Sunday May 22, under a bright sun, Salvatore Adamo, Hervé Vilard, Gilbert Montagné, Michel Blanc, Frédéric François and many friends of Annie Cordy met in Brussels.
Even Dave, whose state of health had raised fears in January, made the trip from Paris.
“
I have lost my sense of smell and taste but I can absolutely go on stage and I dream of resuming my shows
”, confides the singer of
Davina
in an impeccable voice.
This party, I really wanted to because the last time we met for Annie, it was at her funeral near Cannes in September 2020 and inevitably it was a little sad.
»
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Annie Cordy, the first recurring heroine in the history of the small screen
Although busy with the rereading of his first novel to be published by Fayard, Hervé Vilard also would not have missed this day for anything in the world.
"
Annie was our Shirley McLaine,
" he said.
When I started, she and Dalida were my bosses.
Annie taught me the demands of the job, she was uncompromising, nothing was a hair's breadth.
She was an exquisite woman, a fairy, who, when she entered a room, transformed the world with the wave of a magic wand.
“For this great tribute to this immense singer-actress and magazine leader who died at the age of 92 on September 4, 2020, the only thing missing was Sheila.
To start the day, the merry troop led by Michèle Lebon Cooreman, known as “Mimi”, niece of Annie Cordy, inaugurated the Leopold II tunnel now renamed Annie Cordy.
During the Covid, the people of Brussels had massively voted by referendum to dedicate the road work to the interpreter of
It will go better tomorrow,
rather than to the former king, figure of Belgian colonialism.
In a nod to the queen of the Music Hall, the ribbon this time was a giant pink boa.
“
The Mayors and elected government officials had prepared a box full of scissors,
says Mimi
.
We lined up across the full width of the pedestrianized tunnel and everyone left with a piece of pink boa.
Annie would have loved it.
»
big gig
Then, to the sound of his songs including
Tata Yoyo
and
Jeanne la Tarzane
, guests and spectators strolled through this tunnel, the longest in Belgium (2.5 kilometers).
The opportunity to discover the frescoes of young Brussels women drawn by the artist Charlotte Baudry and lit with pastel lights.
In the afternoon, the tribute continued with a big concert in Elisabeth Park.
“
More than 4,500 spectators were installed on the lawns,
relates Mimi
.
With the perspective of the Koekelberg basilica behind the stage, it was magnificent
”.
The party started with a video by director Cyrille Gallais, to whom we owe the very sensitive and intimate documentary
Annie
broadcast at the end of 2020 on France 3. Then each artist chose a song from Annie Cordy's repertoire.
Despite his international tour, Salvatore Adamo had taken the time to adapt
Hello the sun is shining
from
Bridge on the River Kwai
by modifying the lyrics and the rhythm.
Belgian comedians Vincent Taloche and Virginie Hocq had chosen
Le petit coup de chance
, also a way of paying homage to Bourvil, of whom Taloche is a big fan.
"
We dance and we don't sing very well but from up there, you will forgive us
" launched the duo.
David Alexis, the Prince of Musical Comedy (
Priscilla Mad of the Desert, Gulliver's Journey
) took over
Laughter
.
“
Me, I sang
Fleur de Papillon
, a childhood song composed in 1950 by Jean Constantin, the one to whom we also owe
My feather thing
and
My manege to me”, says Hervé Vilard.
Gilbert Montagné, he chose
The coffee machine
, a song he wrote for Annie Cordy's latest album.
Leaping onto the stage, Dave continued with his legendary humor: "
It's not time for coffee but for
Chaud Cacao."
"A day full of emotions between laughter and tears"
Giant sombreros on their heads, the merry troupe found themselves on stage for a joyful finale, singing with the standing audience “
Rikiki your little kiwis, the babas of my baobabs…
”.
Then all these acrobats stepped back to watch the video of Annie Cordy singing
The Artist
: “
Who said I was sad, Ladies and gentlemen, It wasn't serious, A little bravo for the artist!
".
Giant sombrero on the head, Dave (in the center) found himself on stage for a joyful finale.
Municipality of Brussels
"
It was great, a day full of emotions between laughter and tears
," says Mimi.
In a few months, they will all return to Brussels.
As a tunnel, as symbolic as it is, is not as glamorous as an avenue or a boulevard, it is understood "
that a square on the surface with a statue will be inaugurated in a few months in Brussels
", reveals Mimi.
