*My first gig and travel of 2007 began with a weekend in Paris.*This trip was my third to Paris since last Fall and I was looking forward to a weekend away from home with some easy music from a band I enjoy but don't worship, in other words 'no pressure'. We took a cheap train into the Capital to see Peter Bjorn & John at the hobbit hole venue, "La Maroquinerie":http://www.lamaroquinerie.fr, Saturday night.*Holiday for Strings*Swedish band "Holiday for Strings":http://www.holidayforstrings.com/index.htm was already playing once we reached Gambetta. I headed towards left of stage (my preferred place) and saw the impressive crowd already forming, the others chatting in the upper tiers with pints in hand.I have to share a few pet peeves I have about concerts.1/ Tall people that stand in the front blocking everyone under 6 feet tall.2/ People that talk throughout a performance, loudly.3/ Camera phones and cameras that flash and levitate for each song. (The new lighter??)For some reason, I felt that the group in front of me were going to be a pain in the ass and I was right...more on that later.__Holiday for Strings__ is a quartet made up of a drum machine, synth, guitar and vocals. I liked there opening sounds with heavy beats and rock-electro tinged harmonies but I wasn't moved to claim any big revelation. They're a wonderful first act and are great with the crowd (which is more than I can say with "my Under Byen experience":http://mog.com/LadyC/blog_post/23121). I appreciated that they set up their own gear which is very rare.Sipping my pint, I looked around to see the audience mostly made up of 20-30 year old hipsters (International and French). I smiled. This was going to be a fun gig because their anticipation and enthusiasm for PB&J was equivalent to their carefree Uni lifestyle in Paris.Tall guy 1 & 2 continued to block all the poor ladies standing near me who were shorter than I am (5'5)!My mate J. ventured out to get us another pint.Tall's camera flashed.*Intermission & Foreshadowing*As the lights came up and the __Holidays__ crew were dismantling, the crowd grew. Petite women were shoving and pushing proudly and I was all for their plight even if it meant a few kicks to me. One in particular was so fiery I had to ask the Tall ones' friends to inch over. They stood left of stage but had a metre of space to go to so I figured it wasn't a big deal. All the while my mate was still waiting for beer while being harassed by the English speakers at the bar!I slipped back into French and asked the girl with Tall-y if she could move a little to the empty space. She said, "We don't like being by the speakers so I can't move". I looked at their tall-ass clan and said kindly, "Not even 2 cm?" She obliged just by switching her stance and as grateful as I was, I couldn't understand how people like this could get such a good spot. I always share my place the best I can but wait...more later.The pints arrived, the show began.*Peter Bjorn & John*
The small venue was packed and it was time for PB&J.Tall's camera flashed.Immediately, I noticed that Peter was the performer in comparison to his shy bandmates, with Bjorn Yittling on guitar/bass and John Eriksson on Drums.The set, consisting mostly of their 3rd album 'Writer's Block', was sprinkled with an enthusiastic sing-along, foot guitar playing, lots of dimply smiles and a great live rendition of 'Young Folks' with Bjorn on second vocals.Most memorable other than the great YF single were __Amsterdam__ and __Start to Melt__ sung by Bjorn and John respectively, and beautifully. The timid two were complimentary to Peter Moren's hyperactivity. Tall guy 1 talked throughout Bjorn's performance as the singer shot him a perturbed look for his rudeness. He continued talking.Tall's camera flashed. Twice.I didn't stay for the encore as I was exhausted from lack of sleep and warped internal time zone wars so we headed back. Why am I always exhausted by the time I get to this famed little Paris Venue?It's unfortunate that I had a difficult time appreciating the show with my neighbors and trying not to be an asshole by making things worse. The thing is, they didn't care about me or any other person behind them. I think that when you normally seek out smaller shows and bands less popular according to venue and city, your prone to be shocked by a mass audience's behavior or that lack of community and genuine appreciation for being at a concert...but that's not always the case I know.I'd like to think that I have had the luck to catch many shows, in many places, that were so exceptional because of the people and music that I now get easily shocked...and spoiled.Tall's camera flashed. (Just kidding!)*Next up, DJ Krush and My Brightest Diamond in February.*
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