Véronique Sanson at the Nuits du Sud: Nice-Bahia in First Class

Last week, the immense Véronique Sanson came to shine with her talent at the Nuits du Sud festival in Vence. An unforgettable performance, filled with rare emotion. As is her custom, France’s most rock’n’roll pianist took her audience on a true musical epic, spanning nearly 50 years of her career.

Before diving fully into the subject, it seems essential to me to go back a bit to the exceptional career of this piano diva. Véronique Sanson is not just a simple talented musician, composer and performer, Véronique Sanson is also a rock’n’roll and romantic life, begun 77 years ago in Boulogne-Billancourt and lived at full throttle ever since, between France and the United States, for better or worse.

It is also 14 albums, all gold or platinum records, three music awards, numerous distinctions, such as Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, collaborations with the greatest artists, a sentimental life that is passionate and sometimes tumultuous and destructive, but also a constant struggle to keep the shadows of addiction at bay. Free and untamable, she managed to transcend all trends to impose her inimitable style, a sort of classy French pop mixed with jazz and rock.

Balancing on a tightrope

The fateful moment finally arrives, people are pressing forward and trying to make their way to the stage, impatience is palpable, nervousness even grips some festival-goers, worried about the health of their favorite singer (a severe respiratory infection reportedly recently affected her). Here we go, the lights go out, breath is held and suddenly, the musicians take their positions.

After a few moments of confusion, a discreet silhouette appears, a frail vessel on an ocean of groovy and funky rhythmics characteristic of the song: “Bernard’s Song (he is from nowhere).” The gait is graceful but never hesitant, we were a little worried for her, as she seemed to be balancing on a tightrope, but when the moment came to pick up the guitar, doubts vanished. She plays her rhythm solos beautifully in echo with her lead guitarist.

Then comes the flagship song from the album “Le Maudit”, the very bluesy/rocky: “On m’attend là-bas” (They’re waiting for me there), the beauty lets loose. Then she announces “Les hommes” (Men). Fist raised to the sky, she will confess with a certain pride that at 77, for her, men are finished and that she is: “a fulfilled single woman”, before turning to the male part of her audience and touching our hearts with this declaration of love in the form of renunciation: “Men, I have nothing against you, I loved you so much.” A heart that loved men so much that it suffered their darkest sides, notably her affair with Stephen Stills, against a backdrop of drug addiction and domestic violence.

Some would have harbored eternal resentment, even hatred for the male gender, but Véronique Sanson is anything but an angry feminist, she does not live in antagonism but in communion. Touching and visibly at peace, more than ever in the truth of the moment, she disarmed us with her kindness.

After blues, funk and rock, it is tango and classical music’s turn to join the party with “Je me suis tellement manquée” (I missed myself so much), a confession that echoes her American exodus. A perfect link for the next song, the very peaceful: “Sans regrets” (Without regrets), before one of her most beautiful songs, the moving: “Amoureuse” (In love). The shadow of the late Michel Berger is not far away either, she will share her life for six years, before disappearing one “fine” morning after going to get a pack of cigarettes.

Which comes just right, as she is about to cover the hit: “Chanson sur une drôle de vie” (Song about a funny life), made famous by the film: “All That Glitters.” A true anthem to life sung by heart by an audience heated white-hot. A contagious happiness that will soon spread throughout the festival.

The party ignites

What follows is the very Corcovado-esque: “Alia Souza/Salsa”, like a concerto of tropical birds, intoxicating as a sunset over Rio Bay.

We will also be treated to the unmissable: “Rien que de l’eau” (Just water), a song that Mr. Nougaro certainly would not have disowned in his Nougayork period. A real force emanates from this song, the use of brass already, but once again, through the prism of her libertarian aspirations, she manages to personify water to make it appear as a strong and salvific goddess. She will take advantage of the momentum of this song to let loose a bit and go commune with her musicians.

The time to part now seems imminent, the band takes their leave leaving their conductor alone on stage to perform the final songs. As if it were obvious, she will begin with “Ma révérence” (My Bow). An impression of strength and serenity emanates from her, literally inhabited by her art. As soon as she reconnects with her instrument, the dove becomes a lioness and her chords electrify. The weight of the years further accentuates the tragic side of the lyrics, like an old soul that has wandered far too long on the surface of this Earth.

Then comes the last song, the much-acclaimed: “Bahia”, the final song for a last waltz, clearly one of the most beloved by fans. A true ode to letting go and the communion of bodies, it emanates an almost erotic candor, the velvet of her voice still intact and that so characteristic vibrato stick perfectly to the song’s aesthetic. She will also adapt the lyrics to the situation:

A smooth landing

In the heart of an unforgettable summer evening, albeit scorching, we had the extreme privilege of feeling that famous rain from another planet. At the twilight of a dazzling artistic life, this great lady sent us the last rays of a creative sun that we would never want to see go out. A big thank you to the Nuits du Sud festival for inviting this legend of French song, but above all, a huge thank you to her, to she who has known a thousand lives, for gracing us with such a beautiful and moving performance.

Aurélien Maccarelli