Chedid

56 years after Jacques Brel’s last show, the Belgian singer’s best-known titles resonated once again in Roubaix. On stage, at the Condition Publique, Thomas Dutronc interpreted with Gaétan Roussel the famous Vesoul. Obviously for the son of Jacques Dutronc.“I wanted to sing this song again because it’s about my father. Brel sings: you wanted to see Dutronc, we saw Dutronc. It’s a source of pride for him and for me” says the singer and musician. “Earlier, there was a young woman who thought that the text had been adapted for TV” he adds amused. Dave, Nicoletta but also the new generation with Clou, Anna Chedid, Laura Cahen and Santa, are part of the adventure. 45 years after his death, Brel remains timeless. “It is still topical because it has huge topics like friendship. He also had a way of delivering that appealed and still appeals to different styles” analyzes Gaëtan Roussel, who is also the musical director of the show.

Brel, the child of the flat country

In Hauts-de-France, the cameras are installed in Roubaix but also in Wimereux, in Pas-de-Calais. A choice that is not due to chance. Jacques Brel, originally from Belgium, sang a lot of his flat country but also the north of Europe. “We settle where he created. We went to Brussels, we will even go through Amsterdam. We are in all this northern part. In the end, we tell how these regions inspired him. All the artists who love Brel come to his house” explains Stéphanie Elbaz, producer of the show.

A day with Brel will be broadcast on France 3 at the end of 2023.