2001
Almost 200,000 people enjoyed 100 concerts over six sell-out evenings at the 21st century's first festival. Texas opened proceedings, and the 2001 edition closed in explosive style with the much-awaited (and appreciated) appearance of Manu Chao. The main stage, equipped for the first time with giant video screens, played host to a number of memorable performances from artist such as Lynda Lemay, Henri Salvador, Placebo, Pascal Obispo, Vanessa Paradis and Pulp, to mention but a few. The Chapiteau was transformed into a veritable dancehall for the concerts of Kool & the Gang and St-Germain, and then into a musical magic carpet, whisking the audience away on a journey from India to Spain with Le Temps des Gitans. Under the canvas sky of the Dome designated as the festival's world music venue the week turned into a journey of rhythms and melodies, from Tuva (Huun-Huur-Tu) to Angola (Bonga), with halts in Spain (Tonino Carotone), Benin (Julien Jacob) and India (Baul Bishwa). The Club Tent, which had undergone something of a facelift for this 26th edition, was the scene of numerous musical discoveries early in the evening, and then turned into the rendezvous for electronic music lovers as night fell. Tom McRae, Natalia M King, Le Peuple de l'Herbe and Snooze all received the public's accolade. For the first time this year access to the campsite, though still free of charge, was limited to those with tickets or festival passes.
