Bernard Lavilliers committed the Francofolies de la Rochelle – Le Figaro

The singer presented a singing tour to political and poetic accents in the French music festival.

absolute record holder in the number of crossing the Francofolies, a close friend of its founder Jean-Louis Foulquier now defunct Bernard Lavilliers could not settle for an ordinary concert as part of the 32nd edition of the festival, which s’ opened on 13 July.

Since its debut in a Grand Theatre that was rarely seen as full, Bernard Lavilliers imposes a minute of silence for the victims of the bombing of Nice, which occurred 24 hours earlier. “I do not tell you either,” he said, his throat tight with emotion. black leather pants, red shoes, white hair, Lavilliers was impressive among the four multi-instrumentalists who are his live band. This Friday, July 15, it has previewed a show that will be a dozen performances in September. This is back from a stay in Brazil as the favorite fighter of the French song had the idea to revisit its Powers album, released in 1979. A year before mainstream success of Stand O Gringo and the Ghetto tube the Stéphanois devoted a concept album, as it was called, the “power of religion, money, women -. or their inability to exercise” a manifesto for disk-like punches, which finds in the current context, a staggering news. Without retouch the texts, the singer changed the arrangements. The jazz-rock colors of the original disk, which will be reissued on September 16, were abandoned in favor of more timeless colors.

While the song is engaged confined to the margins, Bernard Lavilliers manages to captivate his audience for over an hour and a half with lyrics written there nearly forty years. A challenge raised by this artist masterfully become an institution over the years. If it has sometimes taken the side of caricature bourlingueur blindfolded biceps, Lavilliers camp today, almost 70 years, the figure of a vigilant and alert wise. The themes that make up the first face Authorities have not aged. Vulture on, it compares US multinational bankers to the vultures of the same name who live in northern Brazil. “The future is a dead dog under furniture,” he sings, with nihilistic accents that echo the future number of English punk rock of the late 1970s

In addition to those of the Powers album Lavilliers brought together the most committed songs of his repertoire. Or three tracks from his album The Stéphanois, 1975 ( “The great tide,” “CIA,” “The Extraordinary Adventures of banknotes”). But also radio tubes 1980 as On The Road Again or Black and white and its unforgettable chorus “Music is a cry that comes from within.” “I created this one in La Rochelle in 1986,” he recalls. And above Stand the Ghetto, who popularized reggae in France and made Lavilliers a popular singer. “It is also a political song, you know” is he fun. The Golden Hands, disillusioned chronic unemployment, is dedicated to his father “party paradise of communists there almost a year.” After the applause of an audience of impressive fervor Lavilliers resumes Is this how men live, word of Aragon set to music by his master, Léo Ferré.

A from 22 September tour. October 7, Salle Pleyel, Paris (eighth).