How exciting it was to wake up to bright blue skies in Paris this morning! James planned for us to take advantage of the good weather by going for a big walk, and that’s just what we did. After a delicious breakfast at the very popular La Pompadour bakery of coffee and tartines with butter and jam, we headed towards Montmartre which we approached from the north; it only took about half an hour. We arrived at the Place du Tertre which is just as busy as ever at the end of October, and had drinks sitting outside Au Cadet de Gascogne. It was lovely and warm in the sunshine. We were just across from the Clairon des Chasseurs where we had a brilliant lunch with Heather and Ewan in June, but it just didn’t feel right to go there without them! We walked to the Galeries Lafayette where we had lunch and bought some tasty treats as souvenirs. Onwards to the Tuileries Gardens via Avenue de l’Opéra. The gardens were pleasantly busy, and we enjoyed seeing the autumn colours on the trees.
In the evening we went to the main event of our trip; Bob Dylan at the Palais de Congrès. It’s a spacious and comfortable venue where the seating is tiered so we got an excellent view of the stage from Row Q. Mind you the people away at the back must have felt very far away from the action because there is no balcony so it just stretches back and back. As with the Cat Stevens concert our phones were locked in pouches so that we couldn’t take photos. I had received an email asking us to be in our seats by 7.30 p.m. because the concert would start promptly at 8. As we waited obediently in our seats, we noticed that much of the predominantly French audience were still filing in and slowly finding their seats as the minutes ticked by. With Gallic insouciance they were clearly in no hurry. At 8 p.m. on the dot the lights went off and Bob Dylan and his band started playing. There was quiet chaos and consternation in the aisles as the stragglers struggled to find their seats in the dark, which of course was now much more difficult. Bob Dylan started a bit hesitantly, turned more towards his band than the audience. He seemed to relax as the concert went on, and I enjoyed the songs, a few of which I recognised but many of which I had never heard, which isn’t surprising as I don’t know his music very well. Also it was very hard to make out the words, and the songs didn’t sound the way they were recorded. For example the second song was It Ain’t Me Babe which of course I do know, and although I thought I recognised some of the lyrics, the tune sounded so unfamiliar that it wasn’t until James confirmed it to me later that I was sure that it was supposed to be the same song! There was much playing of the harmonica. Bob didn’t speak to the audience at all, not even a Bonjour Paris, and as soon as he finished a song he pressed on with the next one. At the end when he left the stage (without a word of farewell!) the audience applauded wildly but the house lights came on after a few minutes, there was no encore. What did I think of the concert? Well it was exactly as I expected really, and although I wouldn’t rush to see him again I’m glad that I had the experience.
In the evening we went to the main event of our trip; Bob Dylan at the Palais de Congrès. It’s a spacious and comfortable venue where the seating is tiered so we got an excellent view of the stage from Row Q. Mind you the people away at the back must have felt very far away from the action because there is no balcony so it just stretches back and back. As with the Cat Stevens concert our phones were locked in pouches so that we couldn’t take photos. I had received an email asking us to be in our seats by 7.30 p.m. because the concert would start promptly at 8. As we waited obediently in our seats, we noticed that much of the predominantly French audience were still filing in and slowly finding their seats as the minutes ticked by. With Gallic insouciance they were clearly in no hurry. At 8 p.m. on the dot the lights went off and Bob Dylan and his band started playing. There was quiet chaos and consternation in the aisles as the stragglers struggled to find their seats in the dark, which of course was now much more difficult. Bob Dylan started a bit hesitantly, turned more towards his band than the audience. He seemed to relax as the concert went on, and I enjoyed the songs, a few of which I recognised but many of which I had never heard, which isn’t surprising as I don’t know his music very well. Also it was very hard to make out the words, and the songs didn’t sound the way they were recorded. For example the second song was It Ain’t Me Babe which of course I do know, and although I thought I recognised some of the lyrics, the tune sounded so unfamiliar that it wasn’t until James confirmed it to me later that I was sure that it was supposed to be the same song! There was much playing of the harmonica. Bob didn’t speak to the audience at all, not even a Bonjour Paris, and as soon as he finished a song he pressed on with the next one. At the end when he left the stage (without a word of farewell!) the audience applauded wildly but the house lights came on after a few minutes, there was no encore. What did I think of the concert? Well it was exactly as I expected really, and although I wouldn’t rush to see him again I’m glad that I had the experience.
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