圖片是Men in Kilts在溫妮佩出名的居爾特搖滾樂團，跟愛爾蘭音樂很像，加入搖滾元素，他們是這次冬季嘉年華的主角，壓軸秀卻是我寫的這位Ashley MacIsaac，在90年代算是加拿大人引以為豪的提琴才子，從愛爾蘭傳統到嘻哈樂全都玩，(出身於Cape Breton Island，是最近加拿大葛萊美獎Juno舉行地，WHy?因為全愛爾蘭移民都在這兒！當然是加拿大音樂發源聖地！！)最近有點走下坡，看了就知道他為何這麼有爭議性：
How did you enjoy the “joie de vivre” in Festival du Voyageur this year? I was standing in the -16 degree C on an open icy land with a 200-metre-long line of people for more than half hour outside of the big tent in the Voyageur Park on a Saturday night. There was a huge screen broadcasting the interior situation at the entrance where no one could get in until there were people leaving. It’s all Men in Kilts’ fault.
At 8:30 p.m., I decided not to wait anymore and tried to sneak in. I found the exit door unguarded then walked in with no difficulty, which made me wonder where 150 volunteers the organizer claimed to have were. Beginning with “groupies” screaming, Men started rocking and rolling in Scottish kilts with traditional instruments as windpipes in a very traditional Celtic way. “I’m really impressed to hear Celtic rock with lyrics in French,” says Mark Davey, an Australian traveler who visited the festival for the first time and had lived in Ireland. “They are good. But I don’t see any possibility for them to go international.”
After Men in Kilts left with female fans following, I enjoyed a versatile yet brilliant performance brought by Canada fiddling sensation Ashley MacIsaac. There was no line-up either girl’s screaming treatment for MacIsaac. “He used to be very famous back in 90’s,” says Diane Lamoureux, event volunteer of Festival du Voyageur. “He’s so talented yet very controversial in the past years. He has done a lot stupid things,” Lamoureux hesitated a while, then said, “He once peed on the audience on stage.” I stepped back from the stage a bit, wondering what happened to this promising music star stuck in the tent with crowds less than 500.
For Winnipeggers, MacIsaac was also known as a rebel who was banned by Winnipeg Club Regent Casino in 2003 for his racist comment regarding Asian women and the spread of SARS and later he said he enjoyed Oriental girls in schoolgirl kilts. (Ironically, one of his fans, an Asian girl, stood in the very front, dancing and clapping for him last night.) MacIsaac also impressed his fans with his sex orientation. He announced to marry his fiancé, his “partner” Andrew this year during show. “He’s the best thing ever happened to Canada,” says Lamoureux during his act mixed with traditional fiddling, hip-hop and rock genres.
More than 70 different French-Canadian, Métis, aboriginal, Celtic, bluegrass and Cajun performances were arranged in Voyageur Park. The most anticipated act is brought by MacIsaac, who plays after local Celtic rock band Men in Kilts. MacIsaac comes from Cape Breton Island, home to thousands of Scottish families escaping the Highland Clearances back in 19th century. His music is nurtured by Gaelic songs, step dancing and French culture in old Acadia (Nova Scotia now).
Festival du Voyageur is the largest winter festival in Western Canada, promoting Franco-Manitoban heritage by reviving the era of the fur trade and voyageur’s “joie de vivre”. Voyageur means traveler in French, who were the contracted employees working for fur trading firms from 17th centuries. For this year, they are celebrating the 37th Annual Festival du Voyageur. (528)
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