French electronic artist Michael Canitrot has made the U.S. debut of his Monumental Tour with Liberty Lights — a large-scale audiovisual performance staged at the Statue of Liberty over the 4th of July holiday weekend. The full performance is available to watch now on YouTube.
The show was staged at the invitation of the Consulate General of France in New York, timed to mark both the 140th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty and America’s 250th anniversary of independence. The Statue of Liberty was originally a gift from France to commemorate America’s centennial, making the Franco-American angle central to the event’s concept.
Canitrot’s Monumental Tour is built around the idea of transforming culturally significant heritage sites into immersive concert experiences. Previous editions have taken place at Mont-Saint-Michel, the Eiffel Tower, the reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame de Paris, and other UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Liberty Lights marks the project’s first stateside outing.
The performance opened with a narration by actor Jean Reno, before Canitrot performed a set of his electronic productions — including three tracks written specifically for the show: ‘Arcadia,’ ‘Icon,’ and ‘Horizon.’ The lighting design was handled in collaboration with show director Romain Pissenem director Romain Pissenem of High Scream, whose previous work includes David Guetta at Stade de France, Black Coffee at London’s O2 Arena, and Tiesto’s live set at the Great Pyramids of Giza.
Canitrot spoke about the project’s intent: “Monumental Tour emerged from the aspiration to foster a dialogue between music and locations that convey narratives beyond our individual experiences. The Statue of Liberty epitomizes this universal significance, and envisioning an artistic creation for this iconic site today constitutes a profound privilege.”
Beyond the live audience, Liberty Lights had a significant broadcast reach. The performance aired on July 3rd as part of Disney Celebrates America, with multi-platform coverage across ABC, Disney+, ESPN, Hulu, National Geographic, Freeform, FX, and ABC News Live.
Following the Statue of Liberty performance, Canitrot heads to Houston for an appearance at Fast Ferrari HTX on July 10th.
