Alternative rock band Arcade Fire will headline the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival in Montreal in its 15th year. The city and the band have had a long history together. It’s only fitting that they were chosen to fill the spot left open when the Foo Fighters cancelled.
Major milestones mean the most when celebrated with family, so for the 15-year anniversary of the festival evenko executive and Osheaga founder Nick Farkas said it just makes sense to book the band that has resonated so profoundly with the city over decades.
The Foo Fighters were scheduled to headline the music and arts festival but cancelled due to the untimely death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Farkas said, “When the Foo Fighters unfortunately had to cancel, it was extremely important to us that we book a band that means something special to our local music fans as well as an artist that would appeal to a huge fan base internationally. We are thrilled that our local hometown heroes Arcade Fire were able to step in and fill the void.”
It’s not their first time playing the festival. Arcade Fire played on “one of the most memorable headline sets in Osheaga history in 2010, and having them back for our 15th anniversary will be really special,” Farkas added.
Arcade Fire was a last-minute addition to the concert line-up at Coachella too. The band was announced the day before they played, on May 15.
Arcade Fire got their start in Montreal in the early 2000s. There are familial ties within the group as well, not just because they’ve been together for decades and are like family. Two members are married to each other, Win and Régine Chassagne, and two other members are brothers.
On March 19 Win Butler’s younger brother Will tweeted that he quit the band. He told American Songwriter that it was time for a change after 20 years and that he left last year when the album was finished.
Will wasn’t part of the recent Coachella performance. On Twitter he made it clear that he’s still around and seems to be spending time with his family, championing causes, working independently on music projects and playing guitar in the park.
Arcade Fire released their new album WE a month ago, on May 6, so fans can expect them to play brand new material as well as many of the classics for what will be an unforgettable homecoming set on the first day of Osheaga 2022.
The band will be joined by a diverse list of musicians at Jean-Drapeau Park over the three-day weekend starting July 29, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Kid Laroi, A$AP Rocky, Burnaboy, Khruangbin, Due Lipa, Machine Gun Kelly, and Glass Animals among one hundred bands slated to play for the anniversary event.
Osheaga Music and Arts Festival notes on its website that they will honour tickets bought for the festival in 2020 and 2021. Ticket holders can now use tickets from previous years at this year’s show.
by Cherryl Bird – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Twitter @ladycbird | Instagram @cherrylbird
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