Live Review : Paris (France), June 21th, 2008

Parc des Princes

((The biggest TH show so far... excluding festivals and the Champ de Mars mini set that wasn't just theirs.))

Numbered seats are gold. We had the whole afternoon for us before going to the show, like in Dortmund. Quite a treat, compared to Bercy or other French shows. I wonder why they don't do it more often. I booked early so I had a fairly good seat, though a bit high and a bit too much on the stage side. So I couldn't see Gustav directly, or the effects "inside" the stage.

On the other hand, I had a view on the passage leading from the stage to backstage, where we first spotted the opening band leaving after their set. Then later we saw a familiar black mane, a cap over dreadlocks, l'Oréal long hair and a blonde buzzcut escorted by Men in Black. Cue our square of fans schreiing like mad, and them waving hello in return (well, you're not going to concerts to be dignified and rational... not to TH concerts anyway).

Opening band : BP Zoom

For once they had an opening number, BP Zoom, a French band of young guys, unknown of me. The music was okay, quite in the "line" of sound of TH (and loud). But the lyrics were... uh... Not my cup of tea.

I guess that's why I like my baby bands in German better. I do understand some of it without translation, and I also know the translations, but if the meaning doesn't do it for me, I can ignore it. It's harder to do with lyrics in French.

So if I recall, we got a song about Kate Moss's fall from grace, and one about wanting to boink the Plasticines (a Parisian rock band of 3 girls). The band held their own, and I was amused by the similarities in poses (and haircut) between the bassist and Georg.

The show

Surprises had been announced, but while I would have liked new songs or a different setlist, I didn't really expect it. For better or for worse, TH is a band that plays safe, especially for big occasions like that. So it wasn't a surprise that they started by Ich Brech Aus. The fireworks and loud BANGs were, though. I hope for the people in front of and on the stage that they had earplugs, because the music was already loud, but that nearly gave me a heart attack.

The pyrotechnics effects were kept for a few key songs, the "cult" ones for TH shows, so to speak : Ich Brech Aus then, as the opening number. Then Schrei, Leb Die Sekunde, Wo sind eure Hände, and the ending song - always An Deiner Seite (which means that since I already have on video a bazillion times, I first opted out to record most of them. And then turned on my camera when I realized there were the effects. Duh).

I had a little moment of fear for more sound problems like in Dortmund, when on one of the first songs (Ich Brech Aus even, I think?), Bill's voice shut down as he was trotting down the stairs.
But I think it was either a blind spot in the HF mic or him going out of breath... He did the same at some point of "Reden" at pretty much the same place, going down the stairs after teasing his brother, but in that case it was because he'd nearly missed a step. It must have made him lose his breath for a while (the fear of falling down 4 meters of stairs and crushing his skull mid-show would do that, I think...), or maybe laugh... I was too far to see.

Gustav surprised me by wearing a big grin during the whole of Leb Die Sekunde, instead of his usual focused "business is business" look. Bill seemed to be exhilarated throughout the whole concert *pat pat*. Between the heat of that sunny day, the special effects flames, and giving his full for the show, his make-up started trailing soon after he got on stage. Georg and Tom looked equally happy, but also had to adjust to the stage. It had the same configuration as the other 1000 Hotels tour shows, except twice bigger. So they had to plan their moves a little ahead to place themselves for the key moments, and not run out of breath after a while.

It was especially obvious when they walked / ran all the way to the end of the central catwalk, that went very far into the crowd. On Durch den Monsun, the silent bridge was a little longer, due partly to that I think, and to Bill seizing the sight of the crowd and... grinning like a kid under a Christmas tree. But he slowly walked down the stairs, then to the beginning of the catwalk before the other ones started playing again. And even then, he had to run longer strides to reach the end of it at the usual timing.

Georg and Tom's similar discreet manoeuvres to catch up with Bill at the end of An Deiner Seite to prepare the final amused me equally. But as always, I can't watch them performing that song without feeling the love, and sharing that with a stadium of 30 000 people was grand.