Par : FrF.Kmeron, 19-03-2010 - 15:06

Paddy’s day. 4 years ago I was there, sweet ireland. 4 years ago one of my irish roomie gave me a can of beer before going to bed on the 16th of march and said « hey frenchy, here’s urs’! » me « errr wha? why? waiiii…whaaaa?«  brian -who actually was in the kitchen- « tomorrow’s paddy’s day frenchy, first thing we AAAAAAllll gonna do before even putting a toe out of da bed will be to chug it«  me « errrr well, maybe i’ll give it a try yeah -i was so diplomatic back in those days gosshhhh-, but i’m going to see the parade you know » « owww come on frenchy, not this touristic thing! » « you might have forgotten, but i do am a tourist ahah » « fair enough, we’ll see each other in one of the temple bar venue for some pints then » [we eventually did, but more in rathmines]

4 years later, i’m in another country, doesn’t mean i don’t think ’bout it, quite the opposite actually, but what better way to remind me how great this emerald island is than to talk about one of the artist i for sure wanted to see the most, The Swell Season, aka Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Irish of course -or adopted, jus’ like the way i was-, discovered in the movie « Once » -recorded while i was there-, and 2 albums later, i could see them… and i wasn’t disapointed -to say the least-..

The movie is a typical sundance one, shot in like 2 weeks, but full of honesty and typical dublin moments, we all recognise Grafton street, the HMV near St Stephen’s green, the typical colors of the Dublin Bus and all… and everything seems so honest and true (twas probably!).  The first album of The Swell Season being all about the birth of this love between Glen and Marketa, it will be part of the way for us to understand why this nite was so special.

But before seing them tonite, support act is Josh Ritter, here, once again, an incredible artist, American but adopted by the main act of tonite. He grew and gain some fans while touring and learning in Ireland. And frack he can write, was just blown away by this smile, those lyrics, this moment where he just went out of his mic and start singing out loud, in front of 1800 people, and that was just a priceless moment. Those moments reminded me once again why i do love music and concerts so much, because from time to time, incredible shared by only a happy few moments come to life. And THIS was one of those for sure.

Could barely breath after this, him, like naked in front of us, no lie, no cheat, pure talent and happiness… [Want to have someone saying something even close to that when looking at my pics some day, probably one of the best word you'll ever be able to tell me, that you really just felt something because one of my photo, bc it just talked to you like it rarely does. Not have the guts to say that someone will ever feel like that, but we never know about the future, and that would be something quite beautiful to hear, ill probably say a shy "thank you", but deep inside, ill be really honored...]

Then going on with another mind-blowing moment… Josh made the AB goes blackout during his song « Annabelle Lee« , like pitch black inside, weird but full of sensations and senses slowly emerging, ur just listening to the story of this boat, while ur eyes are slowly gettin’ the habit of the dark and start seeing things like shadows and all.. already earned my evening, loosing one of ur sense you know, makes u think about how lucky you actually are to be able to see, to hear those artists, to feel the hand of ur loved one, to be able to walk… thinking that it’s all those thoughts and moments that makes u overcome the difficult moment you might have, tired as hell, heartbroken or physically in pain. You thought it was just black, but it was way more than that just black…

And that’s precisely what i would be grateful for, because 4 years after paddy’s day in Dublin, i’m seeing and shooting Irish acts, and i’m still standing, by myself, on my feet. Not as strong as i used to be, but standing nonetheless. For that simple thought that nite, Sir Ritter, I do say thank you, i’ll be there when you comes back in spring and fall like you promessed.

Then it was time to actually being happy to be here, and get ready to live something you know. Not just being at a gig, but feeling glad we are here, even at 1800… Seeing those smiles on and out of stages, whispering the lyrics, thinking about things when we here some words from this stage… and what a start!Lights are still on, Glen comes on stage, [and as for Josh] goes bare naked, no mic, to show us what would sum up the nite « Say it to me now » gives instant goose bumps to everybody, feeling this nite will be quite something, i know why i’ve waited for them so long, and why i wanted to share that moment, i will enjoy every bit, simple words, big thoughts, heart stopping for a bit.

♫ « I’m scratching at the surface now/ And I’m trying hard to work it out/ So much has gone misunderstood/ This mystery only leads to doubt/ And I didn’t understand/ When you reached out to take my hand/And if you have something to say /You’d better say it now » ♫

Damnnnnnnn…. i do like one hundred gig per year (averagely and if i keep doing so many), that’s why i can confess that yes, it is impressive, it’s not like many other concerts i’ve seen, we’re here altogether because at some point, some songs talked to us. The whole band comes on stage, The Frames, the first band of Glen, and Marketa, like shy and all, coming next to the front stage mic, Glen stopping her just to show that he needed a little bit of help and let her actually tune the string for him, ahah, so real, so simple, so cute, so lovely argghghghhggghgh  =D and we were going for almost 2 hours of songs, talks and reminders of how sometimes we’re talking about something without even really talking about it, just by acts, facts, looks, signs, smiles…

I’m just glad to be here, tomorrow, it will be the end of my 1st year as a concert photographer, my 1st photo pass was for Bob & Lisa as a try out for a small flamish webzine after like only 15 gigs shot. A year later, i can now say that 3 of my pics have been published in the special edition of the « Good city for dreamers » cd of General Elektriks. And what a nice sum up it is. 4 years ago, i started from nothing, learning alone in my hotel room in ireland where i just arrived that i had a genetical disease that will destroy my backspine in some years, harsh to understand, to bear, to think about it when ur only a 25 years old.

Now it was the time to do a step back after those 4 years, those 5 countries i did in the meantime, and realise what i have achieved, and this band made me realise how grateful i can be, for being who i am, what i am, how i live and how surroundedi am… For all of that, those songs gives a whole new meaning to my daily issues.

♫  »You were restless/ I was somewhere less secure/ so i went running to the road/ and so now there’s a long list of places i was/ i quit my rambling and came home/ cause maybe i was born to hold you in these arms » ♫

That’s why i really wanted to share this evening, [plan did not eventually went how i was expecting -to say the least-] but there is some shots and those words, less powerful and probably meaningless compared to the level of  happiness that could have been showing on my face, that would be my memory of this evening just for me, a true genuine smile, laughter, sore throats (and maybe a couple of tears for some reasons). It was probably not difficult to shoot, but bc i was more living the moment than focused on knowing where and when to shoot more than anything else, i know i could have taken so much more portaits… but overall it did make nice snaps : )

One year of pictures, 4 years from the beginning of this blog and the start of my celtic side, a pretty good way to say that, as is « strict joy », the 2nd album of The Swell Season, it’s time for some changes. After the birth of love on the 1st record, it is time to show the time where the relationship fades out and eventually comes to a breaking point.
I might be at a breaking point, unwilling to want to know what the future is made of.. Will i stop taking concert snaps? maybe, at least i know i’ll have lived fully into this hobby, and so many memories, one day once again I wont be able to deal with it anymore, the exact reason why I don’t count the hours or tiredness, im at 150% for the time being, while I can, while it last, while it does makes sense…. And it does when i look at the stage, looking at how much of an accomplice they are one for the other, i see those relationships do exist and aren’t supposed to go badly after all… You gotta be used to live with the other as he is, good or bad moments, happy or depressed, smiling or shouting, living far or too oftenly at ur place…. This is just babble for a lot of people, but it does make sense when you know me…

Looking at all of this, i know i might be at my 2nd record, the breaking point on some things that are here and around for some years now, unclear, unknown, unreal… Are the photos i take the reflect of what i saw or how am i feeling the moment i take them? probably a little bit of all of that, but undoubtfuly there is some thing going on in the air.. not sure i want to close the book to this, end of an ear, end of a love, end of a part of me, might be the time, might not, but how can we know before really closing it. At some point there will be the opening of the next chapter, not really sure what it is made of, we’ll see how everything goes, if once again everything can fit in without any issue at all…I’m just like that broken guitar he’s having for so long, an habit, it doesn’t sound than any guitar, he like it, he loved it, but after all it’s a part of who he is, of what made him this red hair that all those people are watching, but what if the guitar is actually also happy about being seen, sung from, cuddled with such words and all… what if… a string broke someday, would that be the same guitar?

In the meantime, « Falling Slowly » on stage really comes with that time where ur throat seems small, no more saliva, barely some air going through it, breathtaking, the things I did want to share the most for the last couple of years probably, that one moment, bc i know it would mean that much to me, bc i have images of that beer handed by m roomie in me head, some dance moves from london - »i like the way you move » would she say-, the « don’t you dare roll ur eyes at me », the « sangha », the « i don’t see you this way », the « go on behind the drums don’t be afraid », the « door from the night’s butterfly is always open » pops in my head… and my head is about to explode with all this tsunami of unexpected emotions and moments that did actually meant so much while being so small when played in real time…

♫  »I don’t know you/But I want you/All the more for that/Words fall through me/And always fool me/And I can’t react/And games that never amount/To more than they’re meant/Will play themselves out » ♫

There is like many other artists I actually want to see live someday, as for their music as for all the memories that goes with them, one down, half a dozen to go, when time and opportunity comes i will appreciate those as well, cause tonite, i might have decided to turn the pages on some chapters, 28 and becoming an adult maybe, or not, just thinking about some things in my life, and i don’t denie them, i just think i can go to the another level, or adjust the path let’s say… as would say someone in the crowd in answer to one of the story of the guys on stage « Fuck the moon! », yeah, let’s say that, with a big bright smile on ur face, an angry gesture upthere, fuck the moon!

We would eventually sing « Back Broke » that nite, and it just totally makes sense right now, the other song that i wanted to share that nite.

Coming home, thinking, dreaming, aching, but always me, smiling and happy as always, those 1461 days have changed a lot of things, physically and mentally, i’m still the heavy weighted frenchy that some are almost afraid to put a hand on the shoulder, but deep inside, i’m still the same old cranky happy and full of qualities Vince to the eyes of some. I love my life, end of a chapter, let’s start to write or take snaps to illustrate the next one, because after such a first chapter, the sequel can just be even better than all of those moments, there would have just been some slights changes in the way, almost unnoticeable for many, but they’ll be here.

♫   »back broke and dancing/ cause you’re here/ beside me/ Cause you’re here/  hear with me/ back broke and happy/ cause you’re near/ nearer to me » ♫

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