Paris, Elysée Montmartre, Febuary 15, 2009
We are spoiled and even lucky on a night out at a gig in Vienna!
Paris, or at least the Elysée Montmartre is hard work!
A from outside seemingly tiny venue with hardly anyone stood in front of it at half past seven, reveals after some steep steps a room packed with people. There is a band on. We don't know it is Trepalium already. With hardly no possibilities left to walk we check out what to do next. Some more steps to the right lead to a little gallery with the bar. It is the only bar in the room, but we don't recognise it yet. This would be a good place if you want to see the whole stage even if from farther away but probably with the best sound as the sound guy's desk is right underneath it. Well too late for that!
Next thing we check out is the merch stand with more shirts and goodies than we saw back then in Vienna when Gojira was the support for In Flames. Well, not many small shirts left, but hey, we still didn't understand we're late!
What really pleases us, is the possiblity to support Greenpeace and the punks of the Antarctica: the Sea Shepherd. We get two patches there, our quite proper amount of money disappears in an extra box, so hopefully will find the right way to support the sea shepherds who really need a better ship for their next strike against the japanese whaling fleet.
So that was it, after checking if there is some good place to stay on the right side of the stage, we decide to see what's at the other side. It was our plan to be on the left side, as last time in Vienna we enjoyed to watch the bass player (Jean Michel), this time it's the guitar player's (Christian) turn. By crossing over it becomes clear that there is no cloakroom at all in this venue, since everyone is holding their jackets and coats and there is only the toilet on the left side as well as the exit.
So we head front and we find a place next to the column that is closest to the stage. What we see is the rig, and more or less the middle of the stage. Drum kit? Well, we won't see much of Mario's perfect work, leaves us with hoping that Christian will stand as far front as possibile to get at least some glances of his fingers on the Jackson's neck!
The sound is terrible there. Of course we could squeeze ourselves into the crowd, but then we wouldn't see much, well not me obviously, so we decide to stay here, as it is a bit elevated.
By this time it gets clear this is Trepalium, with their last three songs. We try to get into listening, but it costs enormous amounts of concentration to really filter the sound that gets swallowed by the masses of people in the middle of the room.
It's eight o'clock, we get the place exactly at the column now, so we can put our jacket and coat away, finally! We get our shirts and water alternately, as one always stays to defend our place.
However unbelieveable it is, the lights on stage turn off at about 20:27, then the lights in the crowd, and there it is: the intro, known as the one at the end of the song that is going to come up next:
OROBORUS. First song of the new album! I love it when bands do that, it's quite an obvious thing, but so good to have an expectation fullfilled. There is that huge sigh of relaxation in the crowd.
Well, Gojira's on now. There they are in their usual concentrated, professional but very friendly manner. Good to see those faces out there. The lights are blue for this song.
Next song is
THE HEAVIEST MATTER OF THE UNIVERSE! What a song to be played live! The lights turn into massive white, the crowd is working hard. The whole place starts to move and steam! But hey this song is such a beautiful monster to hear (a)live!
Joe announces the song after that:
BACK BONE. Wow! We love that! The lights complete their succession to the tricolor of the french flag, so the stage is covered in red lights this time!
And there we go: first switching places within the band, which is a very friendly gesture of Gojira.
We get the first people stumbling out towards us, people who either take a break to run back in for the next song, or even people who decide to stay at the side, or find a new place somewhere else.
Then there is this amazingly thrilling and long intro. We get a combination of green and white lights and a projection I will never see for the rest of the evening. Just before you start to ask what this intro is going to evolve into, there is the first riff and
LOVE fills the room. This is the song that stays most memorable. Either the sound guy has sorted it out or my ears have learned how to transform the sound in the right way: however, it is crystal clear, all the tones I know from the album are just there!
Joe announces another song:
FROM THE SKY, which keeps the monstrous atmosphere, now there is some singing along coming from the crowd.
Lights off, we start again, we can see Joe bringing a desk placing it next to his microphone and we can hear
A SIGHT TO BEHOLD coming up. Joe's voice is distorted and what ever he does exactly he can switch back to his human voice again. I'm pleased to see that.. Trying to make the sound as real as we're used to it from knowing the album. Even I wouldn't mind to hear a different version live.
The next song is
THE ART OF DYING. I love this. It gives a lot of possibilities to follow each and everyone of the musicians, even if I can't watch them closely, but switching the focus of listening to each instrument is obvious and an easy game to play with this piece of art. Fuck! It is great watching the musicians movements. Joe with his dervish-like turns from time to time. Christian pops out from behind the rig and shows us the horns and is pointing at us. Can't see much of Jean-Michel and Mario at all!
By then the lack of air, even if it is a non-smoking venue, becomes a real problem. During this song a crowd has built up around us. I can see people leaving the middle of the room.
Same goes with the band, they disappear, apart from Mario, who shares a drum solo with us. Another fulfilled expectation! This is something special about Gojira and Mario Duplantier! We always get to enjoy this highly skilled drummer!
We get
CLONE as the next song! So we are back to monstrousity! Good stuff.
Followed by:
FLYING WHALES. Fuck that! One of my favourite songs and they just don't play the intro to it! It is unsteady around me, people who stood close start leaving, maybe for good? There is a constant movement surrounding us... but gladly by the middle of the song I get the chance to enjoy it. D-well... the way the lyrics are performed and carried out to us... this is all reminding me that I am watching this one band I know, who has more to say than any other band in this genre!
TOXIC GARBAGE ISLAND is such a relieve! Even though you can feel we are more than close to the end of the gig, this song is performed so rigorously! This is the song that comes closest to LOVE at the beginning of the gig! There is suddenly more space around me and I can really get into it! Simply enjoy it and finally drift away!
Then Joe comes up with a speech about the possibilities to support Greenpeace at the merch stand. He says good bye and announces the last song:
THE WAY OF ALL FLESH.
This, as a spoiled viennese is just painful. It is not quite an hour ago since they started. Good enough we got there on time. If we would have arrived there as we're used to do back home, we might have seen only a few songs! However... who's gonna enjoy this last song then?
Of course there is an encore for us. Starting with those white lights from underneath, it's the outro of the first album,
TERRA INCOGNITA.
This turns into the final song
VACUITY. By then people leave.
The band stays to have photos of themselves taken with the crowd behind them. Then they come down to shake hands, throw some bottles of water, plectrums, drum sticks.
Friendly Gojira. Who wants to let them go? But it is clear with all that hard work in that venue, that this had to get to an end.
After 70 minutes the gig is over. The next day we get autographs at the Fnac in Les Halles. A chance to tell them they should come to Vienna!
What did I love most? Just to see them again. Enjoy to watch them enjoy and celebrate music. They are honest, friendly and just great performers!
I loved the lighting. it was simple, never distracting, reduced to maximum three colours a song, not too many strobes. Unfortunately I can't say anything about the projection on the screen behind them, but I think it was black and white mostly.
Also it was a great crowd in there! People seemed to be there to LISTEN and enjoy LISTENING not just getting drunk and simply be out at a gig...
What is left to say?
WE WANT MORE!!!!!