“It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday”… It is with this chorus, covered from Boyz II Men, that the CocoRosie clique last got the packed Ariane venue dancing. But the finale was far from tearful, quite the opposite! All the evening’s players were on stage to sing the melody loudly to a decidedly hip-hop tempo. The atmosphere was warm and familial until the last note, then a wave of applause escorted the New Yorkers backstage. Exiting, one could see nothing but smiles ear to ear on the faces of a still enchanted audience. And rightly so! It’s hard not to fall under the spell of the Casady sisters and their bewitching music.
Yet the evening had begun timidly to the bare sound of Danielle’s ukulele with lyrics from The Little Prince. With a high-pitched voice, the singer from the band Rio en Medio delivered a few melodies that resembled nursery rhymes before accompanying and then making way for Quinn Walker. He, a true one-man band, gave a complete demonstration of his talent and originality with his ethereal samples and his art of playing the electric guitar while also resounding his percussion. An artist we are certainly not done hearing about…
After that, the members of CocoRosie took to the stage, already to the ovation of the public. The two sisters, Sierra and Bianca, displayed their usual contrasting looks, one the epitome of a Barbie doll, and the other in sneakers, baggy pants, and a cap. The music started, and we were immediately reminded of how this contrast is synonymous with artistic complementarity for these ladies. With her operatic voice, Sierra sang the first verse of the evening, followed by Bianca’s smooth and playful voice. Revealing a new style in their third and latest album, “The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn,” the band set a firm hip-hop rhythm assured by Tez and his beatboxing prowess. And the songs followed one after another, with classics like “Beautiful Boys” or “By Your Side”. The instruments multiplied, now a harp, now toy sounds, not forgetting the snake charmer’s flute, all accompanied by piano, synthesizer, and even guitar on the track “Good Friday”. What an atmosphere!
Romain Vigna thus put on quite a show to close this season at Lino Ventura and, as he said, “music moves forward in Nice”, and it’s well known that he’s significantly contributed to that. See you after the summer for the 2008-2009 program, which we hope will once again be vibrant.
