Jello Biafra & the GSM @ 104, Paris April 23 2014

Jello Biafra & the GSM @ 104, Paris April 23 2014

Former Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School of Medicine are back in Paris after playing last August @ Glazart, too bad that we couldn't attend as we were on holidays.
This time we won't miss him. Strangely enough he's playing @ 104. This is our first concert in this venue, we saw Lou Reed here for a reading of his texts in 2008.

They took away all the chairs from the room that is full of mainly 50 years old Punk rockers, good point as there were lots of pogoing and a bit of crowd surfing including Jello Biafra who's on top form. He came on stage almost dressed as Alice Cooper with leather jacket, hat and stick in hand, to undressed little by little until he's bare chest.

Doesn't really sound like a Punk band , more like a heavy rock band with gust. Each song is introduced with a political statement, I guess we had everything from Bankers, Crises, fracking (Hydraulic fracturing), National Front and a few more...
Always kept it interesting... walking the stage like a maniac and playing every song like a actor.
I'm not too familiar with his back catalogue but it reminded me of Henry Rollins when he was playing with his heavy Metal band Mother Superior. So lots of heavy & fast tunes.
With an audience that was really into it straight from the beginning.

A 2 hour set of heavy/Punk Rock for one of the best show we attended in 2014
Encore 1
Police Truck
Pets eat their master
Encore 2:
Hollywood Goof disease
Holiday in cambodgia
Encore 3:
Too drunk to Fuck
Crapture

Merchandising, Setlist (complete)

"California Ubber Alles":


Archives:
Jello Biafra @ Rock en Seine Paris 2010

Kaiser Chiefs @ Fleche d'Or, Paris April 22 2014

Kaiser Chiefs @ Fleche d'Or, Paris April 22 2014

This show is sold-out for weeks and strangely enough when you arrive at the Fleche d'Or there's no sign at all of a gig, people have arrived slowly one by one with no big queue outside the venue.
We're making our way in just as the band is getting on stage, it's packed inside.
We have not been to this venue for ages, there used to be many interesting gigs and showcases.

Good to be back in the famous hot & sweaty Flèche d'Or.
Lots of die-hards fans down the front singing every word to every song including the new ones.
The  band has now a new drummer and trying to recover the success they had a few years ago, it looks like job is done in England where the album has been N°1 in the charts for the last two weeks.
Tonight we're treated to songs from all of their albums including a few songs from the new one,  that are really sounding very good.
As usual the singer Rickie Wilson is doing the show getting a girl on stage to have a dance and carrying her on his shoulders, he also went singing from the back of the venue with a bit of crowd surfing. He's sweating buckets of water and so we are...
Really nice set in this sauna that is the Fleche d'Or

Ass kicking set by KAISER CHIEFS

 setlist (far right)

Disquaire day with John Densmore (The Doors) & Jim McCarty ( The Yardbirds) @ Paris, April 19 2014

Disquaire day @ Paris, April 19 2014

 Program HERE


As you can see John had a busy day with  a signing session in Lyon in the morning then he took the TGV to Paris...

First it's JOHN DENSMORE @ Gibert Joseph in Barbes for a signing session of his new book @ 3:30pm.As you can guess there were lots of people, it started a bit late (3:50 ) he stayed for 40 min,  signing his new book and other things. Everything went smoothly.

We went to Gibert Joseph store in St Michel @ 6:00pm

Downstairs:  It's JIM MC CARTY drummer for THE YARDBIRDS doing a 5 songs set to promote his new solo record, he's singing and playing the guitar.

At the same time upstairs JOHN DENSMORE is doing another signing session for his book

There are so many people that John Densmore is having a 5 min break in the middle of the 1 hour session, so I've arranged that Jim McCarty can meet him while he is having a rest in the office on the mezzanine of the store. Here is the result two exclusive pictures of both drummers together, on your left the drummer for The Yardbirds and on the right the drummer for The Doors
Two very important bands for the 60's that influenced many people one American & one English.

 "Morrison hotel" signed by Robby, Ray & John

John also did a live interview from the Gaité Lyrique theatre later that night, Texas played live among other bands...
He also did an interview for TV5 Monde ( click for the interview )and one for RTL (clic for a short extract) on April 17th (to be broadcasted on May 07th at midnight)

John Mayall @ New Morning, Paris April 18 2014

John Mayall @ New Morning, Paris April 18 2014

Legendary Blues man JOHN MAYALL is playing a sold-out concert @ the tiny jazz club New Morning.
First there is the sound check, he's putting his own setlist on his keyboard , then he's setting up the merchandise table (on his own) with a nice stole and cardboard that he probably designed himself so that it looks good. He's doing everything...
He has a couple of interviews for France 3 tv and for Soul Bag blues Magazine.
Then before the doors opened he's going to the merchandise table to welcome customers... well in fact to sell his brand new cd, (20 euros straight in his own bag.) and sign it but only the new cd. Don't dare asking him to sign an old vinyl... "After the show only" !
Funny, Never seen that before...he may be 80 years old but he's in charge, he's the boss.
5 minutes before the show he's going backstage.
8:00pm show time, once again he's doing (almost) everything:  singing, playing mouth harp, playing keyboard, many times all three in the same songs.
When he's not doing this he's singing and playing the guitar... nicely.
No need to tell you that the musicianship is high: great guitar player, bass player and drummer.
I mean,  the guy revealed to the world Mick Taylor, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton and a few others...
Lots of great blues songs,  some of his own but mainly covers including a great 10 min rendition of jazz song "California".
Not only he plays Keys, guitar and  sings he's also the MC introducing the musicians and each song -which is very helpful to write down the setlist ;-) -

The amps are still red hot that the whole band is going to the merchandise table to sell more cds, each musician has his own. You're allowed to have your old vinyl sign this time.

I guess that the best way to have things done perfectly is to do it by yourself and that's what JOHN MAYALL is doing every night.

SETLIST: 1) Dirty water, 2) Big Time Playboy 3) Oh Pretty Woman 4) Gimme one more day 5) Some for Something 6) A special light 7) This one will disappear 8) Help me 9) Have you heard about my baby 10) California  // Encore 11) Howling at the moon