Scorpions @ Bercy, Paris Nov 23 2011

Before the show (c) Official Bercy facebook Page
It's NOT a Gold award but just a commemorative "plaque"

updated Nov 25 with lots of links to videos

Scorpions + Guano Apes @ Bercy, Paris Nov 232011

Bercy is totally rammed tonight for Scorpions , they even sold tickets on the sides of the stage.
We have some fantastic seats in the stalls: 1st row with the band's family & management.
Great stage with some huge screens in the back and a catwalk where the band will band entire songs.
As it's a farewell tour it's a Best of setlist.
The show is starting nicely with a new song "Sting in the Tail".
They had to cancelled yesterday's show in Poitiers (sorry it was Tours, but who gives a fuck) and Klaus had trouble finishing the previous show in Montpellier, they had to stop it for 15 min.
Tonight his voice is perfect and the band is on top form specially Rudolf who's running like a maniac all the time.

It's a long tour so the band is making sure to have some moments so they can rest so we have lots of ballads, an instrumental "Coast to coast" to let Klaus rest his voice , a funny drum solo, a completely shitty guitar solo by Matthias.

The musicians are coming all the time on the catwalk to be closer to the fans, they're playing a couple of the acoustic numbers on it.
They do have a great lightshow that's guitar shaped (see pics below).
Klaus is giving away dozens of drumsticks to the first rows all along the show and the audience is singing along most of the songs. They're stretching out some songs so the audience can participate and sing they're lungs out.
No matter they've done some pretty average albums these last few years, on a stage they're giving it all and they've always done some great performances.
It's nice to see them them back playing in front of a full house in this Bercy arena, but even when we saw them playing at a small Zénith in front of 3000 people or at the Olympia theatre in May last year, shows were incredible.
Maybe I preferred the setlist on the previous tours, there were songs from the Uli Jon Roth era and more songs from "Lovedrive" & "Animal Magnetism" but tonight they've played a Best Of.. setlist so that everybody could go home happy.
We did !
Still loving you Scorpions !

SETLIST:
Sting In The Tail
Make It Real
Bad Boys Running Wild
The Zoo
Coast To Coast
Loving You Sunday Morning
The Best Is Yet To Come
Send Me An Angel
Holiday
Raised on Rock
Tease Me Please Me
Dynamite
Kottak Attack
Blackout
Big City Nights
-Encore 1-
Still loving You
Wind of change
Rock you like a hurricane
-Encore 2-
No one like You (sorry for the quality on this one)
-Encore 3-
When the smoke is going down (ONLY SONG MISSING ON VIDEO)

Merchandising

"Rock you like a Hurricane":

Lana Del Rey @ L'Album de la Semaine, Paris Nov 23 2011

Lana Del Rey @ L'Album de la Semaine, Paris Nov 23 2011, 3:00 PM

New American Pop sensation Lana Del Rey is (still) doing promo for her album to be out next year.
We already saw her performing one song when we went to Taratata tv show to see Lou Reed/ Metallica.We liked what we saw.
This time she's playing a "real" show in front of an audience of 200 people at the Studio 104 of la Plaine St Denis just outside Paris for Canal+ tv show "L'Album de la Semaine".
She's playing with the band she's been performing with for her last proper shows in Paris @ Nouveau Casino & @ Silencio Club this month: 3 black musicians (for the groove) on drums, bass & keys plus a white guy on guitar.
High heels, stunning dress, red hair, great actress poses, sulky attitude and always a smile in the end: that's Lana Del Rey.
She also has some really cool & laid-back songs and great voice to go with, sometimes low à la Nico, sometimes higher à la Kate Bush.
On a couple of songs you can feel a tiny Hip Hop influence but most of the songs are atmospheric, like a soundtrack to a David Lynch movie
8 songs 35 min set plus an encore with 2 songs that she already performed but this time with just a piano ( and a bit of guitar).
45 min set in all.

Despite all the gossips going on about her being manufactured, there's a great talent.

We met her after the show and she was VERY nice & Chatty with everyone, signing stuff and posing for photos with always a kind word and a smile.

Ana played another private show at a Nokia party on Nov 24 2011

Metallica, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Coldplay & Muse @ Stade de France in 2012

Metallica , Coldplay, Muse & more @ Stade de france next year

It looks like 2012 will be a very busy year @ Stade de France:

Metallica @ Stade de France May 12 2012 (not official yet)
Coldplay @ Stade de France on Sept 02 2012

but not only:

The Rolling Stones & Muse are likely to play in Sept 2012
A little bird also told me that MADONNA will play on July 14 2012 @ Stade de France
Bruce Springsteen won't play any stadium shows in France but two shows @ Bercy on July 4th & 5th plus another show in France in Montpellier @ Park & Suites Arena on June 19.

Remember where you saw it first !

Jamiroquai @ Bercy, Paris Nov 22 2011

Jamiroquai @ Paris Bercy , Nov 22 2011

My first show on this tour , they've already played a sold-out show a few months ago @ Paris Bercy, this time it's not officially sold-out but the pit downstairs is rammed and it's hard to find a seat in the stalls.
We already saw them @ The Olympia for a small private show in March (link to review below) and the band was smoking.
We had to endure a DJ as support, the end of his set was welcomed.

For Jamiroquai the stage is simple but beautiful with a huge screen in the back playing lots of very bright a nd colourful images and movies, and some planets hanging from the ceiling.
Jay is dressed with a green jacket and is still dancing a doing his little moves maybe not as much as a few years ago and the voice is perfect.
He complained a bit to his sound engineer for the sound in his monitors but we're used to that.
Technically and soundwise the show was perfect, these guys know how to play & groove.
A 2 hour show without any breaks as songs are played one after another maybe some of them are sounding a bit the same in the end but an overall very good show.
They've modified the arrangements on some songs and they added a few extras at the end.
Groovy gig

SETLIST: (TBC) click on link for video
Rock Dust Light Star
Main Vein
Cosmic Girl
High Times
Little L
Canned Heat
All Good In The Hood
Hey Floyd
Dynamite
Feels Just Like It Should
Love Foolosophy
Travelling Without Moving
Scam
Alright
Deeper Underground
---------------------------
White Knuckle Ride

Check our reviews of the private show of Jamiroquai @ Olympia on March 07 2011 for Paul & Joe.
@ Casino de Paris on May 31 2011

Patti Smith @ Olympia, Paris Nov 21 2011 "How she wrote "Because the Night"...

Patti Smith @ Olympia, Paris Nov 21 2011

Here's a nice video on which she's explaining how she wrote "Because the Night":

Thanks for the vid.

Motorhead @ Zénith, Paris Nov 21 2011

Motorhead + No One Is Innocent @ Zénith Paris, Nov 21 2011

Motorhead is back at the zénith in Paris, Medium size 4000 capacity.
We get there early, No One Is Innocent is already on stage, powerful show as usual.
The zénith though not sold-out is packed with fans in their 40's most of them fat & bald, we haev some youngsters too, it's sweat & beer for everybody tonight, like in the old days, good !

Nice start with "Bomber", they changed the first song of the show @ every gig but the rest is quite the same: meaning 2 songs from the new album, 3-4 songs from the last 10 year period and the rest is just oldies but goodies. (see setlist below for details).
Same stage as usual , just a small backdrop , a VERY loud sound not that good and some shitty lights, impossible to take a decent picture but Patrice is used so he gave up years ago.
We have a lousy drum solo in the middle of "The one to sing the Blues".
Not the best show I've seen them perform, far from it, it sounds like they don't play as fast as they used to which is a good thing on some songs: "Stay Clean", "Metropolis" (here on video).

Overall Good show.

SETLIST

1. Bomber
2. Damage Case
3. I Know How to Die
4. Stay Clean
5. Metropolis
6. Over the Top
7. One Night Stand
8. The Chase Is Better Than the Catch
9. Get Back In Line
10. The One To Sing the Blues (with Drum Solo)
    
11. Orgasmatron
12. Going to Brazil
13. Killed by Death
14. Iron Fist -Encore-
15. Whorehouse Blues
16. Ace of Spades
17. Overkill

Merchandising 2011

"Stay Clean" + "Metropolis":

Check our reviews of Motorhead @ Hellfest 2010, @ Zénith 2009, @ Zénith 2008,

Peter Doherty @ Le Tigre, Paris Nov 19 2011

Peter on saturday @ Tigre (c) Candice C.

Just to tell you that Peter played yesterday night @ Le Tigre for the second anniversary of this Parisian Club.
We were NOT there but our friend Candice told me he did better gigs.

SETLIST:
The Boy Looked At Johnny
À Rebours/There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Bollywood To Battersea
What A Waster
There She Goes (A Little Heartache)
Lost Art Of Murder
Beg, Steal Or Borrow
New song (aborted)
Can't Stand Me Now

He already played this club in March (see review here)
We saw him @ Colette briefly on thursday when Marie-Flore played this store.

Lots of Pics from the official photographer HERE

Loney Dear + Oscar & The Wolf + Dillon @ Fleche d'Or, Paris Nov 19 2011

Loney Dear + Oscar & The Wolf + Dillon @ Fleche d'Or, Paris Nov 19 2011

Dillon

First on the stage of La Fleche d'Or for her French ever show is German Female singer Dillon with a guy on electronic devices, minimalist electronica music for Dillon, Her magnetic voice and her laid-back melancolic electro attracted people who listened to her religiously.
Don't know why but she broke down in tears in the middle of the penultimate song, everything went back to normal for the last one.

Oscar & The Wolf

Then we had Belgian pop-folk band Oscar & the Wolf for some slow-tempo songs, more joyful or up-tempo songs wouldn't be a crime.
Cool set tough.

Loney Dear

Swedish multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen aka Loney Dear is closing this night.
He left his band is Sweden and is playing on his own , well almost there's a Swedish girl on keys and backing vocals.
For this set Emil is singing, playing guitar, doing percussions & playing all the rest ("bass", home made live recordings & loops) with his feet.
I really wonder how he can enjoy playing gigs when he has to concentrate on so many things at the same time.
It looks like he can't all the time as he had to restart a couple of songs but he took it with a laugh so is the audience of dedicated fans.
An hour set of experimental pop-folk that went very well.

setlist:
Name
Violent
Saturday Waits
Young Hearts
D Major
Calm Down
Loney Blues
My Heart
-Encore-
Sinister in a State of Hope
Dear John

A couple of Pics and short review of Loney Dear @ Black Session in 2009