DEEP PURPLE @ Zénith, Paris Nov 13 2012

DEEP PURPLE @ Zénith, Paris Nov 13 2012

It's a packed Zénith for DEEP PURPLE , one more time should I say, the band is touring in France almost every year, playing several shows in France each time and it's packed. Good for them.

No new album this time , Once more so we have lots of classic songs, Well I guess this is what everybody wants, it's a shame as we would like to hear new stuff.
Anyway , first we have on stage a Funk band that was really crap, a bit like La Cie Creole, really don't know what the fuck these guys are doing here ?!?

Then it's time for DEEP PURPLE, as you can see it's a very simple stage with no backdrop and a very bright lightning, it's always like this with Purple they could light up two Eiffel Towers, it's perfect when you're taking Pics or recording.

"Fireball" is a great set opener with "Into the Fire", that gets you straight in the mood.
Luckily we have songs they rarely perform like "Wasted Sunsets" from "Perfect Strangers" album which is an odd choice as there are much better songs on this album. Since Richie Blackmore left ,the band is really enjoying themselves on stage. Ian Gillan still have a great voice but you can see that the band is trying to get him some space to breath and rest his voice as we have several solo spots all along the show the first one only after 45 min with Ian Paice kicking his drums like a maniac, Don Airey maybe as a hidden tribute to the late Jon Lord has two.
We would have prefer less soli and more songs but I guess that's the only solution to save Ian's voice.
Strangely enough the band won't perform "Highway Star " tonight.
Very good show but too many solo spots.

SETLIST: (may not be correct)

1. Fireball
2. Into the Fire
3. Hard Lovin' Man
4. Maybe I'm a Leo
5. Strange Kind of Woman
6. The Battle Rages On
7. Contact Lost
8. Guitar Solo
9. Wasted Sunsets (YES nice song from "Perfect Strangers")
10. The Well-Dressed Guitar
11. The Mule (drum solo)
12. Lazy
13. No one came
14. Keyboard solo
15. Perfect strangers
16. Space trucking
17. Smoke on the water
18. Hush
19. Black night 

 Fireball + Into the Fire:

One day after the band was live on the 1:00pm news on France2 tv for an interview and a live Jazzy version of "Smoke on the Water" (click for video)

Lou Reed @ Thé des Ecrivains, Paris Nov 13 2012

Lou Reed @ Thé des Ecrivains, Paris Nov 13 2012

Avery rare Picture: Lou Reed Signing LULU's box set

 After the reading @ Palais de Tokyo yesterday night Lou Reed is still in Paris promoting his new photo-book, this time at Thé des Ecrivains, very nice place in the trendy Marais, you can buy books and other stuff but you can also have a coffee or a glas of wine.
No reading tonight , just a short introduction and then Lou is signing his book to a well behaved crowd of fans. Some people also bring some vinyls and he signed probably for the first time ever a box set of the record he did with METALLICA : Lulu as nobody bought that crap but...me !!!

Lou Reed Conférence @ Palais de Tokyo, Paris Nov 12 2012

 Lou Reed @ Palais de Tokyo in Paris 7:00pm

"SHUT UP"

To present his new book Rhymes/Rimes

Very late opening as Lou Reed worked on the Exhibition, starting in the morning then he had some interviews so he needed a rest. It was supposed to start at 7:00pm in fact Lou Reed showed up at 8:30pm.

They contacted the Palais de Tokyo just 3 weeks ago for this exhibition, it really shows that they have a huge space and really don't know what to do with it. We've been a few times at recent exhibitions at the Palais de Tokyo and we have to say that we haven't seen so many crap exhibitions in such a short amount of time excluding Lou Reed's pictures, most of them are pretty good even though the man doesn't want to "legend" any of them.

It started with a "lecture" of RAVEN but first Mr Grumpy asked people in the back to "SHUT UP".

It lasted for 20 min.

Then there was a Q&A for another 20 min: There are pictures dating back from the late 60's, no photoshop, he has several cameras, all the pictures in the book are in a certain order... ans so on.

and Lou signed his new book "Rhymes/Rimes.

The Palais de Tokyo knows how to spend our money so we had a nice reception afterwards with champagne and canapés/macarons.

Cool evening !

Joe Jackson @ Olympia, Paris Nov 11 2012

Joe Jackson @ Olympia, Paris Nov 11 2012

Joe Jackson @ The Olympia, it's an early start as usual on sunday (7:00 pm) so we're very late and we've missed the first hour, Fuck !

it's packed and there are a few cameras recording the whole show, in fact it's broadcasted live on the internet on Germano-French tv arte live.

It's funny how he looks, we already noticed that on the advertising posters out in the streets but he probably had too much plastic surgery on his face and when he's smiling he's looking like The Joker without make up.

Joe Jackson is seating behind a keyboard on the left of the stage with a 6-7 piece band, he's promoting his new album of Duke Ellington songs but most of the songs we've heard had a Brasilian feel and beat with some percussions. Not really familiar with the latest songs he's done on his latest records but glad that he played some of his major songs like "Sunday papers", Is she really going out with him" or "stepping out".

He's still a bit of a rebel when people started shouted out songs, he said that he's not doing any requests and when someone said "The Marseillaise" he fingered him... ( as a joke I guess).

Good show but I guess I would have prefered more of his old rock'n roll songs.

Check setlist for details