Patti Smith "Unplugged Dreams" @ Cité de la Musique, Paris jan 20 2011

Patti Smith "Unplugged dreams" @ Cité de la Musique
Paris Jan 20 2011

We're back at the beautiful Cité de la Musique in Paris to see Patti Smith performing an acoustic show.
A couple of days ago she performed a "Poetry & Music" show (click for review) which was much more better than expected. Not that much of a poetry man.
Unfortunately we won't be able to see her performing "Horses" @ Salle Pleyel on saturday.

It's another sold-out performance ( you could get tickets on the night).

Cool start with a Bob Dylan " Boots of Spanish leather" cover with just Lenny Kaye on acoustic guitar then the whole band is joining her for the rest of the gig.
It's always a pleasure to see Patti Smith playing live, she has classic songs and she's always playing a few covers, her last solo cd was a cover album and she's always relax with lots of talking between songs.
It was a bit of a special set as she played many songs that she's not playing very often : "Daydream Believer" from The Monkees ( here on video), some Dylan " Boots of..." and my favorite for the night : a fantastic version of The Beatles' " Strawberry Fields forever" dedicated to John L

"people have the power"

She also played her classic songs, even though it was acoustic, it was smoking with a great ending feat. " Because the night" "People have the power" & Rock 'n Roll nigger".

A couple of days ago she didn't come back , it's different tonight , as people were leaving the premises she came back to play another one ( not on the setlist) " Wing" (?!) that song was on the setlist two days ago and wasn't played.

1h50 min set , Great gig !

setlist

merchandising

The Monkees' "Daydream Believer":

More Patti Smith @ L'Arbre à Lettres on Oct 21 2010 for an acoustic performance to promote her book & @ Virgin Megastore on Oct 20 2010.

Anna Calvi @ L'Album de la Semaine, Jan 19 2011

Anna Calvi @ L'Album de la Semaine
Paris Jan 19 2011

setlist

Back to see Media darling Anna Calvi for a second time after the Black Session a couple of days ago.
Her album might be out for only a couple of days she seems to have perfectly rehearsed her set as we had tonight the same songs in the same order as @ Black session, well we had less as she played a shorter set ( same setlist minus 4 songs).
No communication with the audience apart form a "Thank You".
Indie rock with spanish influences, very good set but it seems that she's an autopilot.

Patti Smith " Picturing Robert" @ Cité de la Musique, Paris Jan 18 2011

Patti Smith @ Cité de la Musique
"Picturing Robert": Poetry & Music
Paris Jan 18 2011

First gig out of four for Patti Smith in Paris, tonight it's an evening of Poetry & Music celebrating the life of Robert Mapplethorpe.

She will play on Jan 20 another concert @ Cité de la Musique this time it will be "Unplugged dreams" I guess it will be a Best Of set.
Two more shows will be played @ Salle Pleyel, first one with Philip Glass for a tribute to Allen Ginsberg on Jan 21, second one she will play "Horses" on Jan 22.

We didn't really know what to expect tonight and we were a bit scared when she went on stage and started reading her book. Her daughter is on piano and a guy on xylophone. Luckily it didn't last too long and she welcomed her musicians to play some songs starting with a cover of Tim Buckley because Robert loved it, she then played a couple of her songs.
We had some more reading but she always kept it short and put a little passion into it, not like... Lou Reed who was plain boring when he was reading his shit a couple of years ago @ 104 or @ Colette.
She had a standing ovation for "Dancing Barefoot" and the encore "Because the night".
One of the first time i'm not using my earplugs, it wasn't too loud and the sound was crystal clear.
She didn't play the second song of the Encore (" Little Wing" ?) and even though people kept yelling for more she didn't come back.
She could have done a bit more as it was a very short set , we were out by 9:20 Pm ( Start 8:00) and she was already signing books and albums in the lobby, it didn't last long either, no more than ten minutes.
Enjoyable evening but she kept it to the "Minimum Syndical" as froggies are saying.

setlist

Pissing..." Live . SO SORRY the quality is awful !

Ricky Gervais @ Golden Globes award ceremony in L.A

Ricky you're the man... so funny ! Watch this.

The Black Keys cancell all Australian Dates and most of the European Tour 2011

The Black Keys have cancelled ALL the Australian and New Zealand dates between January and february 2011.
Some of the European dates are cancelled too, from Koln Germany on March 19 to Lille @ L'Aeronef on March 25.
The Olympia in Paris, The Olympic in Nantes, France and the show in Amsterdam are still on.
Check details HERE

This is due to exhaustion, The musicians, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, have apologized for the cancellations and explained they are just too tired to keep up their hectic touring schedule.

A statement from the band reads, "An arduous year of touring and promotion has drained the band and necessitated time off. Dan and Patrick wish to thank all of you who have shown such incredible support since the release of (2010 album) Brothers and have helped make the album a success."

Anna Calvi @ Black Session # 322, C'est Lenoir, France Inter Jan 17 2011

Anna Calvi @ Black Session # 322, C'est Lenoir.
Maison de la Radio, Paris Jan 17 2011

Anna Calvi is getting more and more good reviews over here and there's a real buzz, she's even on the front page of music magazines ( see Voxpop above).
This Black session is completely sold-out and there are a few people trying to get in with tickets... she's the media darling and her first album has only been released today.

She already played The tiny Boule Noire @ The Inrocks Festival a few months ago and she opened for Grinderman @ Cité de la Musique in October of last year.

AND she was at a Custom night for the Domino Label @ Nouveau Casino on June 22 2010 (click for review) more Pictures here @ Oliver Peel's.

Tonight is her third gig in less than 6 months in Paris and she will play a fourth one on wednesday @ L'Album de la Semaine for Canal+.
Very cool rock with lots of spanish influences in the way she's composing the songs and playing them
Very nice set looking forward to see her in a couple of days.

setlist

Check our review of Anna Calvi @ Cité la Musique on Oct 26 2010 opening for Nick Cave's Grinderman.

Lydia Lunch & James Chance @ "Nuit Ouf" Disco -Punk au 104, Paris Jan 14 2011

"Nuit Ouf" Disco punk, No wave & post Punk 1976-1982
@ CentQuatre (104)
Paris Jan 14-15 2011

You could get an haircut for 2 euros (center), first band "Hyphen Hyphen" (far right)

ALL NIGHT PARTY at the trendy 104 in Paris, early start as the doors are opening at 9:00 PM, we're having a look around before the first band plays on the main stage. As we are the first one in we 're having a hair cut ( for 2 euros only), you could also have a Shiatsu massage ( 2 euros) , there is also Body Painting.
First band Hyphen & Hyphen is getting on stage as we're having our hair cut by "Art Hair" artists.
There are so many things it's hard to see it all but we're just on time to see Lydia Lunch, she's playing with a drummer a guitar player and a guy on keys and saxophone.
Heavy shit à la Black Sabbath with bits of Stooges, simple riffs but very efficient.
Not that much to say : show was great that's the kind of music we like @ ROCKERPARIS, she ended her set with a Lou Reed cover ( see setlist for details).

Legend Lydia Lunch

setlist & one of the 3 bathtub (far right)

After this heavy performance, we're going outside as some of us want to have a bath, there are 3 huge wood bath-tubs outside, the weather's warm even at past 11:00PM and the water's not too hot.
Afetr getting dry we're back inside for some more artists performances including a fashion collection show from Sakina M'Sa.

Icarus has been shot down ( far left), I guess It's Open ( center) Huge Lyrus (far right)

Make Up ( center) & fashion show (far right)

Far from being the best fashion show I've been to ( we're used to Chanel, Stella Mc Cartney's and all at ROCKERPARIS ) but it was fun & Punk remember it's a celebration of Punk tonight.
The atmosphere is lively everywhere you go and if you don't like live gigs you can dance to the music as there are a few DJs playing their stuff ( not really for us) in room 200 for the whole night.

James Chance & Les Contorsions ( Ex-James White)

James White aka as James Chance is headlining on the main stage : a mix of "bad" funk à la James Brown with Punk (?) and free jazz for a really cool set.
The guy is acting funny is stage, the music that's NOT Punk at all doesn't prevent some people to pogo down the front.
First time I'm seen people pogoing at a Funk Free-Jazz gig.

Can't tell you it was great but the guy's an underground legend and the set was fun.

It's now way past 1:00 AM but there is some more at the other side of the 104 with the performance of Musique Post-Bourgeoise, it's not a gig it's a "performance" just imagine Karl Marx fighting with a hosepipe for 10 min and then dancing with 2 French baguettes as another guy sitting on a sofa is talking into a megaphone and electronic music is playing in the background and you'll get a taste of what we've seen.

Musique Post-Bourgeoise feat. Constantin Leu performing

Almost 3:00AM and it's time to go to bed and as we're leaving the premises there are still people trying to get in to the sold out all night Disco -Punk Party @ 104.