ROCKERPARIS

lundi 30 juin 2008

Pura Fe & Herbie Hancock La Défense Jazz festival June 29th 7 pm

We arrived just in time as the DJ was introducing Herbie Hancock 's opening artist the native american blues female singer Pura Fe .
La Défense Jazz Festival is another outdoor free festival that takes place every year in late june in this business district just outside Paris .
Maceo Parker was here last year as Mick Taylor , Dr John , Buddy Guy the previous editions.

Pura Fe's blues is acoustic simple and beautiful as blues should allways be .

Very nice introduction to Herbie Hancock 's jazz with his monster line-up :
Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Holland, Lionel Loueke, Chris Potter and backing vocalists Sonya Kitchell & Amy Keys.
Herbie has played so many different styles that you never know what to expect at his concert.
Will it be 'blue Note' jazz , fusion , funky or electronic ?
Tonight was a mix of all theses influences from the quietest jazz on piano to the funky groove à la Headhunters ( but without brass ).
Each musicians in this band is a master in his field so Herbie took time to introduced them one by one several times and they treated us with amazing soli.

Very enjoyable sunny sunday with 3 great gigs by Martha High , Pura Fe and Herbie Hancock.
From Funky to Blues to Jazz that's what i call ECLECTIC

Martha High Parc Floral Vincennes June 29 th 4pm

The Parc Floral of the Bois de Vincennes in Paris is organizing a free outdoor Jazz festival every year in June.
Lots of great artists have played there over the years ( Herbie Hancock , Buddy Guy ... ).
This time it's Martha High the Funky Diva from James Brown ( and also Maceo Parker ) who's in da house this sunday just one month after playing the New Morning club in Paris .
She's playing with the french band Shaolin Temple Defenders .
As allways with former JB's musicians or singers we're sure to have a Funky Good Time and that's what we had .
The Lady's got the Voice and the Attitude.
We were treated with a mix of her own songs and JB covers that went down a storm in front of this sunday family gathered audience.
A FUNKY GOOD TIME , I told ya !

Then we had to cross Paris from east to west to La Défense to see ...

dimanche 29 juin 2008

Solomon Burke -No Show- Jazz La Défense

Horrible evening yesterday, we went to the Jazz défense festival.

We came down early , had to wait a couple of hours before the support band Dan Cavalli went on stage ( they were running late and they were crap ) .

Then at 10 pm ,after they put Solomon' s famous chair on stage, someone announced that Solomon Burke couldn't make it tonigth and that his band would be playing without him .
BASTARDS !!!
Don't tell me they didn't know that before 10 pm, so we've missed Lou reed playing at Pleyel .
Hope Herbie Hancock will show up tonight ...

Anyway i've updated the site today ( June 29 th ) check each artist's page :
NEW Bruce Springsteen pictures
NEW BJORK -video- from the Olympia
NEW KISS pictures ( last 2 Kiss entries )

my YouTube account :
http://fr.youtube.com/user/rockingparis

samedi 28 juin 2008

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Paris Parc des Princes June 27 th 2008

"Born to run" with Elliott Murphy and his son Gaspard

-Touch me-

SETLIST:
Adam Raised A Cain
Radio Nowhere
No Surrender
The Promised Land
Spirit In The Night
Rendezvous
Candy's Room
Atlantic City
Janey Don't You Lose Heart
Darlington County
Because The Night
She's The One
Livin' In The Future
Mary's Place
Fire
For You
The River
The Rising
Last To Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
Out In The Street

Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Born To Run
Bobby Jean
Dancing In The Dark
American Land

Great show , great setlist , nice weather , small pit down the front.

PERFECT SHOW : HALLELUJAH !!!

More pictures to come ...
My YouTube account :
http://fr.youtube.com/user/rockingparis

" The river" ( cut before the end, sorry ! )

jeudi 26 juin 2008

BJORK Paris Olympia Jun 25th 2008

NOW :
4 VIDEOS ONLINE FROM THE OLYMPIA ( updated June 29th )

My YouTube account :
http://fr.youtube.com/user/rockingparis

After Sheryl Crow's performance in Bercy yesterday , i though about going back to see her at La Cigale.
A friend reminded me of Bjork playing the Olympia theatre. Even if I've never been a fan of her music that's worth going to .
I just hate all this electronic crap but i saw her a few times and each time i enjoyed the concert. She's allways dressing up on stage and she knows how to put on a Show.

Tickets for this gig were sold in less than 5 min ( at silly prices between 70 and 110 euros ).
This concert is a event as it's her only gig in Paris for this tour and everything is recorded on tape ( TV show or DVD ? ).
Musicians here are not conventionnal nor drummer or bass player : a percussionnist , a keyboard player , 2 guys behind computers and a dozen girls dressed up singing backing vocals and playing brass .
I can't tell you what she played as i don't know that much about her music , but i enjoyed every minute.
The stage was beautifully decorated and her voice is pretty amazing .

Very good night indeed .

SETLIST:
00. Intro - Brennið Þið Vitar
01. Earth Intruders
02. Hunter
03. Immature
04. Joga
05. I See Who You Are
06. Pleasure Is All Mine
07. Pagan Poetry
08. Vertebrae By Vertebrae
09. Where Is The Line
10. Who Is It
11. Oceania (Instrumental)
12. Desired Constellation
13. Army Of Me
14. Innocence
15. Triumph Of A Heart
16. Bachelorette
17. Vökurö
18. Wanderlust
19. Hyperballad
20. Pluto
Rappel
21. Declare Independance

Setlist from the French Bjork website : www.bjork.fr

Robert Trujillo bass player from Metallica was hanging around backstage

"Wanderlust"

"Hyperballad" :

" Declare independance" :

Another song from the Olympia ( updated June 29th ) :

mardi 24 juin 2008

Sheryl Crow & Carlos Santana Bercy June 24th

UPDATED JUNE 27th NEW VIDEO " Soul Sacrifice "

Santana with guest Idrissa Diop

Hi Guys ,
Very nice package this evening as Sheryl Crow is opening for Santana in Paris Bercy .
I thought Bercy was completely destroyed as KISS blew the arena last week with their show full of pyrothecnics.
Different band and different audience tonight .
Sheryl Crow ( before playing on June 25 th at La Cigale as a headliner ) has a real challenge : to please all these old geezers who don't seem to care , very hard task, Bercy is sleeping, the fact that it's an all seated concert that help either .
She's trying hard but doesn't get any response at all. Sad because she's really good . Her voice is crystal clear, she's in her late forties but believe me she's very very hot.

Setlist :
CHANGE
CAN'T CRY
ALL I WANNA DO
RUN BABY RUN
GASOLINE
OUT OF OUR HEADS
HAPPY
WINDING ROAD

Make your own opinion :

After a short intermission Santana and his band ( 8 musicians included monster drummer Dennis Chambers ) are taking Bercy by storm , well sort of .
It's hard to sit down with the kind of music that Santana is playing but Bercy has done it .
Some fans tried to stand up down the front but after people in the first rows complained the tight security asked everyone to go back to their seat . Shame .
Even if the Band is smoking the atmosphere in the pit is DEAD . Both Carlos ' singers are trying hard to get people clap their hands , they barely get a response .
A huge screen is in the back and the lightshow is bright ( "a photographer's dream" dixit our mate Guino Patrice ).
Santana's lead guitar is perfect and as usual there is a special guest : Idrissa Diop for 2 songs ( Where's Sheryl ? ).
Finally after 90 min Bercy is standing up . ' Ouf ! '
Dennis Chambers shows us how good he is with a powerful solo .
The band is grooving from start to finish for a long and lively 2h30 min show

SETLIST :

AOAND VIDEO INTRO
1.  PEACE/JINGO
2.  LIFE IS FOR LIVING
3.  INCIDENT AT NESHABUR
4.  BATUKA/ NO ONE TO DEPEND ON
5.  NAMIA/ MARIA MARIA
6.  FOO FOO
7.  CORAZON ESPINADO
8.  HISTORIA*
9.  AFRICAINS AND ANTILLAIS*
10. DON’T TAKE YOUR LOVE AWAY
11. LORD’S PRAYER/ SUN RA
12. YALEO/ DRUM SOLO
13. RIGHT ON/ UMI SAYS
14. BMW/ GYPSY QUEEN
15. OYE COMO VA
16. SPARTACUS/BLUES JAM/SMOOTH/ DAME
    -ENCORES-
17. WOODSTOCK CHANT /SOUL SACRIFICE
18. ANGEL CHANT/ INTO THE NIGHT

* Featuring Idrissa diop

" Soul sacrifice" :

Enjoy !!!

lundi 23 juin 2008

What's next ...

The next few days will be mega lots of concerts :
June 27th
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

june 28th :
James Taylor Quartet & Son of Dave @ Parc floral 3 pm
Solomon Burke Jazz la défense 8 pm
Lou Reed Salle Pleyel ( sold out )
Eryka Badu Palais des Congres

june 29th :
Martha High Parc Floral 4:30 pm ( she was singing with James Brown )
Herbie Hancock + Pura Fe Jazz La Défense 7 pm

June 30th
Lenny Kravitz zénith
Counting Crows Bataclan
Rose Tattoo Trabendo

July 1st
Iron Maiden Bercy

July 2nd
Iron Maiden Bercy
PERCY SLEDGE OLYMPIA ( don't miss this one , he's Mr " When a man loves a woman )

July 3rd
Archie Shepp New Morning

July 4th
Buddy Guy Casino d' Enghien

See you there !

samedi 21 juin 2008

PATTI SMITH Fondation Cartier June 20th

Patti Smith is playing for the 3rd time @ Fondation Cartier in Paris.
The first one was acoustic solo with interaction with the audience as she talked a lot with the small crowd .
2nd one was 2 weeks ago ( Jun 7th ) with full band even if they played acoustic it was rockin' .
For her last performance here , the weather's nice so the Fondation Cartier has set the stage in the garden ( 500 extra tickets were sold at 5 pm on the day ). VIPs included Rachid Taha and singer from french band Tarmac.

Patti requested people in the front to sit down so the atmosphere is laid back and bucholic.
Patti's playing with her children Jackson on guitar and Jesse on piano ; Michael Campbell is on drums for a few songs plus a french guitar player .

She's telling the audience how much she enjoyed being in Paris for the last 3 months and she thanked generously the people working for the Fondation and how much her exhibition is a achievement in her 40 years career .

There's no pre-established setlist so between songs patti 's wondering which song they 'd played next .
The set is basically the same as last show : a best of. ( "Pissing in the river" Neil young's " Helpless"... )
Cool at the beginning with only Jackson on guitar and then more rock.
The atmosphere is sooo laid back that so some songs are really under-rehearsed especially Nirvana's "Smells like teen spirit " she didn't remember the lyrics nor when to sing but she took it with a laugh under the wings of her musical director for tonight's show : Her son Jackson .
Concert ended with a rockin' version of them's Gloria and Finale "People have the Power" .

Contact : irockinparis@yahoo.fr

Patti Smith and son Jackson @ Fondation Cartier
with Alain Lahana looking over ( on the right )
© Guino Patrice

"People have the Power" :

" Because the night " :

KISS Paris Bercy 2008 More pics

NEW PICTURES UPDATED JUNE 29 th

Contact : irockinparis@yahoo.fr

vendredi 20 juin 2008

TONY COOK 's Trunk-O-Funk with DANNY RAY Jun 19th NewMorning

After a short but nice set by Coldplay we headed to the famous parisian jazz club the New Morning to see James Brown 's former members : drummer TONY COOK and MC DANNY RAY .

Some people may think what's the point of going to see a drummer even if he's James Brown's
Well, baby it's gonna Funk & Groove .

And sure, it did funk & groove !

Divided over 2 sets of 60 mn Tony Cook and his band entertained us with JB covers ( "Sex Machine" , "Get up offa that thing" , "soul power", " i got you" ... ) and among many others Stevie Wonder's "superstition" , ottis redding's "try a little tenderness" Hendrix' " Voodoo chile" ...

Tony' playing drums AND singing, He's the Man helped by a smoking band ( 2 guitar players , 2 horns and a bass player ) and MC Danny Ray himself.

Ah Danny nice to see him back in Paris , The man who introduced Mr Brown every night for 30 years ( or is it more ? )
He was barely on stage for 20 mn ( remember he doesn't sing at all )but he was the Star of the evening.

A Funky Good Night !!!

Tony ( drums ) Zaza ( guitar ) Danny Ray (MC )

Video to come soon . so stay tune

Contact : irockinparis@yahoo.fr

COLDPLAY W9 TV Show Jun 19th

Coldplay is playing their very first "show" in France after playing in London ( Brixton Academy on the 16th ; BBC Television Centre, Shepherds Bush on the 18 th ) and Madrid ( on the 17th ).
Their brand new album " Viva la vida" is selling shitloads in England and they are the first English band to get a n° 1 in the US for ten years.

This tv show is being recorded for W9 and to be broadcast on Jun 27 th.
Get in there around 7 pm @ Dock Haussmann , north of Paris ( plaine St denis ) , the place holds around 500 people , some competition winners and lots of VIPs.

A french girl opens the show , called Chat ( cat in french ) she played 2-3 songs on the piano , from the VIP bar upstairs she seemed quite good.

Coldplay went on stage and had to answer questions from the audience ( with translation from tv presenter Frederique Bedos ) for at least 20 min, even though the questions were not really interesting ( why a painting of Delacroix on the cover ? Why did you call your album " viva la vida " ? and so on ...)
Chris Martin was always chatty and funny so were the other band members.
Time now for the proper concert, they opened with the new single " Violent hill" , cameras are everywhere, light show is sumptuous and the band on top form. they played a mix of new tracks and a couple of oldies .
I can't say that their pop is my cup of tea but they're lively on stage.
Show ended with confettis over the crowd .
The only downer is the short set, only 6 songs in 35 min.