Saw the Wax Tailor concert in the news a few days ago, and it reminded me how lazy I've been about updating the blog. No, not lazy, just really really preoccupied.
Anyway, H and I went to see Wax Tailor at the Grand Rex on the first week of November. (My first concert experience in Paris was "Stomp" last September, as a first wedding monthsary date.) I'd only seen the Grand Rex once before, we drove by it to avoid traffic, but I always wanted to inspect the building because of the history behind it. It reminded me of the beautiful rotting structures in old Manila that would never regain their former glory.
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| THE ICONIC FACADE Apologies for the bad resolution. I couldn't bring a camera because we took the scooter. So unless indicated, these are all cellphone photos. |
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| RELICS OF A BYGONE AGE This is one of the chandeliers hanging in the foyer, next to the snack stand. The building was designed by architect Auguste Bluysen and the Moroccan-inspired interiors by decorator Maurice Dufrene. |
The Grand Rex is the biggest cinema and music theater in Paris, built in the art deco style popular in the 1930s, when it opened. During the Second World War, it was a German soldier's theater.
According to H, it was here that the glitzy Parisian fashionista set invented 70s disco glam as popularized by the movie Saturday Night Fever.
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| This could be a scene in an RKO movie... I wish I dressed up 40s style :) |
The main theater seats 2,750 people. We sat in the 4th row. Back in September, the ticketseller at the FNAC said we were lucky because we got the last 2 seats available, and great seats at that!
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| Imagine watching a movie with this many people! |
We sat so close to the stage... it was a pity I didn't bring a good camera :(
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| Wax Tailor and his turntables were at the center of the stage, while around him the Mayfly from Rouen played orchestral trip-hop. Guest singers came and went, depending on the song. |
The interiors are almost unreal.
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| This is my attempt at being artsy. See the shadow of a rapper and a Grecian statue wrestle. (*snicker*) |
The clash between classy and kitschy inside the auditorium hasn't changed much from when it opened in the first half of the last century...
But the faux Venetian interiors, the fake vines and palm trees, and the ceiling with sparkly lights that mimicked stars must have impressed many back in the day.
But what impressed us most was the show. I have some friends (rockstars in their own right) who want to become DJs, and I get it, I want to look cool with half a headphone on my head too. But this man, Wax Tailor, really knows his stuff. He reminded me of The Avalanches when H first let me listen to the CD. And the Mayfly Orchestra really rocked it hard.
Watch this, it's the encore performance. I think we're in the video, H's cellphone would be in the front, a little on the left, filming.
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