Post by davidhr on Jan 26, 2010 13:23:05 GMT -5
A busy week for Lara, full of expected and unexpected events…
As expected, Lara continued her concert tour this past week, with the first show at Lyons on the 21st. The ambiance was described very differently by different people, ranging from very warm to cold. Unexpectedly, the set list was somewhat abbreviated: 5 songs were cut, starting with the “Medley dessins animes’, and also ‘Babacar’, ‘Do You know’, ‘L’amour existe encore’, and ‘J’ai besoin de parler’. When asked why, Lara replied that she is not a superhuman, and needed to conserve energy. Although members of her team indicated that she was not feeling well, she did not actually look sick, and was described as moving well; and while vocally she was apparently not at the very top of her form, many people reported themselves pleased, overall. An on-line review of the concert was very positive; with a small picture, it can be found at:
www.leprogres.fr/fr/vos-loisirs/concerts/article/2605894,1159/Lara-Fabian-aux-anges.html
One highlight that all agreed on was the dedication Lara gave to the people of Haiti with her performance of Humana. A video collage of it is available on youtube at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaV90U48m28
The next concert was in St. Etienne on the 22nd, and this was reported to be much better – very good ambiance, Lara in excellent vocal form, and if the concert was still abbreviated, at least it was not unexpected and people took it in stride. Some pictures are available (it may be necessary to search for Lara’s name) at:
picture.belga.be/belgapicture/editorial/all/quick-search.html?page=1
On the 23rd, Lara was in Clermont-Ferrand, and if the ambiance wasn’t quite as warm, the show still got excellent reviews, both from fans and an on-line report.
It would appear, as suggested by one of the fans, that Lara has concluded that a 2 hour 20 minute concert is too much for her to give every night; the versions this past week were closer to an hour and a half. Her choice of what to cut seems somewhat debatable: Lara herself had said ‘J’ai besoin de parler’ was one of her favorites, and had gotten great reviews from fans. Perhaps the fact that it is not actually on TLFM made a difference. Cutting the song by Celine Dion makes some sense since there didn’t seem to be any accompanying hologram. But removing one of the few songs from EWIM (‘Do You Know…’) is an odd choice. What fans complained most about, of course, was the omission of the ‘Medley dessins anime’. Since it had been the subject of ridicule – as well as adoration – some fans thought that Lara was once again bowing to her critics. It is, however, 10 minutes long, and if one truly wants to make a dent in the running time, it would have to be either that or the ‘Medley anciennes’ of her ‘greatest hits’. One wonders whether these songs will return for the DVD filming, that fans expect to take place at the concerts in Belgium in March (see below).
In the ever-changing world of Lara’s concerts, the show in Angers on March 20th has been cancelled (and not just moved, as it had been from its previous date of December 10th). And alterations continue for the February concerts in eastern Europe: the Moldavia date has been cancelled, replaced by one in Armenia on the 20th (and Lara has added two concerts in Tel Aviv, Israel for the end of March). Lara has been averaging between 1500-2000 people for her recent concerts, which is not bad considering the multiple venues, so how much of this is economics, and how much schedule/health is not known. Of the many public relations deficiencies Lara’s team exhibits, not explaining to fans why concerts have been changed/cancelled seems to irritate them the most, especially because it almost always ends up costing them money one way or another. Nathalie on the official site actually responded to this topic, saying that Lara isn’t responsible for the bookings or their changes, and besides, concerts are moved, not really cancelled. Neither response has proven acceptable to fans – Lara could at least express some sympathy for their plight - and the latter explanation, as shown by just the latest example given here, is clearly not true.
‘Farfallinaline’ reported on the official site that at the concert in Lyons, she and her friend spoke with a member of Lara’s team, who confirmed to them that the DVD will be filmed at the March 8th concert at Forest National in Belgium. They were also told that the live DVD and CD will be ready for release by the end-of-year holidays. There is a question as to how the holograms would come out in such a presentation, or whether the technology exists to create a 3D effect without actually having a 3D TV. As with all such plans, we shall see…but they would make wonderful presents!
As noted above, Lara has been dedicating her performance of Humana at the recent concerts to the relief effort in Haiti. Universal music (and Chrstina in the thread for last week's news update) reported that the song Lara will be providing to the album to be released on January 29th will be TLFM (the one song from the album TLFM that she has sole rights to). She did not, however, appear on the telethon this past Sunday, perhaps due to her concert schedule. Lara also did not show up for 'La Fête de la chanson française' program last week, perhaps for the same reason.
Also in the ‘expected’ category, Lara’s appearance on “L’Ecole des fans” aired during the week, with ~6 year old children singing Lara’s songs. This was Lara’s third appearance on such shows over the years, and like all the others, it was the essence of cute/charming. The songs they chose were primarily Lara’s classics, although one child sang ‘Soleil soleil’. [IMHO, Sacha was the best!]. For some reason the girls all brought gifts for Lara, while none of the boys did. Lara herself provided a lip-synched version of “Toutes les femmes en Moi”. The video is available on NABBOX.
In the completely unexpected category, as noted by Christina in the thread for last week's news update, out of the blue the official site on their welcome page started playing an extract of a dance-beat English version of the single TLFM (called EWIM). We got more of an explanation of what that was all about in a telephone interview Lara gave on ‘Radio Axe Sud’ last evening. Apparently, ‘to do something funny’, Lara called Dave Aude, who is known for remixing songs, and asked him to remix both the French and an English language versions of TLFM (he had let her know that he was interested). The results, ‘dance record’ versions, were to Lara’s liking, and the songs will now be released to both French and US radio stations, respectively, very shortly. Both remixed versions can be heard on the larafabian news web site (now at http://www.larafabiannews.com); and the US remix is already on youtube.
One would have to say this represents perhaps the most surprising news of the year so far, for almost more reasons than one can count. First, who knew there even was an English language version? It was not on EWIM, for which it would have been highly appropriate, so either it is a new idea, or was licensed to Universal and therefore could not be included. Furthermore, Lara has often said when referring to ‘I Will Love Again” that dance music is not in her register – so why has she now opted for dance music remixes? [ChartsinFrance.net, in a fit of pique, said that Lara’s doing this proved she has no artistic identity.] And a US release? Is Universal (if it is Universal) trying to push Lara for the US market (perhaps in preparation for Mme. Zhivago)? Fans have commented on its overall similarity to “I Will Love Again” in beat and texture, although the theme is obviously very different (very feminist, as was the French version, of which it is not a direct parallel). One suggestion fans have made is that the EWIM single (not the remix) may actually be a cut from Mme. Zhivago, representing one of the 11 songs. Another suggestion (or dream) is that perhaps the remix will be added to EWIM for a US release. Regardless, 2010 is definitely starting out to be a wild year for Lara! The photo for the single can be found at:
i13.servimg.com/u/f13/11/23/20/87/remix10.jpg
Also in the ‘Radio Axe Sud’ interview, Lara indicated that her upcoming album will be released in September. Maria on the Russian site reported that Igor Krutoi has said that “Mme. Zhivago” will be released in the April-May time frame. One explanation for the apparent discrepancy is to suppose that the spring release is for Russia, and the fall release (after the summer holidays) is in France. We have already heard several cuts from the album, but Maria explicitly pointed to another song, called “Mama” (#7 on the list given previously, about the death of a mother during time of war as her baby is born). It was presented at the private concert for Russian President Medvedev and got a great reception. Finally, she said that there will be 3-4 “expensive” concerts to take place in the Kremlin in Moscow during November, with new holograms (Charles Aznavour, Piaf, and the Russian Muslim Magomaev, among others). All of this must obviously go in the ‘wait and see’ category that governs anything involving Lara, and it also makes one wonder what the status of the “Mme. Zhivago” movie is – it was supposed to be released along with the album, and clearly won’t be ready by the spring (if Lara is still supposed to be in it). The information Maria reported is said to have come from Agapov, the producer, further muddying the waters.
Lara indicated on the radio show that she is satisfied with the sales of TLFM, which jumped 32 places to 111th in France this past week (perhaps the result of Lara’s recent TV appearances). It will be interesting to see whether the remix of the TLFM single influences sales, even though that (faster) version isn’t on the album. She also repeated that ‘Victor Victoria’ is not in the cards for the foreseeable future.
In other news, ‘veryfriendly’ on the official site reports that he has started an ‘all Lara, all the time’ radio station that can be accessed from his blog, at:
toutlarafabian.blogspot.com/
Just click on the desired song. Great idea.
Lara will be on the Belgian radio show “A vous de voir” on February 1st. It is to be broadcast on ‘Vivacity” and will be available on the web (http://www.vivacite.be/emissions/avousdevoir/index.htm)
This coming week Lara’s concerts continue with 4 performances in the next 4 days, starting at Dijon tonight. We will see whether the abbreviated song list has now become the norm. The album in support of AIDS will also make its appearance this coming week. And maybe the dance remixes will hit the radio stations. Interesting times...
David
As expected, Lara continued her concert tour this past week, with the first show at Lyons on the 21st. The ambiance was described very differently by different people, ranging from very warm to cold. Unexpectedly, the set list was somewhat abbreviated: 5 songs were cut, starting with the “Medley dessins animes’, and also ‘Babacar’, ‘Do You know’, ‘L’amour existe encore’, and ‘J’ai besoin de parler’. When asked why, Lara replied that she is not a superhuman, and needed to conserve energy. Although members of her team indicated that she was not feeling well, she did not actually look sick, and was described as moving well; and while vocally she was apparently not at the very top of her form, many people reported themselves pleased, overall. An on-line review of the concert was very positive; with a small picture, it can be found at:
www.leprogres.fr/fr/vos-loisirs/concerts/article/2605894,1159/Lara-Fabian-aux-anges.html
One highlight that all agreed on was the dedication Lara gave to the people of Haiti with her performance of Humana. A video collage of it is available on youtube at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaV90U48m28
The next concert was in St. Etienne on the 22nd, and this was reported to be much better – very good ambiance, Lara in excellent vocal form, and if the concert was still abbreviated, at least it was not unexpected and people took it in stride. Some pictures are available (it may be necessary to search for Lara’s name) at:
picture.belga.be/belgapicture/editorial/all/quick-search.html?page=1
On the 23rd, Lara was in Clermont-Ferrand, and if the ambiance wasn’t quite as warm, the show still got excellent reviews, both from fans and an on-line report.
It would appear, as suggested by one of the fans, that Lara has concluded that a 2 hour 20 minute concert is too much for her to give every night; the versions this past week were closer to an hour and a half. Her choice of what to cut seems somewhat debatable: Lara herself had said ‘J’ai besoin de parler’ was one of her favorites, and had gotten great reviews from fans. Perhaps the fact that it is not actually on TLFM made a difference. Cutting the song by Celine Dion makes some sense since there didn’t seem to be any accompanying hologram. But removing one of the few songs from EWIM (‘Do You Know…’) is an odd choice. What fans complained most about, of course, was the omission of the ‘Medley dessins anime’. Since it had been the subject of ridicule – as well as adoration – some fans thought that Lara was once again bowing to her critics. It is, however, 10 minutes long, and if one truly wants to make a dent in the running time, it would have to be either that or the ‘Medley anciennes’ of her ‘greatest hits’. One wonders whether these songs will return for the DVD filming, that fans expect to take place at the concerts in Belgium in March (see below).
In the ever-changing world of Lara’s concerts, the show in Angers on March 20th has been cancelled (and not just moved, as it had been from its previous date of December 10th). And alterations continue for the February concerts in eastern Europe: the Moldavia date has been cancelled, replaced by one in Armenia on the 20th (and Lara has added two concerts in Tel Aviv, Israel for the end of March). Lara has been averaging between 1500-2000 people for her recent concerts, which is not bad considering the multiple venues, so how much of this is economics, and how much schedule/health is not known. Of the many public relations deficiencies Lara’s team exhibits, not explaining to fans why concerts have been changed/cancelled seems to irritate them the most, especially because it almost always ends up costing them money one way or another. Nathalie on the official site actually responded to this topic, saying that Lara isn’t responsible for the bookings or their changes, and besides, concerts are moved, not really cancelled. Neither response has proven acceptable to fans – Lara could at least express some sympathy for their plight - and the latter explanation, as shown by just the latest example given here, is clearly not true.
‘Farfallinaline’ reported on the official site that at the concert in Lyons, she and her friend spoke with a member of Lara’s team, who confirmed to them that the DVD will be filmed at the March 8th concert at Forest National in Belgium. They were also told that the live DVD and CD will be ready for release by the end-of-year holidays. There is a question as to how the holograms would come out in such a presentation, or whether the technology exists to create a 3D effect without actually having a 3D TV. As with all such plans, we shall see…but they would make wonderful presents!
As noted above, Lara has been dedicating her performance of Humana at the recent concerts to the relief effort in Haiti. Universal music (and Chrstina in the thread for last week's news update) reported that the song Lara will be providing to the album to be released on January 29th will be TLFM (the one song from the album TLFM that she has sole rights to). She did not, however, appear on the telethon this past Sunday, perhaps due to her concert schedule. Lara also did not show up for 'La Fête de la chanson française' program last week, perhaps for the same reason.
Also in the ‘expected’ category, Lara’s appearance on “L’Ecole des fans” aired during the week, with ~6 year old children singing Lara’s songs. This was Lara’s third appearance on such shows over the years, and like all the others, it was the essence of cute/charming. The songs they chose were primarily Lara’s classics, although one child sang ‘Soleil soleil’. [IMHO, Sacha was the best!]. For some reason the girls all brought gifts for Lara, while none of the boys did. Lara herself provided a lip-synched version of “Toutes les femmes en Moi”. The video is available on NABBOX.
In the completely unexpected category, as noted by Christina in the thread for last week's news update, out of the blue the official site on their welcome page started playing an extract of a dance-beat English version of the single TLFM (called EWIM). We got more of an explanation of what that was all about in a telephone interview Lara gave on ‘Radio Axe Sud’ last evening. Apparently, ‘to do something funny’, Lara called Dave Aude, who is known for remixing songs, and asked him to remix both the French and an English language versions of TLFM (he had let her know that he was interested). The results, ‘dance record’ versions, were to Lara’s liking, and the songs will now be released to both French and US radio stations, respectively, very shortly. Both remixed versions can be heard on the larafabian news web site (now at http://www.larafabiannews.com); and the US remix is already on youtube.
One would have to say this represents perhaps the most surprising news of the year so far, for almost more reasons than one can count. First, who knew there even was an English language version? It was not on EWIM, for which it would have been highly appropriate, so either it is a new idea, or was licensed to Universal and therefore could not be included. Furthermore, Lara has often said when referring to ‘I Will Love Again” that dance music is not in her register – so why has she now opted for dance music remixes? [ChartsinFrance.net, in a fit of pique, said that Lara’s doing this proved she has no artistic identity.] And a US release? Is Universal (if it is Universal) trying to push Lara for the US market (perhaps in preparation for Mme. Zhivago)? Fans have commented on its overall similarity to “I Will Love Again” in beat and texture, although the theme is obviously very different (very feminist, as was the French version, of which it is not a direct parallel). One suggestion fans have made is that the EWIM single (not the remix) may actually be a cut from Mme. Zhivago, representing one of the 11 songs. Another suggestion (or dream) is that perhaps the remix will be added to EWIM for a US release. Regardless, 2010 is definitely starting out to be a wild year for Lara! The photo for the single can be found at:
i13.servimg.com/u/f13/11/23/20/87/remix10.jpg
Also in the ‘Radio Axe Sud’ interview, Lara indicated that her upcoming album will be released in September. Maria on the Russian site reported that Igor Krutoi has said that “Mme. Zhivago” will be released in the April-May time frame. One explanation for the apparent discrepancy is to suppose that the spring release is for Russia, and the fall release (after the summer holidays) is in France. We have already heard several cuts from the album, but Maria explicitly pointed to another song, called “Mama” (#7 on the list given previously, about the death of a mother during time of war as her baby is born). It was presented at the private concert for Russian President Medvedev and got a great reception. Finally, she said that there will be 3-4 “expensive” concerts to take place in the Kremlin in Moscow during November, with new holograms (Charles Aznavour, Piaf, and the Russian Muslim Magomaev, among others). All of this must obviously go in the ‘wait and see’ category that governs anything involving Lara, and it also makes one wonder what the status of the “Mme. Zhivago” movie is – it was supposed to be released along with the album, and clearly won’t be ready by the spring (if Lara is still supposed to be in it). The information Maria reported is said to have come from Agapov, the producer, further muddying the waters.
Lara indicated on the radio show that she is satisfied with the sales of TLFM, which jumped 32 places to 111th in France this past week (perhaps the result of Lara’s recent TV appearances). It will be interesting to see whether the remix of the TLFM single influences sales, even though that (faster) version isn’t on the album. She also repeated that ‘Victor Victoria’ is not in the cards for the foreseeable future.
In other news, ‘veryfriendly’ on the official site reports that he has started an ‘all Lara, all the time’ radio station that can be accessed from his blog, at:
toutlarafabian.blogspot.com/
Just click on the desired song. Great idea.
Lara will be on the Belgian radio show “A vous de voir” on February 1st. It is to be broadcast on ‘Vivacity” and will be available on the web (http://www.vivacite.be/emissions/avousdevoir/index.htm)
This coming week Lara’s concerts continue with 4 performances in the next 4 days, starting at Dijon tonight. We will see whether the abbreviated song list has now become the norm. The album in support of AIDS will also make its appearance this coming week. And maybe the dance remixes will hit the radio stations. Interesting times...
David