Al Green @ Olympia, Paris July 9 2010

Al Green @ Olympia
Paris July 09 2010

Exactly 3 years ago , to the very same day ( July 9 ) Al Green was performing @ The Beautiful Grand Rex theatre in Paris.

Patrice Guino , our photographer wasn't on the guest list, poor bastard : He was Furious.
He knows a lot of people so he could get in easily Thanks for the Pics mate !

3 years later we're welcoming Al Green at the Olympia , it's packed and the tickets are once again VERY expensive : up to 120 Euros for the best seats.
Considering that he's only singing for no more than 60 minutes, it's costing you 2 euros for each minute, not bad.
I'm sure I can get laid for less than that.

Anyway he's one of the last true soul legend... alive & kicking.
Ok he's not as fit as he used to in the 70's but when you close your eyes, it's like being back in the late 60's- early 70's.
The voice is intact, soft & powerful.

A real actor on stage , always doing funny faces and always giving out dozens & dozens of roses to beautiful girls... and there were lots and lots of stunning girls in the audience.
It looks like the more the tickets are expensive the more you get beautiful girls.
The weather is so hot that they wear almost nothing, hard to concentrate on the gig, but we're professionnals.
Al Green is also very hot as he's sweating buckets.
The 3 girls on backing vocals are his daughters: " All Green".

SETLIST:

• ?
  
• Stay with me
• Pretty Woman
• ?
• Let's stay together
• How can you mend a broken heart
• Here I am
• Medley : Sugar Pie Honey Bunch ( Temptations) / My Girl (Temptations)/ ? / Sitting on the dock of the Bay( Otis redding)/ You are everything(Marvin Gaye).
• So Tired of being alone
• Still in love with you
• Simply Beautiful
• Love & happiness.
  

Many of his songs are short so we had extended version for some of them including "Love & happiness" which was the last song of the night.
As always like many black artists from the 50's-60's ( Ray Charles, Chuck Berry & many others) Al Green is only on stage for more than 60 minutes (well in fact 65 minutes from 9:16 to 10:20) but it's so good than it's worth 2 hours.

One of our favorite gig for this year 2010. Amen !

Sorry no video for this one.

The Divine Comedy + Alela Diane @ Salle Pleyel, Paris July 7 2010

The Divine Comedy ( Neil Hannon solo) + Alela Diane
@ Salle Pleyel, Paris july 7 2010

Alela & Neil from the back of the venue

Folk American singer-songwriter Alela Diane is opening tonight for this sold-out show @ the beautiful & posh Salle Pleyel.
Neil is very popular in France, it was sold-out in just a few days.
Alela is playing with her father, nice 45 min + set but in the end songs tend to sound all the same.
Great voice though.

The City boiler hat for Neil

Then we have The Divine Comedy or should we call it Neil Hannon , as it's a solo gig on the piano.
Very good start with "Mutual friend" & "Tonight we fly".
We love The Divine Comedy @ ROCKERPARIS, a bit like New York Folk singer Suzanne Vega, when you have the good songs , you don't need a full band band to play them , an acoustic guitar or a piano is enough.
And Neil Hannon has the (very) good songs.
Of course he played the old ones, including one from "Regeneration" my favorite album (see setlist below for details) & a few new ones that I'm not familiar with as I only get the new cd this morning.

As always with Neil , he's making a few jokes between songs or in the middle of it.
Sometimes he just has to nodd to make people laugh.
Some of you may think hearing pop songs on the piano might be boring, it is NOT when the songs are great.
Those stripped versions are perfectly executed on the piano and his voice was excellent all along the show.
He also played a few (5-6 songs) on the acoustic guitar ( see video)
He had a few funny words regarding the Economic crisis and our Lilianne Bettencourt.

Great gig by Neil , looking forward to see him @ La Cigale in Oct unfortunately for us he is playing on the same night as Ozzy Osbourne @ Paris Bercy. too Bad
Don't miss him.

See ya in October @ Cigale & setlist & Summer girl

"Lady of a certain age" ( with mixed up lyrics) on guitar:

Cool.

Ringo Starr 70th birthday @ Radio City Music Hall, New York July 7 2010

Ringo Starr celebrated his 70th birthday @ Radio City Music Hall in New York City yesterday with many guests. (details below)

SETLIST: (click for videos)
1.It Don't Come Easy (Ringo Starr)
2.Honey Don't (Starr)
3.Choose Love (Starr)
4.Hang On Sloopy (Rick Derringer)
5.Free Ride (Edgar Winter)
6.Talking In Her Sleep (Wally Palmer)
7.I Wanna Be Your Man (Starr)
8.Dream Weaver (Gary Wright)
9.Kyrie (Richard Page)
10.The Other Side of Liverpool (Starr)
11.Yellow Submarine (Starr)
12.Frankenstein (Winter)
13.Peace Dream (Starr)
14.Back Off Boogaloo (Starr)
15.What I Like About You (Palmer)
16.Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo/Eruption (Derringer)
17.Boys (Starr)
18.Love is Alive (Wright)
19.Broken Wings (Richard Page)
20.Photograph (Starr)
21.Act Naturally (Starr)
22.With a Little Help From My Friends/Give Peace a Chance (Starr) with Yoko Ono, Zac Starkey, Joe Walsh, Steve Van Zandt, Angus Young (???), Jeff Lynne,Jim Keltner, Nils Lofgren, Dave Stewart, Max Weinberg and Foreigner's Mick Jones.
Encore:
23.Birthday with Paul McCartney:

Happy Birthday Ringo !

Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy) @ Baron , Paris july 7 2010

For more on this gig go to A Short Site about The Divine Comedy ( In English & in French)
Thanks to Alphi

Short gig in front of 50 people for VIPs & Press

SETLIST:

1. The Complete Banker
2. Your Daddy’s Car
3. At The Indie Disco
4. I like
5. Don’t Look Down
6. Have You Ever Been In Love?
7. Everybody Knows (Except You)
8. Our Mutual Friends
9. The Summerhouse
10. Tonight We Fly

Peter Doherty @ Cité de la Musique, Paris July 7 2010

Peter Doherty @ Cité de la Musique
Paris July 7 2010

(C) Oliver Peel

SETLIST: (click for videos)
arcady
last of the english roses
sweet by and by
from bollywood to battersea
for lovers
you’re my waterloo
sheepskin tearaway
france
can’t stand me now
(a bit of) blue moon
back from the dead
salomé
good old days
lost art of murder
robin hood [ocean colour scene]
smashing
albion

Pictures from the show @ Oliver Peel's

Very short set : just 60 min


From Madame Gateau