Vitaa solo at Bercy: Slimane makes an appearance, angry technicians make a gesture full of meaning

On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, Slimane joined Vitaa on stage at the Accor Arena. While the singer's technicians did not want the presence of the man accused sexual harassment and sexual assault, they made a gesture full of meaning at the time of his performance.

© BestImage Vitaa was on stage at the Accor Arena on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.

IN BRIEF

• On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, Slimane was accused of sexual harassment by a former technician, with a second complaint filed on November 18, 2024.
• Despite the tensions behind the scenes and the opposition of the technicians, Slimane sang with Vitaa at Accor Arena on December 4, 2024.
• Discover how Vitaa supported Slimane in the face of controversies and criticism from technicians.

The singer was clearly not welcome…On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, Le Parisien revealed that a former technician of Slimane's tour had filed a complaint against the artist for sexual harassment. On Monday, November 18, 2024, the magazine revealed that a second complaint had been filed against him. If the singer success sees few people take his defense, he can count on the unwavering support of his friend Vitaa, who invited him to share the stage of the Accor Arena with her, Wednesday December 4, 2024.

According to information from Le Parisien, the atmosphere behind the scenes would be “heavy, even deleterious”for two weeks. And for good reason, technicians were opposed to the arrival of Slimane as a guest at the Accor Arena and wanted to assert their right of withdrawal. “We signed for Vitaa, not for Slimane. Our job is to put an artist on a pedestal on stage and we don't want to put on a pedestal a guy who is the target of two complaints for sexual assault and sexual harassment, which were also filed by colleagues, sometimes friends”, confided a technician in conflict with production.

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Slimane was not welcome

If the majority of the technicians did not want to work in Slimane's presence, Vitaa would have made them feel guilty. “She does not understand why people are doing this to her when she has nothing to do with it. She sees it as a betrayal. She says that Slimane is like her brother and that like in any family, we remain solidary even if we do not endorse all the bullshit”, said another technician.

For her part Marc Daniel, the production director of Play Two, a subsidiary of the TF1 group, is said to have called the technicians and subcontracting companies to put “a lot of pressure” on them and “threaten them with legal action” if they were not at their posts. Thus, the latter had to resign themselves. “We ended up agreeing to put on the show at Bercy, so as not to penalize the most vulnerable among us, but we feel guilty towards our friends who were victims of Slimane, with whom we stand in solidarity”, said a technician.

Slimane sang two songs with Vitaa on stage

As revealed journalist Arthur Brondy, on X (ex-Twitter), the singer was indeed present at l’Accor Arena Wednesday, December 4, 2024. “Vitaa shared the stage of her first solo Bercy with her friend Slimane for two songs: Ça va ça viens and Avant toi. But with a sound problem at the arrival of the singer, and a wide fixed shot of the stage during the sequence as a sign of protest”, he wrote.

In the comments section, the Internet users deplored the behavior of the technicians. “Ridiculous and reprehensible attitude: firstly because, as a basic principle, there is the presumption of innocence. Then because not carrying out a task for which one is paid, without notice (such as a strike) is not admissible”; “Totally stupid actions… Slimane was there, performed as usual formidably, despite what the repressed haters say”, we can read.