We went to our first rock concert in France with our neighbors, Christiane and Monique. The arena was filled with 8,000 people, many of whom stood in the pit.
Here's a shot of Barbara, Christiane and Monique.
The women bought us Johnny Hallyday T-shirts to commemorate the evening.
After a first act, the moment came for the grand entrance of Johnny - inside a huge skull lowered from the ceiling. It split open and the crowd went ballistic when he emerged.
He is 73 and the French counterpart to Elvis. He looks fantastic for his age, and he could still rock very well indeed.
The lighting effects were first rate. Since they were kinetic, you cannot get the full effect from photos.
He sang French songs, American oldies in French and even some in English (Summertime Blues and Don't Step on My Blue Suede Shoes).
His anthem "Allumer Le Feu" was crooned by the entire arena. You can see and hear it on You Tube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGfohkNkzPE
Here is a shot of him from 50 years ago
The whole evening was a delight for all of us.
Just to show how welcoming the French can be, we were at Christiane's shop to wish her well on her reopening after renovations. The florist, Martine, arrived with a bouquet for the event. A few moments after we chatted, she immediately invited us to dinner at her and Jean François' home.
Martine made everything herself like most French women. It's a bit intimidating for someone who rarely cooked previously like Barbara. She started with la soup - creme de courgettes.
Next was veau blanquette.
And finally a homemade tarte tatin. Upside down apple cake - very traditional for this region.
Good times abound.
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