In France, Popa Chuby's success has lasted since 1996. His physique is not forgotten, whether it appears on the covers of his twenty albums or on posters.
A strong guy, bald with tattooed arms, gray goatee: a face of
Tontons Flingueurs
.
This rough rock guitarist, who sings the blues with a cavernous voice, is so in love with France that he could well come and settle there.
There are his habits.
Both his guitar straps and his leather outfits are by Laurent Lepainteur, who works for French luxury houses.
Popa Chuby would not support a return of Donald Trump to the White House anyway.
The Parisians had an appointment with him on Sunday for the Parisian date of his annual tour.
His Olympia was, as always, packed.
Mostly a male audience.
At the bar, the beer was flowing freely.
The crowd included both senior executives and blues rock fans in checkered shirts and dark jeans with bandanas in the back pocket.
If Johnny Hallyday was still alive, he would have been there.
He loved New York City Blues, this rough, very rock style invented by Popa Chubby.
During an interview in
Version Femina
given a few years before his death in 2017, the only album he recommended was that of Popa Chubby.
Punctual, Popa Chubby is a 63-year-old New Yorker, humor included.
Darkness falls, Frank Sinatra's voice resonates in the Olympia.
A massive figure enters the stage to
Start spreadin' the news, I'm leaving today...
, the famous anthem of
New York New York
.
Hat, long-sleeved black and red striped t-shirt, dark satin vest, Popa Chubby draws her gold Fender Stratocaster while sitting on a small raised stage.
Three musicians, a bass guitarist, a keyboard player and a drummer surround him.
He launches a masterful riff, the drummer unleashes like Animal from the Muppet Show.
Popa Chubby makes the devil's horns sign with two fingers in the air and off we go for two hours of feverish rock and blues.
He has a sense of the stage and never goes unnoticed.
As rays of white light sweep across the stage, he begins with his long version of
Hey Joe
by Jimi Hendrix, of which he is
an “absolute fan.”
It must be a generational question: at the orchestra, few people film the concert with their cell phones.
The applause bursts out.
“Thank you, it’s great to be in Paris,”
he said.
This is far from being his first Olympia and although he is considered one of the best guitarists in the world, Popa Chubby is moved to be at the Olympia, where Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones and Miles have played Davies.
“I send my love, my respect to all these great musicians who made it possible for us all to be here this evening
,” he said.
And continued:
“I come from New York where we have the mafia!”
He throws his hat backstage and attacks his wild version of the theme
from Martin Scorsese's
Godfather (
Speak Softly Love
) and Quentin Tarantino's
Pulp Fiction
.
In homage to Carlos Santana, he launched into a drum duet with his drummer on
Soul Sacrifice
.
What follows is an astonishing version of
Somewhere over the rainbow
by Judy Garland, riff and drums version.
We think we recognize an Elvis Presley song but even his most discerning fans don't know exactly which one, as Popa Chubby creates versions that are far removed from the original.
No point in shazaming it while it's playing, the application on our cell phone is unable to recognize any of the songs played this evening.
The first part ends with the slow title
Hallelujah
against a background of blood-red lights.
Twenty minutes later, here he is again with
Have you ever loved a woman
then
Another ten years gone
and
Sympathy for the devil
.
He is sure
“the blues and rock will never die.”
Like Lou Reed, he
“takes a walk on the wild side....”
, the audience hums the refrain
“dou dou dou tou tou tou…”
The concert is nearing its end.
It’s time for his
“little brother”
to take the stage.
Applause explodes when we see Manu Lanvin arrive in a leopard shirt rolled up at the elbows and black pants.
These two musicians adore each other.
Here we go for seven frantic minutes where their cavernous voices and their guitars respond to each other.
An extraordinary moment.
» Popa Chubby on tour Sanary-sur-Mer (March 19), Aurillac (March 20), Puy-en-Velay (March 21) and Clermont-Ferrand (March 22). Ticket sales on www.caramba.fr