SO! It's now actually been quite some time since the show but I'll at least enumerate some of its memorable moments and or elements, in chronological order:
-Before they came on, the stage hands set up a gazillion balloons all over the place - I said to myself, this is going to be good.
-There were 18 PEOPLE ON STAGE. From what I read there are really 29, and whoever's on stage is just whoever could make it to that show.
-If someone wasn't playing an instrument, he or she was probably doing one of the following: dancing, hand gestures to accompany the words, hopping, blowing balloons, throwing confetti, taking pictures and/or video of themselves or the crowd, and definitely sweating.
-During "Oversleeping" after a few extended cries of "Daaaaamn" that are in the song, Emanuel says, "Let's try the French version.... Merrrrrrrde" and the crowd loves it!
-"Rec and Play" periodically transitions into a kickass version of "Like A Prayer" that god knows the entire room shouted along to!
-They keep throwing a seemingly endless supply of confetti at us
-They offer a kazoo to someone in the crowd and bring her up to do the honors in "Chicken Pox" (ohhhh I love that song)
-They announce: "Triple Stage Dive!" and three of them come flying over us
-Emanuel says they're going to end the concert with a question. I knew he would then ask us, "Have you ever felt that nothin's ever going your way?" Everyone swayed their arms left and right... We all knew everything was going to be ok! ("Ola Kala".)
-They come back on stage after barely a few seconds, saying "We just really want to play some more, is that okay?"
-Someone throws a plastic trumpet into the crowd as a gift
-The encore is just as long as the main set!
-They take turns blowing up huge black balloons and bringing out glowsticks - DANCE PARTY ensues!!! One of the guys sets up his laptop on a table in the middle of the stage and just works it, while everyone else goes nuts and distributes the fluorescent jazzy glowy dance accessories
-The floor is SHAKING...
-The encore ends, and we're so in love with them and unsatiable that the whole room sings "Na na na na na na na na na na na...." (<-- okay, the variation really doesn't translate written) (from the song "We're From Barcelona) again and again in unison - it really was amazing. I took a video of the immense room behind me packed with people all chanting together at the top of their lungs. I've never seen anything like this before!
-Clapping, stomping!
-They come back for one more!
-They leave... and respond to our continuous screaming and cheering by coming back for one more! These guys are just having so much fun they don't want to leave. After the show, Zach and I look at each other, huge grins on our faces, eyes wide, drenched in water the band threw at us and sweat. Our legs are about to give way from jumping up and down. We get over the period of quiet astonishment and start raving about all of our favorite elements of the show. Zach's expression of nonchalance or "Um, dancing? No way." has vanished. We got the chance to talk to a couple of the guys on the way out to the merch table, which was also manned by all band members. After telling them this was the best show I'd been to, one guy says: "You know what? I think it was our best show too!" and says the crowd here in Paris was just so great, it pushed them to it. We finally exhale a little and get outside, the club people having kicked us all out, and what's right outside the door but a little group of three of them and a ukelele, singing on the street to a little circle of people that remains - the party never ends! Wow, writing all this is bringing it all back - it was hands down the most fun I've ever had at a show, and probably just plain the best one I've been to. I'm so glad Zach got to see it and have a great time too! DEFINITELY check them out if you ever get the chance. There's a great interview of the lead singer Emanuel that I found here, and a brief description of all 29 members with clever nicknames on their website here.
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