America @ Bataclan, Paris March 17 2012

Contact: irockinparis((@))yahoo(((dot))fr

America @ Bataclan, Paris March 17 2012

America is back in Paris less than a year after their two sold out shows @ Casino de Paris in April 2011, tonight it's not sold out but quite full in an all seated Bataclan.

Basically we have the same show as last year but shorter as they're not playing the first album in its entirety, still a huge screen in the back that is playing movies.
The band is neat (with a new bass player) , the vocal harmonies are great and no need to tell you that the songs are classics of the americana.
They have an album out of songs that they wish they would have written (see setlist for details) but they already played the same covers last year "california dreaming" "sister golden hair"...
They ended their set with their biggest hit "A Horse with no name" with a few guests including french singer Laurent Voulzy who we met at Olympia for Roger Daltrey
Another great show !

90 min set

"A horse with no Name" feat. French singer Laurent Voulzy among other guests

SETLIST (above right)

Reminder:
America performed two of the best gigs of 2011
@ Casino de Paris on April 19 2011
& @ Casino de Paris on April 20 2011
Also a great show @ Théatre Marigny on April 05 2009

Roger Daltrey @ Olympia, Paris March 15 2012

Roger Daltrey @ Olympia, Paris March 15 2012

Roger Daltrey is back in Paris on his own to play the opera-rock Tommy, last time he played over here was @ Paris Bercy with The Who in June 2007. 5 years !!!
It's not sold-out but packed tonight and as the average age of the audience is closer to 50 than 20 , it's an all seated event.
Which is perfect for us as we have seats on the third row just in front of the promoter Gérard Drouot and his guest Rod McSween (famous ITB booker).
5 piece band with Simon Townshend on guitar and vocals.
Simple stage with a screen in the back that will be playing images & cartoons.

The first part of the show is Tommy in its entirety: well... this is far from being my favorite Who record, in fact apart from a few songs, I really find the record dull.
Quadrophenia is ten times better.
No need to tell you that I was very sceptical when the show started...and then I was pleasantly surprised, everything went smoothly event the little bits of music that are so dull on the album went well.
Roger's voice is perfect, Simon is doing a great job on guitar AND vocals , funny how he looks like his brother and sounds exactly like him when he's singing Pete's parts.

There are great songs in Tommy : "I'm free", "Acid Queen", "Pinball Wizard" & "We're not gonna take it" that were welcomed with open arms by the French audience.

Straight after Tommy the band carried on with a Who Best of (see setlist below for details)

Roger relaxed and talked to the audience that was now standing up , everyone rushing to the stage to get a closer look.
The first 4 songs were terrific, then things cool down with less well known songs like "The way it is", "going mobile" "days of light" even if die hard fans were in heaven as these songs are rarely played.
Roger played acoustic guitar on several songs.
We had a couple of covers including Taj Mahal's.
After 2 hours the band left the stage and Roger came back on his own for the last song on ukulele (!?!)

Very good set much more better than expected.

Merchandising & setlist ( "Tommy + "Best of" )

"Pinball Wizard":

Owlle @ Colette Music Box, Paris March 15 2012 5:00pm

Owlle + Exotica + Lescop @ Colette Music Box, Paris March 15 2012 5:00pm

Another show @ Colette for Music box #13, first band on stage is Exotica, electro pop, nice but not our style.
Than we have Owlle, she started as a folk artist with Marie-Flore but she's now into electro.
Last on stage is Lescop for some french New Ave à la Joy Division.

Not really the kind of music we like @ Rockerparis but we had a good time as many friends joined in and as always Colette and his sponsors are feeding us with some nice food & beer.

It's time for some proper rock music as we're heading to the nearby Olympia theater to see Roger Daltrey form The Who.

The Rolling Stones' 50th Anniversary pushed back to 2013

No Tour for 2012 but recording sessions

Carrefour Market might be celebrating the Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary in March 2012 over here in France but it looks like the "Tour" will be pushed back to 2013.
According to Rolling Stone Magazine: "Stones insiders say that one reason for the delay is Richards' health, which has raised questions about his ability to make it through a worldwide tour."
The American edition is adding that it won't be a proper World Tour but The Rolling Stones will be "camping out in major cities for multinight runs in arenas, similar to Prince's recent stands in New York and Los Angeles".

Nevertheless the band will be busy through the end of the year with projects including new studio sessions and a major documentary. According to Richards, the Stones will begin rehearsing for a studio session as early as next month. "We’ll just get the boys back together again then and maybe cut a side," he says. "I’ve got plenty in the locker here, but it’s not on tape."

Full story on ROLLING STONE MAG

VAN HALEN: Video footage of entire Indianapolis concert (Feb 22) posted online

VAN HALEN performed @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on February 22 2012.
The entire concert has been posted online, watch it now on ROCKERPARIS before it's deleted:

Korn @ Bataclan, Paris March 12 2012

Updated march 14 with Links to videos

We didn't go but here's the Setlist: (Pictures from the show HERE)
Predictable
Lies
Place to hide
Helmet in the bush
Narcissistic cannibal
Chaos lives in....
My Wall
Get up
Way to fear
Here to stay
Freak on a leash
Falling away from me
Brick in the wall (Pink Floyd cover)
-Encore-
Shoots and ladders/one
Got the life
Blind

Next rock concerts in Paris for March 2012

America / Nina Hagen / Korn

March 12:
Korn @ Bataclan (sold-out)
March 14:
Music is not Fun @ Fnac St Lazare 6:00 pm (free show)
Chris Rea @ Olympia
March15:
Owlle @ Colette 5:00pm
Roger Daltrey playing Tommy @ Olympia
March 16:
Robin Forster @ Fnac Montparnasse 6:00 pm (free show)
The Megaphonic Thrist @ divan du Monde
March 17:
Revolver @ Fnac Ternes 4:00pm (free show)
Bryan Adams @ Zénith
America @ Bataclan
March 19:
Leon Russel @ New Morning
March 20:
Nina Hagen @ Fnac Ternes 6:00Pm (Q&A only)
MOE @ Bus Palladium
Laura Marling @ Alhambra
March 22:
Skip The Use @ Fnac Montparnasse 5:30pm (free show)
March 23:
Other Lives @ Fnac ternes 6:00 pm (free show)
March 25
Milk & Fruit juice @ Motel

dimanche, mars 25, 2012
21:00-23:00

le Motel

8 passage Josset Paris 75011

REMEMBER to check first before going to all those gigs

Raphael Saadiq @ Bataclan, Paris march 10 2012

Raphael Saadiq @ Bataclan, Paris march 10 2012

Another sold-out concert for Raphael Saadiq who's really doing very well over here.
Yesterday he played to a sold-out Olympia.
He was in Paris a few months ago when he opened for Lenny Kravitz @ Bercy.
Tonight he's playing with an extended band with brass and backing vocalists, 10 people on stage in all.
They get on stage to the sound of Barry White
They started with a very relaxed and groovy song with Raphael on guitar before he start picking up the microphone, we're back in time : 40 years before 2012 right back into the middle of the 70's for a dose of Funk-Soul.
Even though it still sounds very modern, glad we had some heavy guitars on some songs.
It's a real melting pot as he's also playing a blues song and also some New Orleans jazz.

He could be called a Recycler with all these influences, there is a bit of everything to satisfied everybody in Da house.
Raphael is an entertainer and is using every trick in the book, it's a very American show and the band is as tight as the JB's.
He's also giving a bit of a spotlight to his musicians or vocalists when songs are stretched out with extended soli.
Very entertaining !

setlist & merchandising

Ed Sheeran @ Fnac Ternes, Paris March 10 2012 4:00PM

Ed Sheeran @ Fnac Ternes, Paris March 10 2012 4:00PM

Showcase from this young artist @ Fnac Ternes, I thought I was at the wrong place as there are only girls between 15 and 17.
Was he playing in a Boys Band before or what ?
Anyway, everyone is well behaved and the guy seemed pretty cool, he only played 3 songs, here's the second one on video which has a hip hop beat, the other two were more "folk".
Maybe he should work a bit more on the lyrics.
Good set before a sold out show @ Maroquinerie tonight.
he will be back @ Cigale in July.