The Blues Brothers Band @ Trianon, Paris July 19 2013

The Blues Brothers Band @ Trianon, Paris July 19 2013

Steve Cropper is back in Paris, a few months after playing with The Animals @ New Morning club. From the original band there's only The Colonel & Lou Marini.

The Blues Brothers are playing quite often over here, they were @ Enghien les Bains for a free show on July 02 2011, first gig after Alan Rubin's death a month earlier. They also played @ the Olympia theatre on July 05 2008 with guest Eddie Floyd on vocals.

We arrived too late to see opener Mountain Mex, both balconies are full but the pit is pretty empty as we're making our way in, everyone's at the bar , it's so hot in there and the show hasn't started yet.

It's 8:30 when the musicians are getting on stage one by one unannounced to everyone's surprise to start with two instrumentals "Booker T's " Green Onions" and the theme from Peter Gunn before the first singer, dressed up as a Blues Brother with the trademark black hat, sunglasses,white shirt/ black suit makes his entrance for a set of blues and soul covers made famous by the movie to a whole new generation of fans. Only classics are performed (see setlist for details below) and with the addition of a second singer and with the Jack/ Elwood dance routine it's like attending the shooting of the original Blues Brothers movie as both singers are doing a terrific job.

Show is ending with great renditions of Steve Winwood's "gimme some Loving" and the Classic "Everybody need Somebody to love".
Great show !!!

 setlist (above)

"Gimme Some Lovin' "

The Animals + Steve Cropper @ New Morning, Jan 24 2013

The Animals + Steve Cropper @ New Morning, Jan 24 2013

Lots of people tonight at the tiny New Morning Club, in fact it was SOLD-OUT a few weeks ago. I gues most people are here to see STAX legend Steve Cropper.
First we have a band playing some original material, not bad.

After a short break we  have The Animals... well, hard to call them the Animals as there is only the drummer (John Steel) from the original band and a keyboard player (Mickey Gallagher) who played one year with them.
In fact it's more an honest cover band playing blues (John Lee Hooker's "Dimples" & "Boom Boom") and Animals songs (see setlist for details).
Then the 'plat de resistance' with legendary STAX guitar player, co-writer of many STAX hits with Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd and Booker T & The MGs, Blues Brothers man STEVE CROPPER.
Unfortunately he probably drank too much Whiskey before getting on stage, each song is introduced with a very loooong anecdote which is getting on people's nerves who'd  rather see him playing than talking, he's also singing his songs ( see setlist for details) and he's not a great singer so...

I guess I was expecting a bit more than a cover band and some on and on talking...
Very average gig !

The Blues Brothers will be back in Paris this july for a show

See our reviews of Past BLUES BROTHERS gigs in France:

With Eddie Floyd @ Olympia in 2008

@ Enghien les Bains in 2011

SETLIST