Sunday April 16th, Printemps Soldaire rolled through Paris; from the Arc de Trimphe, Grand Palais, around Place de la Concord, to the Louvre. This unique concert consisted of nine open stages on nine eighteen-wheelers.
Printemps Solidaire was a free concert, part of the 2017 Solidaire movement. The stages on floats concept was original, well organized and executed.
Plus de 500 000 personnes ont répondu à l’appel à la mobilisation pour la manif-concert de Printemps Solidaire.
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joyed the atmosphere and the ambience, young and old gatheirng to see a variety of artists. The interesting idea of this parade concert was that you could either follow a stage float or stay in one place and enjoy each of the nine stages as they pass by.
Each float stage premiered three artists, set changes happening quickly and smoothly at the Grand Palais and Place de la Concord. To make this transition smooth and to keep followers centralized, each float was devoted to a specific genre. For example, Float 5 hosted three djs and kept only the dj mixer and equipment set up. Therefore making the set change quick and easy rather than switching to a full band set.
DJ at the Place de la Concorde and the “Big Wheel”
In addition to the smooth transitions between artists, the parade also flowed smoothly through Paris-a difficult task any day. During the concert, one was able to take a walking tour through the city and see main attractions such as the Arc de Triomphe, Grand Palais, Concord, Tulieries and the Louvre, all while listening to great music.
The difficulty of the parade-styled concert was keeping up with the float and staying with your friends through the crowded streets. It was not a problem on the wide Champs-Elysée, but became a task as we rounded the Place de la Concord onto the more narrow Quais François Mittrrand.
Although it was an incredible experience and I was able to discover new artists, it was tiring trying to keep up with the float after a few hours. It was fun dancing along as the float moved, but only when there was enough space. When it was crowded, it was taxing.
The Arc de Triomphe and the stage floates
This concert was labeled as one of a series of “Manif-concerts,” abbreviation for manifestations-concerts (demonstration concerts). It was a social statement emphasizing the importance of staying unified a and aware of political actions. It was a way for the french youth to gather in awareness against social inequalities of our world. ” La jeunesse d’aujourd’hui est ouverte sur le monde et soucieuse de lutter contre les inégalités. Elle est profondément attachée au principe d’une « solidarité sans frontières » et juge nécessaire l’aide de la France aux pays les plus pauvres,” according to the Printemps Solidaire website.
The number 0.7 was displayed on the float banners. The figure was calculated by Nobel Prize-winner Jan Tinbergen and it represents the amount economically advanced countries should give for others to achieve sustainable development. In 1970, the United National General Assembly adopt this resolution of Official Development Assistance. According to the Printemps Solidaire website, France has not kept this promise and a goal of the Solidaire movement is to keep the french citizens aware.
Find more information about this movement and upcoming events at printemps-solidaire.fr.
karla ewing 