Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers @ Grand Rex, Paris June 27 2012

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers + Jonathan Wilson @ Grand Rex, Paris June 27 2012

Just as we are queuing to get into the beautiful theater, Tom Petty is getting in by the stage door nearby, perfect timing: we could take a couple of pics and get our George Harrison Tribute concert program signed.

Jonathan Wilson and his band are already playing when we're taking our seats, very cool & "atmospheric" set between Pink Floyd & Grateful dead with lots of guitar licks and 6 min long songs.

9:30 pm and Paris is seeing Tom Petty for the first time in more than 20 years. With his Heartbreakers: Steve Ferrone, Benmont Tench, Mike Campbell, Ron Blair & Scott Thurston.

Tom Petty is in very good spirit and smartly dressed, no big screens just a red curtain in the back and some rock'n roll on stage. The sound is a bit too loud down the front, Tom 's voice is loud and clear.
When he's not singing he's walking the stage carefully from one side to the other.
The setlist ( see pic below for details) is a best of... with a couple of covers: Chuck Berry's "Carol" and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac "Oh Well"and of course The Traveling Wilburries'.
Lots of nice guitar soli by Mike Campbell and sometimes Tom Himself even though I noticed that he has trembling hands which is worrying me regarding his health condition.

Too bad he didn't play any songs from "The Last DJ" album which is one of my favorite.
Tom seemed very happy to be finally playing in Paris and so are we as we had one hell of a show.

Merchandising / Setlist / Pass sheet

Lenny Kravitz + Vintage Trouble @ Paris Bercy, June 26 2012

Lenny Kravitz + Vintage Trouble @ Paris Bercy, June 26 2012

Vintage Trouble

Lenny Kravitz is back in the French Capital just a few months after playing a sold out show at the very same Paris Bercy, There are still a few tickets left at the box office.
last year we had a quality support band with Raphael Saadiq, this year we have soul-rock band Vintage Trouble, just imagine a rock bluesy-soul band with a young James Brown on vocals and you'll get the picture. They were welcomed by the french audience and they deserved it, maybe I will add a few more up-tempo songs but they did a great job.
45 min set

It's way past 9:30 (9:40 exactly) when Lenny is getting on the stage, the first hour of the set is broadcasted live on RTL2 radio.

It's a 70% female audience (many of them very sexy) with lots of teenagers and people in their 20's which shows that Lenny Kravitz has new fans and lots of them.
Last year's show was great and it was a real surprise as I remember him acting like a fucking diva on stage a few years ago.
He left the Diva-Rock-star attitude in his dressing room to act like a proper rocker...well he's still over-acting a bit but that's bearable.
He's not celebrating the anniversary of his first album anymore so for this year we have a Best Of setlist (see below for details) with not too many songs from the new album.
Same kick ass band with Craig Ross on guitar and Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and vocals.

It's rocking and smokin' for most of the time with some ballads from time to time, no matter what people are saying about Mr Kravitz, the mother fucker knows how to write a Hit single/great tune and we have plenty of them tonight.

The stage is once again beautiful with great lightning ( "a delight to take pics" is telling me our photographer) and a huge screen in the back.

With an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, on piano and on vocals Lenny knows how to entertain you, with some nice poses and better attitude than a decade ago.
Another great 2 hour+ set.

Mean man

SETLIST: (TBC)

1. Come On Get It
2. Always on the Run
3. American Woman
4. It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over
5. Mr. Cab Driver
6. Black And White America
7. Fields of Joy
8. Stand By My Woman
9. Believe
10. Stand
11. Rock Star City Life
12. Where Are We Runnin'?
13. Fly away
14. Let love rule (extended version)-------Encore
15. Stillness of heart
16. Blues for sister someone
17. I'll be waiting--------Encore
18. Are you gonna go my way
    

Mission accomplished

Reminder:
LENNY @ Paris Bercy on Nov 29 2011
@ Peace One day Fest @ Grand Rex Sept 2009
@ Paris Bercy May 2009

Metallica entire footage of concert @ Orion Music + More Fest. June 23 2012 "Ride the Lightning" night

Metallica performing "Ride the Lightning" in its entirety @ Orion Music + More Fest. June 23 2012 Bader Field, Atlantic City, NJ :

Full concert available on Youtube