1,088 musicians came to
"smash their instrument",
break their strings or break their voices: the Rockin'1000, the biggest group in the world, returns to the Stade de France on Saturday to celebrate rock.
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A few strokes of the wands and the magic happens.
The drummers of Rockin'1000, in rehearsal, enter into communion on the first notes of
Born to be wild
by Steppenwolf, cult title of the 60s and one of the 18 on the program of the show on Saturday.
The conductor Alex Deschamps, all in angry punches and
"headbangs"
(swinging the head in rhythm) characteristic of rock fans, seems in a trance.
Under his direction, 1,088 musicians, from the just major to the
"old man who saw the Beatles at the Olympia in 64",
came from the four corners of France, Italy and Germany.
"Rockin'1000 is a unique sound",
and above all
"a celebration of classic rock",
enthused critic Philippe Maneuver to AFP during a rehearsal on Thursday.
216 drummers at the rendezvous to
"smash their instrument",
166 bassists, 109 keyboards and 359 guitarists
"who brought their 100 watt amp",
the master of ceremonies stampede with impatience.
To the point of promising
"to arrive in a Harley Davidson"
on the scene.
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Initially, Rockin'1000 was a somewhat crazy bet launched by Fabio Zaffagnini.
"It started in 2015 with a video for the Foo Fighters",
of which he is a fan, he explains to AFP in the stands of the Stade de France.
In order to convince them to stop in his small town in Italy, he had the idea of bringing together a thousand rockers and playing
Learn to fly
, one of the group's most popular titles, in homage to Dave Grohl's band, former Nirvana drummer.
The clip
“goes viral,”
and the Foo Fighters answer the call.
The concept was born.
After a first successful experience in 2019 in front of 50,000 spectators, Rockin'1000 returns to the Stade de France, freed from the constraints linked to the pandemic.
Some participants like Damien Massonet, a 40-year-old computer engineer and one of the few five-string bass players in the collective, had planned for two years to take time off for the occasion.
“There may be one or two false notes!”,
laughs this fan of Trust delighted to
“scratch”
on
Antisocial
on Saturday.
“But we are ready!”,
he assures.
Stars and tribute
Betty Bouin, chopsticks in hand behind her boxes, is impatient at the idea of playing
Another World
of Telephone alongside Richard Kolinka, drummer of the French group which is to take part in the party on Saturday May 14.
But the 55-year-old Grenoble civil servant does not hide her preference for Matthieu Chedid alias M, present at the rehearsal and on the day of the show with a
“medley”
of his best-known titles.
Glasses with the image of her favorite artist on her nose, she says she is
"realizing a childhood dream"
after
"crying"
not to be in 2019.
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Others like Nicolas Ridel, 29, experienced the beginnings of Rockin'1000 in France.
Responsible for work during the week and
"drummer at the weekend",
he returned with friends he met on stage three years ago, wearing the same sombrero as at the time.
Despite the looming party, the concert on Saturday May 14 will also be a tribute to Taylor Hawkins, drummer of the Foo Fighters who died on March 25, 2022. Instead of
Learn to fly
, the 238 singers will sing
My hero
and his chorus that sounds as a farewell:
"There goes my hero, watch him as he goes"
.
“He was a great drummer,”
says Philippe Manoeuvre.
“We are going to pay homage to him with a special piece and I think he will be with us, he will be watching us, of course!”,
concludes Betty Bouin, brandishing her chopsticks.