Coldplay @ Casino de Paris, May 28 2014

Coldplay @ Casino de Paris, May 28 2014

The gig of the year for many as COLDPLAY is filling up stadiums even in France and is playing a "club " show tonight in Paris.
 Prices were silly, up to 90 Euros and even 180 Euros for a special pack (priority entry).
Can you believe this ?  Those bastards  are charging twice the price to get into the venue first, there were 150 people in Paris. Of course French security fucked it up...anyway !
Coldplay knows how to squeeze the lemon of their dedicated fans !!!

Lots of guests and the theater is packed downstairs and upstairs and it's hot as hell and the band is not even on stage.
Stage is beautiful with a huge screen in the back , one tree on each side of the stage and lots of stars hanging from the ceilings for a nice effect.
First song is a very slow one (see video below) than the band is getting heavier to get the audience dancing and jumping up and down with their arms up in the air,  yes,  Coldplay fans can do all this at the same time.
Lots of songs sounding like U2 with lots of ooohhs and Aaahs to sing along, only 4 guys on stage but it sounds like there are 12.
Lots of effects and beautiful lightshow, though a bit dark and lasers, the kind of things you'd expect in a stadium.

Of course Chris Martin is getting all the lights and is doing the show , speaking in French to the delight of his fans, you can't take it away from him, the guy is a showman.
Hard to believe that so many people are attracted to this very average band, you could get rid of the three guys and keep the singer nobody will noticed anything.
A bit like the Bay City Rollers who were filling up stadiums in their time, nobody will remember Coldplay, 10 years after they're done.
Perfect concert to invite a young girl you want to go out with, who's listening to crap on the radio and thinks she's cool.
Music-wise it's void !

setlist:
Always in My Head
Charlie Brown
Paradise
Magic
Clocks
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
Green Eyes
Ink
True Love
Viva La Vida
Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall
Midnight
Encore:
Oceans
A Sky Full of Stars
Fix You 

 Merchandising and goodies we get on our way out

Jeff Beck @ Grand Rex, Paris May 27 2014

Jeff Beck @ Grand Rex, Paris May 27 2014

After the horrible concert by Prog band YES, we're back at the very beautiful Grand Rex theater. Less than a week ago JIMMY PAGE was at the Olympia theater for a Q&A. Tonight we spend the evening with another Yardbirds guitar player: Jeff Beck
At age 70, he's still very innovative and his guitar playing is faultless and with a virtuosity that even young guitar player can hardly achieve.
The set is only instrumental with only two songs with a vocalist "Why give it away" and the blues one "Rumblin and Tumblin" (see setlist for details)

 I'm not too familiar with his repertoire but Billy Cobham' s "Stratus", Hendrix' "Little Wing" and final song The Beatles' " A day in the Life" where fantastic ( see video below).

 JEFF BECK is incredible on guitar

Each musician had a short solo at one moment during the gig, needless to tell you musicianship was very high, Rhonda Smith on bass was amazing.

Great set

 Setlist, Merchandising, Pass & Pick

Archives:

Jeff Beck @ Grand Rex on July 1st 2011

Manic Street Preachers @ Bataclan, Paris, May 23 2014

Manic Street Preachers @ Bataclan, Paris, May 23 2014

We've been waiting for this moment for a long time, finally we're going to see MSP live...
Support band Public Service Broadcasting is already playing when we're making our way into an almost empty Bataclan, the balcony is closed and you could play tennis in the pit, hard to believe.

The Manics have never been very popular in France , even James, at one moment during the gig, will acknowledge that the Manics have never sold a lot of records in France.
When the band is taking the stage there are more people in the pit, but still... with many Britons in front of Nicky on the right. There are two additional players on keys and guitars on the left.
Lightning's not that good but the sound is loud & clear.
Lots of dedicated fans in the audience.
James is telling us that he has a sore throat and is constantly running to the drum riser to take "medications" for his voice between songs, honestly his high voice is perfect.
The Manics have lots of great heavy pop songs to have the audience jumping up and down maybe they could have played the -very slow- song "Rewind the Film" later during the concert but I guess they've played it earlier in the set to save James' voice which was fine, that's probably why they added another solo acoustic song "Small Black Flower" that wasn't on the setlist.

Overall good show, I've been told they never play "an encore" , they should !

setlist : a second acoustic song was added " Small Black Flower" & Merchandising