One Night in Heaven

The Rolling Stones en Concert a l'olympia le 3 Juillet 95

ce soir




Everything started 2 days before : on Saturday the 1st of July. On that day was held in the Longchamps "horse raceway" the 2nd Stones show in Paris. All day long I heard rumours that confirmed what I heard the week before on a local radio station : The Stones will play a small gig concert in Paris, just like the 2 they did in Amsterdam.

After a wet but splendid concert a Longchamps I went back to my car and drove back home (I live at about 100 kms far from Paris). It's 1 a.m when I finally reach my car. I think it might be an occasion to pass through Paris by night, and to go on the Champs Elysee avenue (it's always beautiful by night and it's less crowded ;-). When I arrive on the Champs Elysee, I discover that there are a few Stones fans ready to camp in front of the Virgin Megastore. It reminded me about the rumours about the 'secret gig' and if these guys are planning to spend the night in front the Virgin MegaStore then its a good chance that they'll might sell the tickets there. But I'm too tired, completely wet and I think it wouldn't be a good idea to join these Stones fans. So I drive home.
Sunday, 2, July : 5 a.m : the alarm rings... a horrible feeling, this buzzing noise is in my ears ... its nearly impossible to open my eyes....but Goddamnit I'm alive and might have a chance to see the Stones again before Montpellier. So I get up, have a shower and a small breakfast. I decide I'll go to Paris by train : it will be easier since finding a parking place on the Champs Elysee is not that easy. Moreover if the Virgin is not the right place, it will be faster to take the Underground or a taxi cab. So I take the train and arrive in Paris at 7.45 a.m. Then the underground until the Champs Elysee.
virgin que It's now 8.15 a.m and there are already about 100 people queuing in front of the Virgin MegaStore. I join the queue and start to wait. Even though nothing has been confirmed yet, everybody seems to be confident that this is the right place.
Only the Olympia gig has been confirmed, but the unique tickets selling point will be announced at 10 a.m on the radio. But everything looks like we are at the right place. There are security guards present to organize the queue (they wouldn't let us queue on the Champs Elysee for nothing.... would they ?).
At 10 a.m the radio announces and confirms that the Virgin is the right place : loud screams in the crowd which has really grown bigger by now. There is increasing tension amongst the crowd everybody is pushing, trying to gain a few meters in the line. People who waited for the announcement on the radio are arriving and try to jump the queue NO WAY ! Nobody will let them get in, they have to go to the back of the queue. Soon after the first people are allowed to enter the Virgin MegaStore. More pushing and fights occur as the tension builds.
My turn comes at 1 p.m, just before the start of a big thunderstorm. I've got it :-) the precious ticket plus a superb blue wrist band on my right hand. I go back to the train station trying to hide it the wristband I was too afraid of having it stolen ;-).
Monday, 3, July : I decide not to go too early to the Olympia. It's a rather small venue, and wherever I'll be I won't be far from the stage compared to an outside concert. I'm in front of the Olympia at 7 p.m, and there are already a lot of people queuing. Evrybody is in a good mood : smiling, talking about the Longchamps shows or how many times they have seen the Stones or what we'd like to hear tonight... the kinda stuff you talk about before a Stones concert. When it's my turn to enter the Olympia, I'm a bit afraid because I have hidden a camera in the back of my trousers (not very clever : but where else ? ;-). 		ticket
armwrist There are two men checking people at the entrance (one security guard and one from the stones staff). I observe that the security guard is very strict and is thoroughly checking people, so I decide to try with the Stones staff guy. He's trying to explain to a Japanese guy that he can't get in with his camera and that he must remove the film. So while they're speaking, I'm going forward and show my ticket and my armwrist, and before being asked to do so I open my waist/bum bag where I put all my personnal papers. The guy still dealing with the Japanese one, doesn't really pay attention to me and lets me in (he was really trying hard to explain to the japanese guy that it was not allowed to take pictures during the show). I rush in and stop to buy a T-shirt. It's a special edition for this show, black shirt with a purple spikey tongue on the front and a map of Paris on the back with the Voodoo Guy pointing to the Olympia Theater.

Inside the Olympia I find my place right in the middle (just in front of the soundboard). All the people with a blue armwrist like mine, are standing. People with pink armwrists and VIPs have seats on the first floor. But next to me is Philippe Manoeuvre (the editor of Rock'n'Folk a French music magazine) with a pink armwrist he tells the people around him who recognised him, that the view is really better downstairs, that's why he came downstairs.
The Stones decided to give French rock band called "La Place" a chance to perform (don't try to figure out who they are, because even in France they are totally unknown)
Everybody was waiting for the Stones and not paying much attention to the warm up band. People in the audience were laughing at them, everybody in the audience was screaming and shouting, asking them to leave the stage 		magazine
.. But La Place didn't stop and finished their performance (which unfortunately for them nobody was really listening to). It's 9:10 pm when they leave the stage accompanied with a big HURRAHH from the audience, Now it's the Stones turn :-)

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