Post by davidhr on Sept 29, 2009 12:24:39 GMT -5
Obviously, the big news this week was the opening of Lara's 2009-2010 tour 'Toutes les femmes en moi font leur show', at the Forest National in Brussels. I've tried to encapsulate the general comments provided by those in attendance, below, but much of it will already be familiar due to the wonderful review and subsequent answers that have already been posted by dvlp90, in the thread to last week's update (thanks a lot!).
'Show' was the appropriate name for this entertainment event, with holograms, semi-skits, pictures flashed on the screen, in addition to a concert that lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. Lara's voice was in prime form, as is evident in the videos that are available on Youtube. She entered through the audience singing Mamy Blue (a bit reminiscent of her singing 'La Difference' on the 'Nue' tour). The backup singers were represented by holograms on a screen; additional holograms show Catherine Lara siting at a piano, Lara with her mother carrying flowers for Nana Mouskouri, Maurane for a virtual duet of 'Ca Casse'. On hand were Lara's father and mother, Gerard, Justine Hénin (who recently announced her return to professional tennis), Mauranne, and Lara's best friend Nathalie (who along with Lara's fans, was the subject of the song 'Wind Beneath My Wings').
Many full descriptions of this event are available on the web; in addition to that by dvlp90, another interesting one in English was put on the official site by Bralo20 (who also provided the best videos), see concert chronicles, 25/09 Forest National, p. 7. The tracklist (already provided by dvlp90) was (approximately):
1)Mammy Blue 2) Soleil Soleil 3) J'ai douze ans 4) Gottingen 5) Amoureuse 6) Medley (Pas sans toi, Tout, Je t'aime, J'y crois encore, Silence, S'en aller, Immortelle, Alleluia) 7) Humana 8) La difference 9) Il venait d'avoir 18 ans 10) Medley (Maya l'abeille, Tom Sawyer, Les Stroumpfs, Les Barba papas Inspecteur Gadget, Bouba, Casimir, Au pays de Candie, Capitaine Flamme). 11) Babacar 12) Nuit Magique 13) Message Personnel 14) Do You Know Where You're Going to (Theme from Mahogany) 15) Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered 16) Wind beneath my wings 17) L'amour existe encore 18) Ca Casse 19) TLFM 20) L`hymne a lamour 21) J'ai besoin de parler; 22) Adagio
True to her word, all the songs from TLFM were represented, in addition to 'J'ai besoin de parler' (which is an unofficial '15th' song from TLFM, originally sung by Ginette Réno). A few songs from EWIM were also presented.
The show got great reviews from those present, both for its innovative techniques and Lara's performance. Of particular note was her exceptional singing of 'Adagio' - once again, if anyone doubts that her voice has the same range and power it had when the first English album was released 9 years ago, one can quell them by watching the video of this performance available on Youtube.
The Medley done featuring characters from her childhood received some ridicule in the press, specifically on Yahoo news, although it was then picked up elsewhere
new.fr.music.yahoo.com/blogs/avatar_de_stars/44263/mais-que-fait-lara-fabian-/
The criticism was way off base; since this was a show dedicated to those singers who have influenced her from childhood on, having a set featuring songs that kids sang while she was growing up seems perfectly appropriate. The reader response on Yahoo news attacked the reviewer ferociously, saying, in essence, that Lara seems to be able to avoid taking herself seriously, while the reviewer obviously can't. It's not clear whether the reviewer thought the whole show was done that way - hard to believe - or whether this is just one more example of the extreme views, positive and negative, that follow Lara around. Videos of this medley are also available on Youtube.
Other comments on the (slightly) negative side: Lara didn't really interact with the fans that much, nor did she move much from the center of the stage. People were not allowed to approach the stage, so no flowers could be handed up. One drawback of technology is that it can distance you from the audience if you're not careful, not only conceptually but because of the computer timing, leaving less room for spontaneity. Despite such limitations, a number of people spoke of how moved they were by Lara's dedications to the various singers (e.g., Dalida, to whom Lara has often been compared), so it was not lacking emotional content.
Missing from the performance were "Demaine n'existe pas" and "Lou", the two songs we know of from the upcoming original album done with Igor Krutoi. Their absence, at least for the first show, suggests that the album will not be released any time soon, as Lara apparently doesn't consider this the time to promote them. [That may change in upcoming concerts, especially after the new year.]. However, the choice of songs may also have been dictated by the concept - Lara mostly concentrated on songs from earlier in her career, as part of the 'growing up' theme; there were none from 'Neuf', for example.
As far as EWIM is concerned, it was not sold at the concert, but cuts from it were heard by the audience as they entered and exited. Nathalie on the official site has indicated that the on-line 'boutique' will be available in the next two weeks - but has not said whether EWIM will be sold at that time. Since Lara said it would be available during the tour, and she presumably would not want the early audiences to lose interest in getting it, one would imagine it will be available sooner rather than later in one venue or another. [On the other hand - one wonders whether there are copyright issues - is this an official 'Universal' album? Does Universal have to approve its release? Lara is not a free agent as far as releasing material for sale is concerned…]
Although EWIM wasn't available, other objects that are likely to find their way into the boutique were, including the program, a calendar (for 2010), key case (with Lara's photo), lighters, pens, a TLFM pendant, tee shirts of TLFM, a TLFM bag, and posters.
The program has many nice pictures; one can see them, for example, on the Russian site (there were fans from Russia there) at:
www.lara-fabian.borda.ru/
go to News/Tour 2009-2010 and they're right up front. The program itself apparently cost 15 euros.
An interesting sidelight is that Forest National allowed pictures (without flash) and several people used their cameras/cell phones to take the videos available on Youtube. And - amazingly - the links for these Youtube videos were allowed on the Official site (despite its policy of still saying no videos are allowed). Welcome to the 21st century - the idea of prohibiting unofficial videos of Lara only serves to drive people from the site. Other artists believe that it wets the appetite for them, rather than quenching it. Perhaps Lara's people have just bowed to the inevitability of Youtube's existence for these unauthorized recordings (or are just slow to discover that they are being promoted on the official site!).
All-in-all, the show was so successful that another date at the same locale has now been added - for March 8th, 2010. Perhaps this might also be a date for filming it…☺
In other news, Lara's performance on 'Vos Chanteurs Preferes' was aired Saturday night. She performed 'Tu es mon autre' with Michael Gregorio and 'Toutes les femmes en moi' (lip-synching). Videos are available on Youtube. As noted last week, the truly unique aspect of this show was that Lara was wearing a short skirt, and showed off her legs (when was the last time anybody remembers seeing that?). In fact, her wardrobe appears to be evolving in general. In the Brussels show she changed outfits three times (though no skirts), again unprecedented - although Lara was also apparently trying to imitate the dress of some of the singers she was honoring.
Speaking of appearances, some nice pictures of Lara from the New Wave festival this past summer, are available at:
www.blog1max.com/blog.php?user=Koldun_dima_bilan¬e=37530
Lara appeared on the interview show 'La Traversee Du Miroir' on France 5 this past week. It was mostly a repeat of her previous answers concerning TLFM, with perhaps the greatest deviation being that she emphasized how important Nathalie's friendship is to her. A video is available on Nabbox.
The single TLFM is now being played by several radio stations in France, including Cherie FM and of course France bleu. TLFM the album has dropped to 73rd in France. We'll see how much of a boost it gets from Lara's upcoming tour, not only the concerts themselves, but all the publicity surrounding them.
This coming week Lara has three remaining shows in Belgium (starting tonight), before moving onto France the weekend after next. We will therefore quickly learn how much variation there will be from one concert to another. But it's fair to say: this first concert appeared to live up to or exceed all expectations, a very good omen for the coming days.
David
'Show' was the appropriate name for this entertainment event, with holograms, semi-skits, pictures flashed on the screen, in addition to a concert that lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. Lara's voice was in prime form, as is evident in the videos that are available on Youtube. She entered through the audience singing Mamy Blue (a bit reminiscent of her singing 'La Difference' on the 'Nue' tour). The backup singers were represented by holograms on a screen; additional holograms show Catherine Lara siting at a piano, Lara with her mother carrying flowers for Nana Mouskouri, Maurane for a virtual duet of 'Ca Casse'. On hand were Lara's father and mother, Gerard, Justine Hénin (who recently announced her return to professional tennis), Mauranne, and Lara's best friend Nathalie (who along with Lara's fans, was the subject of the song 'Wind Beneath My Wings').
Many full descriptions of this event are available on the web; in addition to that by dvlp90, another interesting one in English was put on the official site by Bralo20 (who also provided the best videos), see concert chronicles, 25/09 Forest National, p. 7. The tracklist (already provided by dvlp90) was (approximately):
1)Mammy Blue 2) Soleil Soleil 3) J'ai douze ans 4) Gottingen 5) Amoureuse 6) Medley (Pas sans toi, Tout, Je t'aime, J'y crois encore, Silence, S'en aller, Immortelle, Alleluia) 7) Humana 8) La difference 9) Il venait d'avoir 18 ans 10) Medley (Maya l'abeille, Tom Sawyer, Les Stroumpfs, Les Barba papas Inspecteur Gadget, Bouba, Casimir, Au pays de Candie, Capitaine Flamme). 11) Babacar 12) Nuit Magique 13) Message Personnel 14) Do You Know Where You're Going to (Theme from Mahogany) 15) Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered 16) Wind beneath my wings 17) L'amour existe encore 18) Ca Casse 19) TLFM 20) L`hymne a lamour 21) J'ai besoin de parler; 22) Adagio
True to her word, all the songs from TLFM were represented, in addition to 'J'ai besoin de parler' (which is an unofficial '15th' song from TLFM, originally sung by Ginette Réno). A few songs from EWIM were also presented.
The show got great reviews from those present, both for its innovative techniques and Lara's performance. Of particular note was her exceptional singing of 'Adagio' - once again, if anyone doubts that her voice has the same range and power it had when the first English album was released 9 years ago, one can quell them by watching the video of this performance available on Youtube.
The Medley done featuring characters from her childhood received some ridicule in the press, specifically on Yahoo news, although it was then picked up elsewhere
new.fr.music.yahoo.com/blogs/avatar_de_stars/44263/mais-que-fait-lara-fabian-/
The criticism was way off base; since this was a show dedicated to those singers who have influenced her from childhood on, having a set featuring songs that kids sang while she was growing up seems perfectly appropriate. The reader response on Yahoo news attacked the reviewer ferociously, saying, in essence, that Lara seems to be able to avoid taking herself seriously, while the reviewer obviously can't. It's not clear whether the reviewer thought the whole show was done that way - hard to believe - or whether this is just one more example of the extreme views, positive and negative, that follow Lara around. Videos of this medley are also available on Youtube.
Other comments on the (slightly) negative side: Lara didn't really interact with the fans that much, nor did she move much from the center of the stage. People were not allowed to approach the stage, so no flowers could be handed up. One drawback of technology is that it can distance you from the audience if you're not careful, not only conceptually but because of the computer timing, leaving less room for spontaneity. Despite such limitations, a number of people spoke of how moved they were by Lara's dedications to the various singers (e.g., Dalida, to whom Lara has often been compared), so it was not lacking emotional content.
Missing from the performance were "Demaine n'existe pas" and "Lou", the two songs we know of from the upcoming original album done with Igor Krutoi. Their absence, at least for the first show, suggests that the album will not be released any time soon, as Lara apparently doesn't consider this the time to promote them. [That may change in upcoming concerts, especially after the new year.]. However, the choice of songs may also have been dictated by the concept - Lara mostly concentrated on songs from earlier in her career, as part of the 'growing up' theme; there were none from 'Neuf', for example.
As far as EWIM is concerned, it was not sold at the concert, but cuts from it were heard by the audience as they entered and exited. Nathalie on the official site has indicated that the on-line 'boutique' will be available in the next two weeks - but has not said whether EWIM will be sold at that time. Since Lara said it would be available during the tour, and she presumably would not want the early audiences to lose interest in getting it, one would imagine it will be available sooner rather than later in one venue or another. [On the other hand - one wonders whether there are copyright issues - is this an official 'Universal' album? Does Universal have to approve its release? Lara is not a free agent as far as releasing material for sale is concerned…]
Although EWIM wasn't available, other objects that are likely to find their way into the boutique were, including the program, a calendar (for 2010), key case (with Lara's photo), lighters, pens, a TLFM pendant, tee shirts of TLFM, a TLFM bag, and posters.
The program has many nice pictures; one can see them, for example, on the Russian site (there were fans from Russia there) at:
www.lara-fabian.borda.ru/
go to News/Tour 2009-2010 and they're right up front. The program itself apparently cost 15 euros.
An interesting sidelight is that Forest National allowed pictures (without flash) and several people used their cameras/cell phones to take the videos available on Youtube. And - amazingly - the links for these Youtube videos were allowed on the Official site (despite its policy of still saying no videos are allowed). Welcome to the 21st century - the idea of prohibiting unofficial videos of Lara only serves to drive people from the site. Other artists believe that it wets the appetite for them, rather than quenching it. Perhaps Lara's people have just bowed to the inevitability of Youtube's existence for these unauthorized recordings (or are just slow to discover that they are being promoted on the official site!).
All-in-all, the show was so successful that another date at the same locale has now been added - for March 8th, 2010. Perhaps this might also be a date for filming it…☺
In other news, Lara's performance on 'Vos Chanteurs Preferes' was aired Saturday night. She performed 'Tu es mon autre' with Michael Gregorio and 'Toutes les femmes en moi' (lip-synching). Videos are available on Youtube. As noted last week, the truly unique aspect of this show was that Lara was wearing a short skirt, and showed off her legs (when was the last time anybody remembers seeing that?). In fact, her wardrobe appears to be evolving in general. In the Brussels show she changed outfits three times (though no skirts), again unprecedented - although Lara was also apparently trying to imitate the dress of some of the singers she was honoring.
Speaking of appearances, some nice pictures of Lara from the New Wave festival this past summer, are available at:
www.blog1max.com/blog.php?user=Koldun_dima_bilan¬e=37530
Lara appeared on the interview show 'La Traversee Du Miroir' on France 5 this past week. It was mostly a repeat of her previous answers concerning TLFM, with perhaps the greatest deviation being that she emphasized how important Nathalie's friendship is to her. A video is available on Nabbox.
The single TLFM is now being played by several radio stations in France, including Cherie FM and of course France bleu. TLFM the album has dropped to 73rd in France. We'll see how much of a boost it gets from Lara's upcoming tour, not only the concerts themselves, but all the publicity surrounding them.
This coming week Lara has three remaining shows in Belgium (starting tonight), before moving onto France the weekend after next. We will therefore quickly learn how much variation there will be from one concert to another. But it's fair to say: this first concert appeared to live up to or exceed all expectations, a very good omen for the coming days.
David
