Last Tuesday Placebo offered a crazy concert at the AccorHotel Arena, JustFocus looks back on this long-awaited event.
An entry that meets our expectations
After a 20-minute intermission, the lights finally go out, hearts start to leap in our chests, breaths are cut, voices start screaming, they arrive…
And yet, it is not really them who open the ball, Leonard Cohen's face appears on the big screen while Who by Fire fills our ears, in the end, his dates of birth and disappearance appear before fading gently in absolute respect.
This is where the giant screen turns on again. The first notes of Every Me and Every You display a smile on all lips while our eyes remain dazzled on his clip with aged images, no doubt, a leap in time awaits us. But again, still no Placebo. It is on the drum notes of a Pure Morning that the group will appear, under the raging cries of a crowd in love.
An ageless concert and a moving thought for David Bowie
The band will chain the hits to the delight of their fans on what Brian will later call "the melancholic section". We will share among others a Loud Like Love inhabited, a Soulmates heavy with meaning, a Special Needs that seems to twist our guts, a tortured Devil in the Details and, the icing on the cake, a 36 Degrees very far from its usual speed, a divine slowdown where even breathing becomes futile, some images of the clip pass on the giant screen, No doubt, time has frozen and seems subjective.
Enthroned at the center of the emotion, a familiar face appears. David Bowie. He smiles. He smiles and laughs backstage with a Brian Molko who shares his laughter. These images, we know them, and yet, without even realizing it, we also smile, tears in the corners of our eyes, it is Without You I'm Nothing that resonates between the room and our souls.
A silence is made, the room screams to break its voice, the feet drum to shake Paris, the hands redden under the applause, and it is indeed a Brian Molko moved to tears who can no longer find his words that we have in front of us … "Thank you Bercy… "
But at a birthday, we dance, it's the rule!
… He will tell us before continuing the show under more rhythmic airs! They will then follow For What It's Worth, Nancy Boy, Bitter End, Slave to the Wage as well as a Special K frantically shared with the audience while everyone dances to each song.
We let ourselves be carried away by the music, by our memories of the discoveries of the first albums, we even close our eyes sometimes, for one or two seconds, the time to let ourselves be completely invaded by the music with this impression of being alone in the world with the band.
And then the whole room goes black, is that really the end? Nothing comes on except the hundreds of lights of fans illuminating Bercy with their technological fireflies sliding from left to right.
And it's back. A second reminder. Three notes. That's what was enough to ignite an entire room. Running Up That Hill fills our bodies and hearts as the singer's voice seems to penetrate our skin through every pore. "If I only could / I'd make a deal with God / And I'd get him to swap our places" he will sing with his eyes raised to the sky.
Pure emotion as the show will stop with an inspired Brian Molko who will share a live mix of several sounds from elsewhere before descending into the pit accompanied by Stefan Olsdal.
A birthday celebrated with dignity where crossing the ages was not illusory, a beautiful promise proudly kept for a group that, we hope, will return to celebrate its 30 years of career.
The anniversary tour is not yet over and you can find the band in Lyon, Lille, Dijon and Toulouse in April 2017!
