Debbie Harry @ Gaité Lyrique for BlackXs' 10th Anniversary, Paris Dec 11 2014

Debbie Harry @ Gaité Lyrique for BlackXs' 10th Anniversary, Paris Dec 11 2014

Paco Rabbanne's perfume Black Xs is 10 years old, so they are celebrating, they also have a Music label,
There is a very nice buffet with lots of canapés and drinks and hot food.
After an hour they opened the doors to the main room and we're getting 3 songs from the winner of the competition (here above).
Then we have a speech for the Marketing Director telling us how fantastic is the perfume and how fantastic it is to get Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry. I guess nobody cared as everybody's talking.
We're getting a bit nervous as we don't see any drum kit on stage anymore and just one guitar, in fact it's not Blondie, it's just Debbie Harry with two musicians (Tommy Kessler & Matt Katzbohen from Blondie) and without Chris Stein.

 Heart of Glass

She's playing 4 songs:  "Denis", " A rose by any name", "Take me in the night" and final song "dreamin'" ( here on video) to a half empty room.
as soon as she's done everybody's rushing back to the buffet leaving the poor DJ entertaining a couple of people in the main room.
Debbie did a good job but it's a bit sad to see her perform in such poor conditions and just a 15 min show.

Petite soirée assez sympa pour les 10 ans du parfum de Paco Rabbane BlackXS, un superbe buffet, le seul point intéressant de cette soirée.

On a droit a 3 titres du gagnant du concours du Label BlackXS Guy Ivory, sans grand intéret puis un petit discours sur le parfum et c'est au tour du "special guest" de monter sur scène.

Ca s'annonce mal puisqu'entre la première partie et la tête d'affiche la batterie a disparue et il n'y a qu'une guitare sur scène.

Le présentateur annonce Debbie Harry qui vient toucher son chèque en nous interprétant des versions ré-arrangées pour l’occasion de titres de  de Blondie (voir setlist au dessus). Un concert de 15 minutes pour 4 titres, devant une salle à moitié vide et c'est fini. Un peu du foutage de gueule quand même. Quand je pense que j'ai discuté avec des journalistes de mode venues spécialement de Londres pour ça , j'ai du mal à le croire.

le concert était sympa mais un peu court, c'est le moins que l'on puise dire.

Ça faisait plutôt fin de kermesse d'une PME de province.

Le concert à peine fini tout le monde est sorti de la salle pour retourner au bar laissant le pauvre DJ animer la soirée devant 5 personnes.

Heureusement que le buffet était sympa.

 There s a riot goin'on (far right)

Cat Power solo @ Gaité Lyrique, Paris Oct 30 2014

Cat Power solo @ Gaité Lyrique, Paris Oct 30 2014

Chan Marshall en pleine crise d'angoisse, elle commence un titre , s'arrête, le reprend, nous raconte un truc en plein milieu, le reprend et s'arrête brusquement. S'excusant toutes les 30 secondes.
Après deux titres à la guitare elle décide que ça ne va pas et s'installe au piano pour presque tout le concert. Nous révèle qu'elle est enceinte et qu'elle commence à avoir des gros seins, qu'elle a arrêté de fumer.Heureusement elle se détend doucement au fur et à mesure du concert, rarement vu une personne avec les doigts aussi crispé jouer sur un piano. Elle discute avec le public , stop immédiatement un titre pour s'enquérir de la santé d'une personne qui s'est évanouie dans le public.
Un concert assez spécial et plein de rebondissements, mais ça passe, le public l'adore. On avait quand même un peu mal pour elle au début. Heureusement le concert se termine sur une note joyeuse: une comptine en Français qu’elle chantait à ses débuts. Ouf, on a eu peur.

Archives:

We Love Green Festival with CAT POWER @ Parc de Bagatelle, Paris May 31

CAT POWER @ Olympia, Paris July 17 2013

Cat Power @ Olympia 2008

The Strypes @ Gaité Lyrique, Paris April 30 2014

The Strypes @ Gaité Lyrique, Paris April 30 2014

Everybody's talking about this new band for months, they've already played in Paris supporting other bands, even Rock&Folk magazine had their front page with them a couple of months ago.
I'm always suspicious when a band out of nowhere is becoming the media darling suddenly.

The Gaité Lyrique is really packed (500 capacity), it was sold-out weeks ago. All teenager girls are down the front but the band is also attracting, funnily enough,  grey hair French Rockers in their 40's and 50's who are all standing up in the back.
Members of The Strypes are very young no more than 18 years old and Fuck me these kids can play... they've been compared to The Kinks, I Guess these kids are playing much better than the Kinks when they were the same age. hard to believe. Lots of very short -no more than 2 min long songs- no temps mort.
The singer looks a little bit like a very young Miles Kane/Alex Turner playing it cool with his shades and costume.
They're having fun and so are we.
The singer stopped singing and couldn't stop laughing when a kid missed his stage-diving and ended up on the floor.

Great gig !

Merchandising + setlist

Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) & the Young Rapture Choir @ Gaité Lyrique, Paris Dec 14 2013

Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) & the Young Rapture Choir @ Gaité Lyrique, Paris Dec 14 2013

Winter Camp festival

Jason Lytle from Grandaddy fame is in Paris to promote his second solo album "Dept of Disappearance" released last year. It is the last day of the Winter Camp Festival and this show is a special project.

 

Jason is alone on the acoustic guitar + a drummer, bass player, 2 piano players, a classical quartet (cello, violins & Oboe) and the teacher of the school class on elecric guitar; and of course a choir of kids.

They have done a couple of shows last year after contacting Jason Lytle. Tonight the whole band is playing re-orchestrated songs from Jason Lytle solo album and a couple of Grandaddy's with some classical arrangements.

It's just amazing, the choir with 20+ kids is singing some of the verses on each song, they know all the lyrics and everything including the young  musicians is faultless. Which probably took sleepless nights and a LOT of work but it's worth it.

The result is amazing and the audience, with probably many parents attending welcome them to rousing applause.
Probably the most moving show we've attended this year enhanced by some classical arrangements to to the beautiful songs of Jason Lytle.

setlist and video below

Here's a great version of "He's simple, he's dumb, he's the pilot" (from Grandaddy The Sopthware slump" album) recorded that night.

 setlist

Archives:
Grandaddy @ Rock en Seine 2012