The Red Hot Chili Peppers @ Paris Bercy, Oct 19 2011

Red Hot Chili Peppers, 2nd show @ Paris Bercy Oct 19 2011

A wall of screens as backdrop

Red Hot Chili Peppers are playing their second sold-out show @ Bercy arena
I've never seen the pit so rammed, it's an all age audience with very young, even kids where we were seating, and older people in their forties.
It's a bit like going to a Supertramp, Tina Turner or Madonna concert, you don't need to have any of their records to know half of the songs they're playing as they're hit singles and constantly played on radios.

As you can see on Pics the stage is very simple with lots of screens to stunning affects.
They have two extra players on stage: one on percussions and one on keys.
Flea is as mad a s ever on stage, the new guitar player is doing a lot of stage moves too but he looks like a clone of John Frusciante. Anthony is singing on key but his stage antics and dancing is ridiculous, not to mention his gay moustache and hair cut.

Some cool parts when the band is playing the hit songs or older ones and some shitty parts with useless jams and many of their songs are very average specially the new ones that are sucking badly.
Great version of "Give it away" with Femi Kuti on Saxophone who was opening the show tonight, too bad the band is ending the gig on one more useless jam.(Here on video)
They've also done a great version of Jimi Hendrix' "Fire".

Set-list : (from RHCP France)
01. Monarchy of Roses
02. Dani California
03. Scar Tissue
04. Look Around
05. Emit Remmus
06. Tell Me Baby
07. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
08. Throw Away Your Television
09. Soul to Squeeze
10. Factory of Faith
11. Fire (Jimi Hendrix)
12. Jungle Man (partial)
13. If You Have To Ask
14. Can't Stop
15. Under the Bridge
16. By the Way
Encore :
17. Chad drum solo & Jam
18. Californication
19. Sir Psycho Sexy
20. They're Red Hot
21. Give It Away (with Femi Kuti) + Jam (Here on video)

Merchandising & Pass sheet
Great Pics from this gig HERE

"Give it away" with Femi Kuti + Jam

Joseph Arthur exhibition & showcase in Paris, Oct 19 -20 2011

JOSEPH ARTHUR
THE GRADUATION CEREMONY
Peintures

EXPOSITION A LA GALERIE CHAPPE
Du 19 au 25 octobre 2011

Vernissage le mercredi 19 octobre à partir de 19h
en présence de l’artiste
4 rue André Barsacq, 75018 Paris

Métro : Anvers ou Abbesses
Ouvert tous les jours de 14h à 20h

Showcase @ Fargo Store
Oct 20; 6:30pm
Invit' only, send email to Fargo (link above) for Tix.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers 1st show @ Paris Bercy, Oct 18 2011

Set-list :
01. Monarchy of roses (another version)
02. Can't Stop
03. Charlie
04. Dani California
05. Otherside
06. Look Around
07. Hard To Concentrate
08. Me And My Friends
09. Wet Sand
10. The adventures of rain dance Maggie
11. Higher Ground
12. Under The Bridge
13. Right On Time
14. Californication
15. By The Way

Encore :
16. Drum Solo
17. Around The World
18. Everybody knows this is nowhere

19. Give It Away + Jam

The kooks @ Casino de Paris, Oct 18 2011

The Kooks + Morning Parade + Atlantics @ Casino de Paris
Oct 18 2011

Atlantics (far right)

Another sold-out show for The kooks in Paris. Third time they're playing the French Capital this year after La Cigale in June & La Fleche d'Or in September ( Scroll down for links to reviews)

Tonight we have two opening bands: First one is Atlantics an uninspired rock band and the second one is Morning Parade who are mixing Rock with Electro, every fuckin' band is mixing rock with Electro and we HATE electro @ Rockerparis.

Morning Parade

The intermission is going on and on... as roadies are getting the stage ready wich is hidden behind a black curtain.
As soon as The Kooks are getting on stage, we can all see that they have spend lots of money on lightnings and stage props, the drum kit is on a platform like heavy Metal band used to in the 80's and there is a "cat walk" in front of the whole stage.

As always with The Kooks there is a great atmosphere thanks to the teenage girls.
The band probably started the set with a new song , still haven't heard the new album, the whole pit went mad as soon as they played older songs.
The singer is the only one using the cat-walk.

It looks like the band wants to get to a higher level with a better stage and better lightning and look more like a stadium band with the big sound ( it was louder than I have ever heard at a Kooks gig) with an extra player hidden behind amps on Keyboards & vocals.

Luke is doing the show and as soon as he gets on that cat-walk and is getting nearer the first row , girls are screaming like mad.
New songs are not as catchy as the old ones but The kooks have always been entertaining on stage that's why we're coming back everytime to see them.
I'll try to get the setlist so stay tuned...
The only thing I cannot understand is why they do have 3 records to play and they are only on stage for 60 min.
Can you tell me why ?
Are English bands lazy ? , same shit with Artic Monkeys they don't play no more than 80 min.

More on The Kooks:

Check our review of their last show @ La Fleche d'Or in September & @ La Cigale ( with Pics & video) on June 07 2011

Have a look at our reviews of their shows @ Rock en Seine in 2010, @ Fete de L'Humanité opening for Deep Purple in front of more than 60 000 people in Sept 2009,
@ Zénith for the Inrockuptibles Fest with CSS & Mistery Jets in Nov 2008

Mark Knopfler & Bob Dylan @ Paris Bercy, Oct 17 2011

Mark Knopfler & Bob Dylan @ Paris Bercy, Oct 17 2011

Bercy is Sold-out, even scalpers outside are looking for tickets, it's no surprise with this double bill: Both acts can play a sold out show in this arena.

Mark Knopfler is first on stage (@ 8:05pm) in front of an all seated audience, 7 musicians in all including Mark.
He's playing songs from his solo albums, we've never been fan of his celtic-country music, a bit too soft for us even though we like JJ Cale who's a major influence on Mark's work, you can tell by listening to his songs.
Good set by Mark Knopfler, songs are bit in slow motion specially for the most "celtic" songs.
The guitar playing is subtle and stunning.
He's probably one of the best guitar player we have seen on stage with Eric Clapton & Jeff Beck.
For the last couple of songs the very quiet audience is rushing down the front and the last one is welcome with open arms as it's a Dire Straits song "So far away" the only song we knew tonight.
He was on for 75 min ending @ 9:20 pm

setlist Mark Knopfler: (tbc)
1) What It Is
2) Cleaning My Gun
3) Sailing to Philadelphia
4) Hill Farmer's Blues
5) Privateering
6) Song for Sonny Liston
7) Done With Bonaparte
8) A night summer long
9) Marbletown
10) Speedway at Nazareth
11) So Far Away

Reminder:
Mark Knopfler @ Paris Bercy June 09 2010

Twenty min + intermission before Bob Dylan to get the stage ready for the master.
People are trying to get down the front against the crash barrier but the tight security from Bercy is watching and everybody has to go back to their seat.Funny: lots of young fans and also lots of boring old farts who are not happy that people are standing up.

We have never seen Bob Dylan in such good form, of course the voice is still as horrible as ever but the legend played a few songs, not hidden behind the keyboards, center stage posing like Elvis Presley. He also smiled a lot.
For once the lightning was good.
A very good surprise AND tonight we can recognise the songs he's playing which is not always the case.
It's probably the best show I've seen him perform, compare to other bands it could be considered as crap but for Bob Dylan standard it was a good show.

Pass sheet

setlist Bob Dylan:
1. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
2. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
3. Things Have Changed
4. Tangled Up In Blue
5. Honest With Me
6. Spirit On The Water
7. Summer Days
8. Desolation Row
9. Highway 61 Revisited
10. Blind Willie McTell
11. Thunder On The Mountain
12. Ballad Of A Thin Man
13. All Along The Watchtower
14. Like A Rolling Stone



Reminder:
Bob Dylan: two shows @ Palais des Congres in Paris on April 09 2009 & on April 08 2009