On Jan. 24, RTBF’s Classic 21 hosted a live broadcast from the Mons 2015 (www.mons2015.eu/en) opening ceremony.
Each year, the European Union designates a European capital of culture where a series of cultural events take place. This year, the city of Mons in Belgium was selected.
Classic 21 Director Marc Ysaye, left, introduces Jean-Paul Smismans during the “From Woodstock with Love” live radio broadcast.
(Credit Y Debuisson) During the ceremony, which featured a central theme of “illumination,” organizers distributed some 18,000 silver ponchos to the audience.
At the Théâtre du Manège, Classic 21 went live with “From Woodstock with Love,” a three-hour radio show, presented by Jean-Paul Smismans. For the occasion, organizers transformed the interior of the theater into a temple, inspired by Woodstock’s 1969 “Music & Art Fair.” The audience was submerged in Woodstock’s musical universe, with legendary tracks by Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Joan Baez and others.
Artists and bands such as Sonnfjord and Sarah Carlier performed barefoot on stage during the show, which ran from 9:00 p.m to midnight and was also aired on Classic 21.
— Marc Maes
