Sunday, June 22, 2008 – That Special Night

Each year, on the longest evening of the year, the summer solstice, it's the Fête de la Musique in Paris.  It started there. Lots of free concerts everywhere and amateur and professional musicians perform in the streets – sometimes all night long.  Our Man in Paris, Ric Erickson, editor of MetropoleParis, covers it this year – for those of us elsewhere who remember it and do miss being there.

Paris: Saturday, June 21 - After a lot of hesitation the clouds went away and the temperature hiked up to 30 and it did this for the one day a year that is the longest, and is the host for the Fête de la Musique. Around here when it is like it was tonight in setting sun lines up perfectly with the rue Daguerre and blast down it until it drops into the Atlantic. Add a shot of low sunbeam to the music.

This afternoon I was up the hill, as my number two son Max put it. He kept saying it was warm and he kept looking for a pharmacy sign for proof. The one he finally saw said 30.5. Then he wilted. But first to the Monoprix where he found his beloved 'Monster Crunch' and then all was well with life.

He had the ribs at the Penguins. I had the 'brick of salmon' that wasn't but it was good enough. The last of the clouds were playing cache-cache with the sun's projected show - its one a year projection - but as we ate on the sidewalk the dim street was getting brighter and brighter, until we finished and it was set up, giving strollers half block-long shadows. Down it went and so did we.

It looked good at the Nagère. The set up in front of the post office included a serious-looking Roland piano, guitars, full-kit drums and other mysterious equipment and the musicians were pinging the strings and sipping beers. Around the corner the band at the Quinze was in full decibels. Zango was rocking, so was the Enfer, and there was more rock in a tent outside the Monoprix. Max is sixteen so we had to see all there was at Denfert, which was taking up the whole place with its Ricard bandstand. One of those colossal stages meant to make the fans feel like little folks. Was pro sound though.

Back up Daguerre the group in front of the post office must have been resting so we kept on going, crossed Maine and wandered down Didot to the small place with the cafes. They had beer pumps outside and some more hard rockers under a tent. The kids loved it. Technical chores seemed to be under the control of Radio France.

We took the lane but there was nothing happening in Thermopyles - next weekend it's their turn - and at Losserrand the Metro cafe had another rock band in front. Lady drummer, African on the congas, three guitars and a tiny girl singer with iron lungs. A good singer. Red light all over from the neon, lots of folks, half were watching the football match on TV. Played a long set, started before we arrived and still going when we left. The congas guy took over the drums while the drummer had a drink.

Back to L'Imprevu and they were still rocking, the kids still twirling, the moms still tapping and sipping and the lights still flashing. They don't test musicians for steroids, do they?

Went back to Daguerre and the cafe with the disco was still rattling nearby apartment windows. But the crew at post office were on another break. We had a drink - we earned it - and there was an African with a guitar in the street with a crowd helping him out. One guy, with a participating audience of thirty. Over at the Quinze it sounded like Brazilian.

A little girl was tapping the drums of the post office outfit. I urged her on. At the next corner jazz was tinkling out of the club there. There was a kitchen chairs in the middle of Daguerre, meant I guess, to warn drivers that the street was full of folks waiting to find out if the post office crew could play that Roland.

Cool that chair. In New York there would have been 50 cops making sure we weren't misbehaving, and we were doing the traffic control with a chair. A little boy sat down on it as if to show that it was meant to deter the meanie drivers but a taxi came along so I moved it. The car before just drove around it.

What with the spectacular sunset, with the quality of what I heard, with the immense crowds out in the warm air, I think it'll be remembered as a Fête de la Musique that really was a fête. One of those rare accidents that makes Paris magical.

~ Ric

Text and Photos Copyright © 2008 - Ric Erickson, MetropoleParis

All text and photos, unless otherwise noted, Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - Alan M. Pavlik