Saturday evening, they will be 45,000. This Tuesday morning, they were already around ten installed in front of the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq, near Lille. Their common passion has a name, Farmer, and a first name, Mylène. Everyone is waiting for the inaugural concert of the new tour called ” Nevermore 2023 “. Everyone wants to be “in the front row”. So, every day, these fans are waiting for permission to put up the tent in the future queue.
“The first arrived at the stadium on May 1,” says Ana. This Strasbourgeoise has been on all the artist’s tours since the very first, in 1989, when she was 17 years old. His girlfriend of Belarusian origin Anna, who accompanies him, knew Mylène Farmer during a concert in Russia, in 2000. “In front of the stage, the security, armed with Kalashnikovs, asked the spectators to remain calm, says -She. But it was madness. We had never seen a show like that at home. »
“She knows we will always be there”
Both arrived from Strasbourg on the night of Friday to Saturday, a week before the event. Every morning, they face the wind which rushes into the stadium avenue. But no matter, wrapped up in their fleece, they exude the ardor of passion. The one that cannot be described. The one that surrounds the cult of Mylène Farmer since her first hit mom is wrongin 1984, almost 40 years ago.
The legendary shyness and discretion of the singer in the media have since only reinforced her notoriety. Without promotion, she continues to fill entire stadiums. The tour features seven out of thirteen sold-out dates. “Better than the stock market”, jokes Nathalie, who comes from Montpellier and settles down, her folding seat in hand. “She knows we’ll always be there,” slips Ana.
But why this attraction? “She has upset us from the start. She is a humble, humane, exceptional woman,” testifies Nathalie. “She’s an artist who wants to stay out of the system and that’s good,” continues Ana. It’s normal for her to be distant with her fans. In 1991, Mylène Farmer had to deal with the death of a receptionist who was killed by a fan because he refused to give the star’s address.
“It’s like a holiday budget”
An address that some manage to find, like Greg who lives in Paris. “I had the chance to speak to him. It was November 2019, I also took a selfie with her outside her home. She was jogging with her sister, ”he says with emotion. Lui speaks of an “indescribable emotion equivalent to an orgasm” during his first concert in 1999.
This year, it will follow 12 of the 13 dates. “Caregiver, I work twelve hours a day so I have recuperations”, he specifies. But passion also requires a big budget that goes beyond the 120 euros for a concert ticket. To this must be added travel, but also accommodation for the nights preceding the concert. “It’s like a vacation budget. You have to save. Luckily she doesn’t do one tour a year,” laughs Ana.
This whole small community has been meeting for several years. “We grow old together,” jokes Ana. “We don’t know each other, but we recognize faces. We share the aperitif. Like camping,” notes David. At 70, he comes from Dijon and will be in the pit. “I want to see her up close. My dream would be to meet her face to face, if only for a minute. She lives with me all the time. As soon as I have a stroke of the blues, I listen to his songs,” he admits.
“I still have a VHS that I watch regularly”
In front of our astonishment, Greg adds: “But she also has happy texts, Mylène. It tells the story of life, in fact. And his own life if we listen carefully. That’s how we know her. “And to learn from fans that Mylène Farmer “smokes” and “loves champagne and Tagada strawberries”. Everyone compares their favorite songs, their anecdotes. It’s okay, it’s coming to the forecourt of the stadium.
This time, it’s Jessy, 34, who arrives. “Me, I live in Villeneuve d’Ascq and I come to meet the fans to share”, indicates the young man who was rocked by Mylène Farmer thanks to his sister. “She’s the only artist who can bring tears to my eyes. I still have a VHS of the Stade de France concert in 1999 that I watch regularly. »
What if Mylène Farmer was a kind of modern Peter Pan? “It is true that he is the artist of adolescence, recognizes Anna, the Belarusian. As long as we follow her on tour, we feel neither growing nor aging”.