Madonna's concert tickets for sale!

I would think that in the age of the Internet, people who bought tickets to a concert they finally cannot attend would sell them on ebay or post a note in a music forum...I was wrong! The old techniques are still around, like sticking a little paper ad on trees in busy streets saying "I have two tickets to the Madonna concert to sell" with a telephone number. I don't know if they managed to sell their tickets, but I thought it would make a funny photo ;) BTW, the tree is a platane (plane tree) like many of the trees you find in the streets of Paris.

Swinging in Paris!

I was walking around the Saint Germain area today when I came across a fantastic band who was playing in the street. I couldn't help but stop to listen to them for quite a while (and contribute to their "paycheck" for the day...). I also found it interesting to capture an ad for a Bach concert in the background... They have a funny name - The Buddy DiCollette Band - and they can be hired for any type of event. I would really recommend them. I know most of you are far from here, so why not pay a little visit to their Myspace page?

Fête de la musique 2008

OK, you may think it's not very original to post a photo of the Fête de la Musique as you probably experienced it yourself in your own country (if you look at these posters, you'll see that it took place in more than 100 places all over the world). You may not know, however, that it was "invented" in France (by Jack Lang, a former French culture minister) in 1982. Principle? Very simple: on June 21 (which is also the longest day of the year in the north hemisphere) everyone can play music in the street, in gardens, places... or churches' backyards like in this photo, that I took near Saint Séverin church. It looks like the virgin Mary too, is enjoying La fête de la musique!

Madonna's private concert

Guess who saw Madonna in a private concert at the Olympia hall last night?! Not me... But a few selected guests and some lucky listeners to the French radio station NRJ, who won some of the few seats available! I spoke to her agent and he said she might show up at the PDP picnic (I just posted some additional info in the forum BTW), but would not be able to stay too long (she has a concert in London soon, you know...). I asked him to make sure she'd bring a bottle of wine and some sausage. ;-)

Rap at the Opera!

On Saturday, I was on the Place de la Bastille when I suddenly heard "noise" (OK, music!) coming from the steps of the Opera. Nothing like a bel canto aria, but... something that sounded more like rap. You know me... I grabbed my camera and started shooting. It looked more like the set of a video clip to me than an actual performance, but what I can tell you for sure is that the refrain went "trop vénère" which means "Très énervé" (very upset/angry) in slang. I'll let you know if this band becomes famous. PS: before you ask, the blurry effect is 100% natural!

A little music for the weekend?

In Paris there are classical and choir music concerts almost every night. These concerts are often given by good amateur - or semi professional - musicians who like to perform in front of an audience and cannot afford to rent big concert halls nor to advertise. That is why most of these concerts take place in churches and are simply promoted with bright posters like on this photo. It's a simple shot but I like the colors and the dirty old wall!

Piaf, the musical

After I saw Tomate's yesterday post in the forum about the Edith Piaf movie with Marion Cotillard I noticed that they are currently having a musical about her at L'Olympia, one of the most famous music halls in Paris. I haven't seen it and I won't because I don't feel too comfortable about this. I can hear the producers say "hey, the film was a big hit, let's do a musical now!" Maybe I'm being too French! Anyone has seen it? Is it good?