Joe Bonamassa @ Grand Rex, Paris April 01 2013

Joe Bonamassa @ Grand Rex, Paris April 01 2013

It's been a long time since we've been to a proper gig in Paris, we've missed D.A.D. @ Divan du Monde last week and Rival Sons @ Trabendo as we were busy.
No need to tell that the show is long sold-out.
Couldn't miss Joe Bonamassa, it's the first time we're seeing him as a solo artist, the only time we saw him was with Black Country Communion @ Bataclan last summer.
Everyone is expecting the support band to take the stage @ 8:00pm when the lights go out and the PA is playing a country version of an AC/DC song.
Nope, it's Joe and his drummer Tal Bergman sitting down to play us a 25 min acoustic set starting with Bad Company's "Seagull". Nice way to start.

Then it's time to raise the dead with some neat electric guitar for a further 2 hours, we never really took the time to listen to any of his solo records, of course we're fans of BBC.
Great lightning, very bright.
A drummer on the far right, Tal Bergman that we already saw many years ago playing with Billy Idol @ Taratata tv show in Paris, a keyboard player (?) on the far left who has almsot as many keyboards as Rick Wakeman and Carmine Rojas on bass ( he played with David Bowie for many years).
Lots of blues rock songs à la Gary Moore of course and others more heavy Rock. You can feel the blues influences , great version of "Young Man Blues" (The Who version) but you also can feel that the man is fan of classic rock as he played a instrumental medley of Whitesnake & Led Zeppelin songs among others.
He has a great voice too that can remind you of Paul Rodgers even though he told us that he almost lost his voice this morning.
That was the last show on the European Tour.
Great Gig !

setlist (TBC): from JB forum)

Acoustic set :
- Intro (country Highway to hell)
- Seagull (Paul Rodgers' Bad Company cover)
- Jelly Roll
- ???
- Athens to Athens
- ???
Electric set :
- Slow Train
- Dust bowl
- Midnight Blues (I am sure of its position in the setlist)
- Dislocated boy
- Driving towards the daylight
- Who's been talking
- Look over Yonders wall
- Young man blues
- ??? (I believe that John Henry immediately followed Young man blues)
- Ballad Of John Henry
encore:
- Asking Around for You
- Just got paid (with medley feat Whitesake/Led Zep's "dazed&confused/ )

Elliott Murphy @ Gibert Joseph, Paris March 29 2013

Elliott Murphy @ Gibert Joseph, Paris March 29 2013

free show in this record store on Bd St Michel near the Sorbonne in Paris

 Elliott Murphy playing famous Gibert Joseph record store in St Michel on the left bank to promote the new cd and new book, he's also a writter.
Same faces in the audience with Elliott, he has very dedicated fans.
30 min + acoustic show with new songs on acoustic guitar. Elliott Murphy is a great songwritter so once again we have quality songs.
Then he signed everyone's stuff.

Alan Vega @ Galerie du Jour , Agnes B, Paris March 27 2013

Alan Vega @ Galerie du Jour , Agnes B, Paris March 27 2013 6:00pm

for the release of the book "Conversation avec un Indien" + Photo exhibition

Dustin Hoffman @ "The Quartet" première @ Ugc Les Halles, Paris March 26 2013

Dustin Hoffman @  "The Quartet" Première @ Ugc Les Halles, Paris March 26 2013

Legendary Dustin Hoffman has just directed his first movie "The Quartet" and has been promoting it for the last few days in Paris. Tonight he's meeting the press and the public @ UGC Les Halles in Paris with a photo call , some interviews and with the producer, casting Director and some of the cast he's introducing the movie to the French audience.

Nice guy he even signed both my vinyls

And video introducing the movie he directed:

 The cast of french movie "La Cité Rose" above

The Love Beatles + Pete Best @ Alhambra, Paris March 23 2013

The Love Beatles + Pete Best @ Alhambra, Paris March 23 2013

 Pete Best first drummer for The Beatles (above)

 I'm not really the kind of guy willing to pay to see a tribute band however good it is ( Letz Zepp @ Olympia) but this time I did, not that I knew who The Love Beatles were but mainly because Pete Best, 1st drummer with The Beatles was there in person... and also because a friend of mine just told me about the gig in the afternoon.
He wasn't supposed to play at all with The Love Beatles, just a Question & Answer before the gig with a former journalist from Best for 30 min.
Interesting to see him in person answering question even though there was nothing new to learn from this chat.
Then there was the gig:
The Love Beatles playing "Please Please Me" in its entirety for the 50th anniversary of its released.
They look great on stage ( same clothes and haircut)  and the sound is vintage courtesy of vintage guitars and Vox PA.
Just a short break for the band to change clothes and look like the original Beatles circa 1965-1966 for a best of...
We have a 20 min intermission where we're trying to get some info is Pete Best playing a couple of songs in the second part ? Yes He will we're being told...
Second part with the band dressed with Sergent peppers costumes before they stripped down to some casual clothing for the last part of the set.
From what I've been told The Love Beatles are much better that the Rabeats. Don't know but we had a great time, Hard to do wrong with some many hits and 4 very competent musicians sounding and looking like the originals.
Pete Best is back onstage but not behind the drum kit he's recording footage of the audience screaming a sentence for his next video... What the Fuck !!!
Too bad he didn't play at all but a great night out.

Peter Doherty with Babyshambles and Alan Wass @ Fontania Bar, Paris March 22 2013

Peter Doherty & Babyshambles + Alan Wass @ Fontania Bar, Paris March 22 2013

Another small gig by Peter Doherty after the one @ Bus Palladium on Tuesday, tonight it's in a creepy bar in Pigalle, his new HQ. Those bastards are charging 10 euros (with a drink) not sure if this bar has a license for that...well, not our business anyway. 

We're a bit late but just in time as Peter has just arrived, lots of people in front of the improvised stage in the tiny bar but it's not packed.

We're trying to find a good spot on the side that's when we noticed that Drew is there with Mick from Babyshambles, so this is our first babyshambles' gig in a very long time, can't remember last time we saw them. -(According to our archives probably in March 2009 when they've played a secret show @ Neo Club)-

There are a couple of amplifiers but the sound is complete crap and not very loud, Pete is intoxicated ( not a surprise) but in good spirit.
Good atmosphere ,musically that was awful but fun to attend (watch video below).

Very short set, less than 60 min.

Peter Doherty + Alan Wass @ Bus Palladium, Paris March 19 2013

 Peter Doherty + Alan Wass @ Bus Palladium, Paris March 19 2013

Another show in Paris for Peter Doherty, he played two sold-out shows @ Maroquinerie last month, he was supposed to play on friday night at the Truskel bar but it was cancelled at the last minute.
Not a lot of people tonight, i guess there was not a lot of publicity for this one.
Anyway first on stage is a french kid playing a few songs on acoustic guitar: he sings , he plays and acts like Pete, not bad but he should get a personality.
Then we have another guy on acoustic guitar: John Mitchell, it's much better and he's doing a very nice cover of Paul McCartney's "Jenny Wren", first time ever that I'm hearing someone's doing this song live.
Next on stage is Alan Wass for a very good acoustic set, Peter is joining in for the last song then Alan is leaving the stage to Peter.He has barely played for 10 min that he's "threatening" to leave the stage as he hasn't being paid yet by the club and wants things to be settled immediately.

He's asking how much we've been charged and is surprised to hear 15 euros as the club told him they were charging only 10 euros. At the end of a song ( watch video below) with the help of Alan they're selling their single from the stage for 5 euros which was funny. Then the gig resume with Pete talking several times about the fact that he has received no money and can't keep on playing unless he's paid.
Tonight there is a girl on violin for the whole set, he's playing a few well known songs and new ones (see video below). He's in good spirit and is jammin' a lot on the acoustic guitar sometimes several minutes without singing.

In the end he played a longer set than expected considering what happened,  he was on stage at 11:05 and left past 12:20.

Troy Von Balthazar @ Balades Sonores, Paris March 19 2013

Troy Von Balthazar @ Balades Sonores, Paris March 19 2013

 Before his show on March 20 @ Boule Noire, Troy played a small acoustic show in front of 20 people @ Balades Sonores store.

30 min acoustic set in this very tiny record store, nice to see him in such good conditions, in such an intimate setting.
Troy was nice and chatty to everyone after his set.