Sunday, October 21, 2018

Ry Cooder (feat. the Hamiltones) @ Olympia, Paris - October 21st, 2018


Almost ten years after playing that same venue with Nick Lowe, Ry Cooder is back in the Olympia for what was undoubtedly the concert of the year.

Monday, October 15, 2018

Saxon @ Bataclan, Paris - October 15th, 2018


In the spirit of full disclosure, I've never been a huge Saxon fan. I was always aware of them and their brand of working class British metal, and even saw them live once before, but when it comes to the famed New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, I was always a bigger Iron Maiden fan.

FM @ Bataclan, Paris - October 15th, 2018


FM was an odd choice for this middle slot. Squeezed in between pure metal artists like Raven and Saxon, their brand of AOR seemed a little out of place.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Toots & the Maytals @ l'Olympia, Paris - October 2nd, 2018


I don't like reggae. These aren't the lyrics from Dreadlock Holiday, it's an actual statement. I genuinely don't like reggae. Most reggae artists get the cosmetics right: they all groove on that syncopated caribbean shuffle, sing about the evils of Babylon and the miracles of ganja and sing ayo, ayoyo yo during the chorus. And in the process, they forget to write actual songs. In that respect reggae is very similar to heavy metal, where most bands have the right sound, the right speed, the right image and are completely devoid of anything memorable beyond their intro riffs.