Paris! City of love, city of lights
After a smooth drive from the Rheinland to France we arrived just in time to get ourselves checked in at the hotel and to find le Bataclan.
After that small stroll through town, we arrived at the place and could just walk on in... Beautiful venue, Le Bataclan
Minutes after our entrance the meeting with good people started once again and the first drinks (just like in 2006 at Le Zénith, those drinks didn't come cheap!) were shared. Not long after that J'aime les Trains began their set. It was to be their last night on tour with the Sisters and allthough it wasn't love on first sight (or hear
) for me, they did grow on me (this was my 4th gig of the Mechanised Europe tour) and this last night I really wanted to give them maximum attention, because they deserved that. That's why Z and me decided to go and have a seat on the balcony and do a bit of trainspotting. They played a very solid set and after Blutch they are the best band I've seen opening for the Sisters. I'm gonna miss those chaps!
While still on the balcony we enjoyed quite a few drinks (red wine proved to be the best option, because pretty cheap compared to the beer) and even some more laughs and it got pretty crowded up there. And then Afterhours began to fill the room...
When Dr Avalanche kickedstarted Crash & Burn Z couldn't stay in his seat no more and I gather he was in the moshpit in no more than 10 seconds! Me, more of a captian slow myself, stayed on the balcony to watch the lights and enjoy the whole experience from there. That proved to be the perfect spot to get it all in: the lights were ace, smoke everywhere, but especially Eldritch and the Catalyst coming out of it at the right times. I also had a good laugh when Andrew did his towel thing on the floor
Soundwise it was just incredible! Louder than anywhere else this tour (at least compared to the 3 other gigs I've seen), very clear and Andrew's voice coming through like a knife through butter. 2nd song Ribbons had him shouting like only he can and it just didn't stop... Both Chris & Ben were also on top of things and it was a very tight set they played. Even up there on the balcony the atmosphere was tops with people shouting, singing along and dancing... I was overwhelmed really
After Summer I headed for the moshpit, to bounce a bit on that Sisters beat... Terrific atmosphere there too!
When it comes to the setlist there were no surprises at all (I also expected an extra encore after Temple, something special for the massive response from the crowd, but the fact that there was something else planned in the venue after the gig probably didn't help there
), but that's just small potatoes when everything is done in such a way: for me this was the best one this tour.
And then it's done...
... but many people seemed to have the same idea and most of the audience ended up in the Bataclan café next door to party on without reservations. At first still pretty organised, but after a while it got mad again... Thank you so much Zeno & Andrew to carry me home afterwards
This is my last one this tour and it couldn't have been better.
Top venue, top performances, top people, etc etc etc. Hugs & kisses for everybody
Yup, the next morning there was only one thing to do: visit the cemetary of Père Lachaise in the streaming rain to pay our respects to Messieurs James Douglas Morrison, Oscar Wilde and the person next to Henri Salvador!
Hey, nice touch: our adventure began in heavy rain in Cologne and ended in some more rain in Paris. Gotta love the Sisters, for they can bring another shade of summer
and lazy pig anyhow