Day 8: Le Ferrailleur/ Nantes/ France

Day 7: Le Nouveau Casino/ Paris/ France

The next day we rise bright and early, full of energy from the good rest we had in our wonderful hotel. How great it is so wake up and know you are in Paris! Sorry to all of the guys who got left behind in their bunks in the nightliner, but I am happy to get a long and good sleep.

We head over to the venue to meet up with everyone and give directions to Matti, Kobi, Matan and Uri who want to visit the grave of Jim Morrison at Pere Lachaise cemetery. This famous site is only a short walk from the venue, that is one of the benefits when you are doing a show in Paris.

Meanwhile the crew gets busy in the Nouveau Casino to prepare for the evening and I set up the merchandising in a small corner of the balcony. Still lots of fans managed to find me there during the evening.

When I stick my nose out the door for a second, I see there is a queue forming in front of the venue, even though it’s raining. Tonight’s show is sold out and the poster outside reads: “sold out, no tickets at the door”.

As the doors open and the crowd pours in I spot some familiar faces like Zen Two, one of the duo of artists who drew the calligraphy artwork for the album. Also Philippe and Severine from Holy Records, who get a big thank you from the band. Kobi explains during the show that they were the ones who discovered the band and then they play El Meod Na ala and Seasons Unite in a special version dedicated to them.

It is a great evening to meet up with friends and make new ones. Finally I get to meet the Champeaux family who are all big fans of Orphaned Land and with whom I only had internet contact up till now. At the merchandise stand I speak with many fans, one of them an Algerian who is in France for holidays. He really wants to buy a shirt of the band, but is afraid he will get in trouble for it when he gets back to his country. Finally, he tells me “I don’t care, I will buy the shirt and only wear it at home”. Now that’s the spirit! Another guy is wearing an Orphaned Disciples shirt- thank you for your support!

The show in turning into one big party. During the song “Norra el Norra” Kobi invites the crowd to jump and it seems for a moment that even the walls are dancing to the rhythmn of the song, also the chandeliers dance on the ceiling. O la la! What an evening, I wish it would never end.

After the show we  go out for a bite with some friends.We keep it simple, because there is a show in Nantes planed for the next day and we all need a rest after such an eventful day.

Thank you Paris!

Day 6: travel day to Paris

The morning after the show at the Besancon festival we start the long drive to Paris. Some rest during the drive and some catch up with work. We draw up a plan of what to do once we arrive in Paris. In the evening Yannick will join us and be our guide in the City of Light as he knows it well. Matti has a request to visit the Eiffel Tower as there was never time before to do it when the band was in Paris and according to him: “You have not been to Paris if you have not seen the Eiffel Tower”.

On our way to visit the icon of France, we stop by at the Rue de Rosiers, which is the heart of the Jewish quarter of the city. Of course we have to eat humus, shwarma and falafel since the Israelis miss the food from back home.

We make our way through the city by metro and get out to walk through the Marais (trendy quarter) to the last stop of the evening.

A broad smile lightens Matti’s face as he finally gets to take a picture with the steel giant. Instead of Kobi, who had to stay in the bus and give his voice a rest, we took the mascot of the tour with us. He poses for us like a professional.

After Matan, Uri and Matti bargain with the men selling souvenirs it is already time to get back to the bus and take a good rest because the sold out show in the Nouveau Casino promises to be a hot and exciting one.