MOUVEMENTS DE LUNE

---

Movements de lune is a track from the live album En Concert (1989). Music composed by Laurent Boutonnat and Bruno Fontaine.

It is an instrumental that concludes the spectacle Tour 89. It happened this time that I am covering two songs (instrumental piece in this case) back-to-back from the same Tour which are both only available live from the live recording of the tour of 1989. Strange coincidence, but I am happy about it! It gives me a chance to spend more time in my “time machine” where I can revisit the very first live concert I have seen Mylene in. Unfortunately, up to this day, all her live performances I am familiar with are only by videos (and thank God for those!) Regardless, I am excited to dig more and deeper into the archives and meet young Mylene and my youth once again.

“The last few minutes of the concert were very emotionally charged. After the final song, we played an instrumental that Laurent and I had almost improvised in the studio before the tour, in just two hours. It was called Mouvements de Lune; it was a sort of long adagio. Something really very intense. Mylène was very upset every evening when she left the stage. ” (Bruno Fontaine – ” Mylène Farmer Magazine “- 2004)

Movements de lune was played on all dates of Tour 89. The instrumental is offered in two parts. A first part preceding the last song of the show, I would like as much as you understand s then a second part in the end.

---

interview granted by Mylène during Tour 89

---

The last interview granted by Mylène during Tour 89 and published on December 7, 1989, day of the first concert in Bercy, penultimate date of the tour.

France Soir: How does Mylène experience this flamboyant epic?

Mylène Farmer: It’s the great revelation of my life. For the first time really I had confidence in myself. And this confidence, it is the public which gave it to me. For Bercy, of course I am nervous. There is the vertigo of excess. But the exam is passed. The essential things took place on the first evening at the Palais des sports.

Her meeting with the public:

Just before entering the scene on the first day, I saw a friend. A singer that I really like. He asked me: “Who are you singing for?” I said to him: “For me, and you?” He replied: “For them“. It struck me. I wondered if I was lying to myself. Two hours later the communion with the public had overwhelmed me. I had my answer.

Why then did you write À quoi je sers (What do I serve) just after?

Precisely to better understand what had happened. It was so gigantic. Young people, often encumbered with taboos, so need to be understood … And I have the feeling to say to them, like Brel in his song: “No Jeff, you’re not alone”. Without any pretension, I now know that is what I am for. To tell them that there is nothing to be ashamed of about sex. Everything is normal in love. (She looks down) I never thought I would one day be one of those artists who sublimate their audiences.

The show presented at Bercy:

It will be the same. You don’t edit a film once it’s in theaters. Here, it’s the same thing.

What changed in her:

It’s weird this beginning of serenity. It’s so fragile. I have probably lost some paranoia. But in a way, it was also a bulwark. Maybe I’m more human.

What is there at the end of this exorcism?

The other Mylène. With the same delusions. But fully assumed (laughs). Maybe one day I’ll write novels. But I would like us to be able to say, as in this preface by Lanza Del Vasto about Luc Dietrich: “It’s a bit like those Russian authors who write with their blood”.

The song Pourvu qu’elles soient douces:

My song  Pourvu qu’elles soient douces is a pamphlet written as one takes revenge… on men, on taboos, on childhood. One day as a teenager, as I was very attracted to boys, someone called me a “whore” when I was as white as the flat of my hand. It was terrible. It complicated everything in my head. And as it was impossible for me to talk about it in my family, this repressed revolt generated my castrating side.

Do you get angry when we say that these fantasies are not yours?

It’s entertaining. They also say that it is my mentor, my Pygmalion, Laurent Boutonnat, who inspires me… In fact, he is like my twin. His fantasies are mine, and vice versa. The danger in this relationship where we are so similar is destruction. Fortunately, there is Bertrand Le Page, my manager. We have practically lived at three for five years. Not simple, but rich. I always knew the number three was the perfect number.

What is the most shocking behavior for you?

A man who turns away thirty seconds after making love. Whereas a woman, in absolute terms, is incapable of it. This is what I despise the most.

---

December 1989 Interview by Valérie le Mouël

---

Valérie le Mouël: Was the song a dream?

Mylène Farmer: I did not choose to sing, on the other hand I wanted to do an artistic job. I took theater lessons until the day I met Laurent Boutonnat (composer, producer and director), that’s when I started singing. It must be 5 1/2 years now.

This job is full of facets, do you have a preference (releasing a record, being on stage)?

I need everything. I like to write the texts of my songs but I also need to find the emotion that one feels while being on stage. It’s a real struggle for me. I am rather discreet, but in these moments everything is multiplied tenfold: feelings, impressions, capacities… We are both conscious and completely unconscious. It is difficult to express what we are going through, but it is a huge emotion. I also like to make music videos, the story comes first from the text of the song, but also from the dialogue I have with the people around me. In fact, I always need more and to go further.

Cinema is indeed a project. I have had a few proposals for 2 years, but I do not have time to seriously think about it. My cult film is  Ryan’s Daughter , I also loved  The important thing is to love. I find the films of Bergman, Spielberg and the old productions splendid, certainly because I find it difficult to project myself into our time. I love the atmosphere of these films and the elegance of the clothes of the past. It seems to me that there was a story in each of them whereas the ones we are currently doing have no soul.

Who creates your stage costumes?

Thierry Mugler created the costumes for the Palais des Sports show last May and those for Bercy. We present him the stage project and offer him his ideas. He has an astonishing excessiveness and knows how to ignore fashion. The Bercy show will be exactly the same as that of my tour in the provinces. We tried to create a character that evolves over time, juggling with moods and seasons. There will be a total of seven costume changes.

What about your hair?

My hairstyle is kept very simple, I don’t like to be sophisticated. I don’t even like to contemplate it, it doesn’t suit my character at all. I prefer the counting. You see: no varnish, no earrings, otherwise I feel like I’m a transvestite. If I wear a piece of jewelry.

Your favorite designers?

I really appreciate what Roméo Gilli is doing, Thierry Mugler of course, Azzedine Alaïa and Fayçal Amor. But I don’t see a lot of parades because I don’t like the buzz and I don’t like being photographed. So rather than finding myself in a conflict situation, I avoid going to places where I will meet journalists and photographers. I take a walk from time to time in the Marais and towards the Place des Victoires, where there are some very nice shops.

It seems that you collect shoes…

Indeed, I have a real passion for shoes! For very thin ankle boots and flat shoes. I often go to Stéphane Kélian, Philippe Model and Charles Kamer. I am not conservative except for the shoes that I cannot get rid of and for my stage costumes. I would like to set up a small museum (in a private capacity).

How do you live with fashion on a daily basis?

My favorite silhouette is Katherine Hepburn: shirt, waistcoat and pants. A masculine appearance that is in fact extremely feminine. I have completely banned skirts and dresses, I dress casually. This does not mean blue jeans / sneakers, let’s say rather falsely casual because I like elegance. I wear clothes with sober shapes and colors. I find purple to be very beautiful but I don’t wear it often just because you can’t find it. I love off-white, black and pastel tones. I prefer winter clothes because of the atmosphere this season. A great pleasure would be to go and do a report on the ice floe one day!

Do you like comfortable fabrics?

I am fascinated by cashmere, silk velvet and silk in general. In India, I saw fabulous fabrics…

Did you travel a lot?

No, very little. Before I didn’t feel like it, now I do, but I can’t find the time. I would love to go back to India to do something useful there. I don’t have a temperament to appreciate idleness, I get bored very quickly on vacation. In addition to discovering a country, I need a goal. Russia attracts me, but I don’t want to go there as a tourist since you can’t see anything, I want to be in contact with the people of the countryside and approach fundamental things.

You’re not talking about Canada …

I don’t want to go back to Canada, this country seems too calm to me. On the other hand, to go to the United States, that yes. For me it is a country of winners, a country on the move. I have a very full life, the American way of life would certainly pleases me.

Americans are sports enthusiasts, do you practice sports regularly?

I jog in the forest of the Bois de Boulogne. At the beginning, I was running to have endurance, to be in good shape on stage and then I continued. It is an extraordinary benefit. I am very persevering, a little stubborn even! I go to Parc Monceau when I have the chance, but just for a walk.

Do you pay attention to your image?

I am not fixated on my image, but of course I have a minimum of hygiene. On the other hand, I don’t pay much attention to what I eat, it’s too sad to deprive yourself. For the photos it is true that I am vigilant. I have a right of scrutiny. What I unfortunately cannot control are the TV shoots. I find the light rarely beautiful. The atmosphere is not conducive to beautiful images.

You have magnificent skin, such an asset is maintained by beauty treatments, creams…

I absolutely do not go to institutes. It bothers me and I really don’t feel comfortable in it. I use a cream for my face, that’s all. I’m not the type to try the latest creams on the market, I’m not interested.

Are you also loyal to one scent?

I love perfumes, I wear Shalimar (my note: wow! it is my favorite too) which is for me the evocation of the past, Heure Bleue, Chloé and Femme de Rochas.

I think it was Alain Divert who turned you into a redhead, who did the idea come from?

Bertrand LePage gave me the idea to change color. Besides, my mom is red-haired. Alain Divert gave me my first color (a more electric red than now). We had a very good relationship, but now I’m going to a small living room where the atmosphere is almost family. I feel better there than at a great hairdresser. I go to Margaux once a month. She combs my hair in a very natural way: ponytail or loose hair, sometimes pulled up, but this is not usual. At home: Phytosolba shampoo and conditioner. Ah, maybe I will cut my hair! It’s not an easy decision to make, but I really like the boyish style that Jane Birkin had at the time of  Je t’aime moi non plus .

You started the catogan fashion. This winter, the two highlights of the hairstyle are redheads and ball cuts. Do you read fashion magazines?

I read anyhow, I’m not attached to a magazine. From time to time, I happen to have real magazine bulimias.

---

fans shared about Tour 1989

---

Hubert (Saint-Etienne, May 11, 1989)

I was in Saint-Etienne for what was, I believe, Mylène’s first concert… I was young at the time.

It’s old… But it was my first concert. I was 11 years old. I remember the wow effect of the decorations, with this giant portal. And this masterful opening which remains for me one of his best appearances. After all was crazy: the choreography, the costumes, the atmosphere… When she entered the stage I cried with joy. In addition, I was very close to the stage. My best memories of the concert: “Tristana”.

Franck (Palais des Sports, May 1989)

For me it was at the Palais des Sports in Paris. I remember an overheated room, both literally and figuratively, the expectation of spectators who stamped their feet on the wooden bleachers to make the whole floor vibrate and repeated Mylène’s name at the top of my lungs! From the excitement when the intro music started to get a little louder until it took over the whole space… And above all, from that moment when the monk opens the gates with those deafening sounds of keys and creaking doors mixed with the intro with the sound of the clepsydra and the incessant ticking.

The show itself went by so quickly… At the time, no video screens or monumental sets… and it was just as well, her very presence invaded the whole stage.

The costumes, the choreographies, the lights, the arrangements… everything was there to put on a really special show… At that moment, I think a lot of us must have said to each other: ok, it’s not just a shooting star obsessed with the suicide, she knows how to sing, hold a stage and above all hold an audience, and above all she knows how to combine lightness and gravity without one encroaching on the other …

This is precisely what I loved: it is that despite this cemetery décor and the character a little depressed she maintained at the time, the show is far from sad and a certain euphoria and electricity transpired of this show.

I will particularly remember “Sans contrefaçon” and the energy that there was in the room as soon as the first chords sounded… Everyone standing, singing… and the finale which, even if some found it that it was too much telephoned, was very touching and ended the show in a grandiose way.

My favorite will remain “Allan“, which remains my favorite song …

Alexandre (Palais des Sports, May 18, 1989)

From memory, this is my first “big” concert. I am 20 years old, I bought the ticket on Minitel at the beginning of 1989 and I reserved my place for the first date at the Palais des Sports, on May 18, 1989.

On D-day, I could not wait I walked around the Palais des Sports early, very early. Finally, I sat in front of the door around noon. We are about ten people. We exchange, we discuss, we talk about songs, clips.

The afternoon passes. Around 4 p.m., a black sedan with tinted windows pulls up in front of the doors of the Palais des Sports. A small, good-looking woman, petite, red-haired, gets out of the car, almost in front of us… It’s her! Two girls rush towards her, smiles, autographs … the others, including me, we are frozen in amazement, not daring to approach her.

After the entry of Mylène. We hear the musicians who have to make a balance. We recognize “Plus grandir“, slightly different music than that of the album then the voice of Mylène. Immediately, I notice that his voice is deeper but suddenly, it reassures me about the evening performance.

Around 5 p.m., the crowd intensified. We enter the room around 6 p.m., from memory. We avoid the pit, we are seated in the first row, on the garden side. The concert begins …

I remember that during the prologue and “L’HORLOGE” I have the impression of not hearing anything! The audience screams so much that the sound is inaudible. Then slowly, the audience calms down a bit. Then the concert takes place as everyone knows it.

No particular anecdotes, just the impression that it goes super-fast. I think I am speechless from start to finish, with a preference for “Sans contrefaçon”.

30 years later, it is a day etched in my memory forever. I had the chance to experience all of Mylène’s concerts but this one will remain the first and the only one. It was more than a concert; it was a show …

Olivier (Palais des Sports, May 18, 1989)

Fan of Mylène Farmer since the album “Ainsi soit je…“, I was already 19 and a half (I care about my half) when I attended in May 1989 his concert at the Palais des Sports, in Paris. I believe it was the first Parisian date, the 18th.

At that time no Internet to have the first information on the concert, only the official media. A few words here and there in a few reviews on Mylène’s training because she was not yet draped in her veil of mystery!

The aspect that I also liked through the few interviews was that she knew very well that she was expected at the turn by the critics, and that she liked to sharpen the blade of the guillotine below her frail her own neck.

So the joy of a complete surprise by attending the concert. A grid as a stage, but what’s behind it? We laugh, we joke, and now the “tick, tock” of a clock announces, without a first part, the beginning of the concert.

A monk, probably a madman who escaped from Tibet, opens the gate with a crash of chains and metal and finally let’s see the scenery: a cemetery a little wobbly and probably not visited for quite some time. For the gothic-kitsch atmosphere we are in it.

After this intro, where the day seems to be setting, a shadow appears: it’s her.

I am in apnea. I’ve never been too cult of a person, and the idea of ​​being a fan has always struck me as strange and bizarre. But there she is in front of me a few meters from me. She’s weird and I like it. 

Musically the arrangements are great, each track is reworked but the spirit of the studio version tracks is present. Just an adaptation for the stage with this little twist which also allows musicians to express themselves.

During the first part of the concert the crowd was still quite calm, with a few jumps during “Maman a tort”  and ” Pourvu qu’elles soient douces” … but things take on another dimension when everyone understands that we are going to have the right to ” Sans contrefaçon“: it is the first title which unleashes the crowds and Mylène adds some because she knows that it is THE title carrier for this tour and for the album currently in use.

“Tristana” wakes up the crowd. It must be said that this title is also extended, there is still a Farmer hit at that time, but things are even wilder with “Libertine“. We must admit that the staging is formidably effective, and that the musical adaptation is a real killing. All the elements that make this clip a kind of entry ticket for the legend are on stage. (I even come to regret that this 18th century atmosphere has never been taken on stage since). The crowd is carried away, the scene explodes with all fire. It is THE time of the concert for the public for sure. We take full eyes of it and we love it.

Then slowly things calm down because the night increases, we will have to remember in tears this unique moment.

My only regret is not having had the right to “ À quoi je sers…” because the title was still a small sperm which had not yet found its egg. 

Another little regret, poor student that I was, I had the opportunity to return to see her for the last at Bercy or to buy me the live which came out in the same week: stupid mistake of youth, the live I could have bought it later.

Listening religiously to the CD to get me back in the mood (striking that I am on time for the start of the concert I was to attend at Bercy), I did not immediately have the feeling of rediscovering the spirit of the live which I had attended a few months earlier to be honest, but I was very happy to find the arrangements of this live which, for me, are the best that have been realized since (while knowing already at the time that many tapes were used on stage which caused the ire of some newspapers). Today I am correcting a little this feeling of not having found the spirit of the concert by having discovered the pirates of that time much later.

This concert was an experience. Firstly, because I hadn’t done a lot of concerts before this one, but above all he was a bit of a benchmark for the many concerts of other artists I attended. Very unfortunate comparison for most of the other artists I’ve seen.

The first media feedback: when do not resist the first pictures and try to see if the face in the pit is me or not… well it was not the date of my concert so little luck.

Live 89 remains my best live memory of Mylène Farmer, for 10,000 fairly basic reasons. First of all it’s the musical era that I love about her so I’m delighted that this concert is a kind of double album compilation of her first two albums (or almost). It was of course her first tour and she put the cursor very, very high for the time, which only gave credibility to her professionalism and her desire to do things perfectly and to the end.

To manage to recreate a universe, still a beginner, quite simply but still with resources, creativity and originality behind. She lays the first stone in the building: we will not attend a concert by Mylène Farmer, but a show by Mylène Farmer. Originality: we were more into fluorescent smileys than gothic-depressive introspective at that time, and we had to dare to propose that, because I don’t believe that she betrayed herself with this show and that there has real pieces of her in it. And then this universe echoed who I was at the time. These are his words that first seduced me before his music for me (even if the music is the entry point anyway).

I think this concert is important on a creative level: we are at the end of an era when everything is still a little different because the technical progress on stage is not yet there, which I believe requires more creativity. The next concert in 96 is already part of another era with the first giant screens that change everything. 

If the time machine existed I would probably not go back the day of this concert, but that of Bercy at the end of the tour because something happened between her and the public and to experience this atmosphere and what seems to have been a strong moment also, because she returned not for a small scene but Bercy… and for an artist the passage by Bercy or the Olympia seems to be the ultimate validation to enter the big family of the French song.

Emilie (Annecy, October 14, 1989)

October 89, I have just turned 8, my divorced parents are both accompanying me to the concert which takes place on the Place des Romains in Annecy, thanks to my grandmother who offers us the seats.

She set up a marquee for the event, my mom gets yelled at the entrance because she has a camera, but still manages to get in, she does her best to guide me as close as possible to the barriers, but I suffocate at the in the middle of this crowd, I have to stop… My father, 1m87, will carry me all along on the shoulders (I pity those who were behind us).

Total black, and there the concert begins, I was small, but these memories are etched forever in my memory. This person with a hood who arrives to open the grid of the set, Carol Fredericks, with her enormous dress and her carrying voice, gave us a moral speech on Mylène while walking awkwardly and the stars in my eyes when discovering that Mylène was hidden under the dress in pajama outfit to sing “MAMAN A TORT“.

The choreography to several on my favorite song of the time, “Sans contrefaçon“, in black and white checks and a newsboy cap. Then also the incredible staging on “Libertine“, with a real shot!

8 years, I took full eyes and I keep a wonderful memory, the beginning of a long story between Mylène and her fans. Even my parents, more Floyd than Farmer, enjoyed the show.

Mylène Farmer on a marketplace under a marquee, who would have believed? Who can still believe it when today only a stadium or the largest hall in Europe can accommodate it? A legend of French song, a living myth, Mylène Farmer.

Greg (Brussels, October 20, 1989)

I attended the concert on Friday October 20, 1989. It was in Brussels, at Forest National, there and it was the day of the shooting. There were posters on the doors of the room ” Smile, you are filmed for the Mylène Farmer concert “. Coca-Cola was a sponsor, he distributed Coca-Coca bobs at the entrance. We also see someone who throws one on the stage during “SANS LOGIQUE“.

I was 14 and got one of those slaps. On entering the room, its enormous gates already closed, and nothing could be distinguished from what was behind. The tone was set. When the concert begins, when the lights go out, I see the monk who comes to open the doors and I say to myself: ” We’re not going to do anything with this little opening!” “, And then the real madness starts when the gates are completely withdrawn, and then the appearance in the light of Mylène at the top of the steps. The pit was in a trance.

I loved each setting that mostly matched the mood of the clips. Big shock also on the version of “Puisque ” which was so beautiful live. We fell in love with the scenography of “Tristana”, the room all blue, under the moon, the smoke pouring out on stage and in the audience.

I remember the audience was on fire, it sang, it moved, it was unforgettable.

And then this ending on this song, I remember shedding my little tear: no, it couldn’t end after everything we had lived for two hours. I remember that people were crying, screaming for some, it was quite shocking to see Mylène disappear after these two hours of pure madness. For having done all of Mylène’s tours, I have never relived such an atmosphere, madness, communion… and yet there were so many beautiful moments on the following tours. This is the concert where she was the least talkative also on stage.

Big, big crush also on the musical direction of this concert which was really exceptional. All the gimmicks, effects of singles and remixes were present on stage and then this orchestration …

It was a long time before the film was released on VHS. My regret is not seeing myself on the film: but I’m two rows behind the guy who throws the bob Coke. We console ourselves as best we can!

At the exit I remember having spent all my pocket money in merchandising (program, posters, pins…) which was quite nice and successful for the time.

Jean-Michel (Brussels, October 20, 1989)

I experienced it at Forest National in Brussels, in the stands located on the left side of the stage. I was 25 and already a few concerts on the clock but it was the first time I attended such a show.

I did not manage to stay seated for long, quickly carried away by the rhythm of his songs. The costumes and the choreography, this charisma that she had on her audience, this closeness… all of this has remained etched in my memory forever.

She brought back to life the universe of her videos on stage, she communicated with us with so much simplicity and so much respect. She literally bewitched us to our greatest happiness. I haven’t missed a single one of her tours since… and will be present for this seventh series of concerts which will certainly take us (once again) to seventh heaven!

Vincent (Tours, November 11, 1989)

It was my first concert… .. Tours a concert under a marquee (no zenith at the time), a huge crowd, I was very impressed…

And then under this marquee a scene, or rather a cemetery gate…. the light goes out and for two hours, or more I do not remember, a madness … “MAMAN A TORT” with the late Carole Fredericks. I remember Mylène coming out from under her dress…

I haven’t missed any tour since.

Manuel (Metz, November 25, 1989)

I was 12 and a half (at that age that counts). Ultra fan of MF since “Libertine”, but especially since “Tristana” which fascinated me. I knew by heart every note, every nook of the album “Cendres de lune” so I had worn out the cassette, and I avidly did the same with the cassette of the album “AINSI SOIT JE…“, of which the tape ends up breaking down by compulsive listening in the Walkman.

My parents offered me the place, it was November 25, 1989 at the Parc des Expositions in Metz.

I dare not believe it. I look for months at the concert ticket hanging in my room, with this unreal face and this sentence that tells us: ” The day is decreasing, the night is increasing, remember! “.

Comes the day of the concert. a Saturday I think. I am fascinated by the merchandising stand, and of course I want to buy everything for me bring even more my idol.

But as it is a friend of my parents who kindly agreed to accompany me to the concert, I dare not ask him and I still acquire the program (which I also know by heart I believe).

At the time, no tier / pit differentiation, for this concert in any case, and for the modest sum of 120 francs, we had access to his world for real. Being still a kid, we opt for the bleachers.

I remember being amazed at the age of the audience, a lot of big teens, students, adults… They are all much older than me. This audience intrigues and fascinates me.

So, I’m not the only one who loves it? Do they all also have this relationship as intimate with her as I think I have? Do they understand her as much as I do?

But for many of them they are young people, in the wind, well undermined, a little gothic, whom I find very impressive, and who seem to expect him just as much as I do.

The first shock for me is there. And it is not very pleasant. It shakes up my ego a bit. I am obviously not the only one to like and especially to understand Mylène Farmer. And then they are all tall, stylish, energized… that impresses me a lot.

Of the concert itself I have few memories. Rather details.

The sound seems very messy and very loud to me, but this is my first real concert. My past as a spectator has so far been limited to Chantal Goya (twice) and Dorothée (also twice).

Mylène seems small to me, and at the same time very energetic. I am surprised to find all these smiles in her, this energy in her stage performance, her movements. A dancer already at the time, I have a particular focus on the choreographies which enchant me so much I find them successful.

I remember adoring the “Plus grandir” deck, and watching a lot of a young man dancing like crazy in the pit at the time. I remember the choruses on the choruses of “Sans Logique”, where we could particularly hear Carole Fredericks.

I remember this little ball-lantern that was swinging during “Mum a wrong” and that we hardly notice on the concert video. She intrigued me, I liked a lot, a bit like a little fairy-like presence, like a benevolent wisp, a sort of tinkerbell. I remember loving this version of “MAMAN A TORT“.

I remember being very impressed by the sound of a storm, thunder before and after “Puisque“, a song that I didn’t know and that I immediately loved.

I remember my total shock discovering the “pou-pou-pou-pou-pou- pourvu qu’elles soient douces” from the intro of “Pourvu qu’elles soient douces”. I thought it was awesome. I tried to remember it and sing it to my classmates while waiting for the math teacher in the hallway of the college a few days later. I remember “and the public in Metz!  At the end of this song (and for having found it crazy that she knew this city).

I remember the great fervor of the public on “Allan” and in particular on “A quoi je sers…”, of which I loved the intro. I remember something very strong at that time.

Very special thing, I have in mind an image of Mylène singing a slow song, sitting on a stool, and the impression today that it was “Last smile”. Obviously, it’s my brain playing tricks on me, since no trace exists of such a moment.

I remember having really liked “Jardin de Vienne”, one of my favorites at the time, and in particular its masterful outro.

I remember the wolves, my enormous inner pleasure during this intro of “Tristana” which I found crazy (I did not know the extended at the time), my fascination for the painting. And to have been very surprised also by the cuts-covers on “Sans contrefaçon“, “Tristana” and “Libertine“. I thought it was something that had to be done in concert at the time. A sort of ritual / code, like the presentation of musicians for example.

In general, musically, I was totally delighted with the musical digressions that developed the songs, and that I found later when I discovered the maxis, the VHS clips, and when “Dance Remixes” was released.

I remember Mylène’s face buried in her hands during “AINSI SOIT JE…“, that she shook her head in dismay, and that she had sung it very little.

I barely remember the rest, except for his goodbye on “JE VOUDRAIS TANT QUE TU COMPRENNES“, people crying, in a purple light …

This concert left me dazed. But ultimately more for everything I was discovering at the time: the public, the fans, a real concert , the sound, the special effects, the music… than by Mylène Farmer, herself of whom I have very few memories.

I stayed quite outside the concert, being, because of my age and my inexperience in concerts, remained very passive, very spectator .

Very quickly behind (barely 10 days I think) came out “Allan” and the double live CD.

This way of immediately extending this moment was great for me. The notes kept coming back to confirm my memories, and I spent hours of pleasure listening to the CD. My god this intro of “Tristana” …

Later, much later in 96 I experienced the Amnéville concert then those of the Mylenium Tour in 99/2000 from the inside, in the first row, dancing, singing, crying, laughing, taking full advantage of the concert and of her presence and performance.

But this November 25, 1989 in Metz, a still little boy was overwhelmed by an oh so singular universe, and never found since.

Alexandre (Liévin, November 26, 1989)

Personally, I went to the concert of 89 a bit by chance. I was 11, my best friend was going with her mother. She suggested to my mom that I go with them to Liévin. Since I liked “SANS CONTREFAÇON” and “POURVU QU’ELLES SOIENT DOUCES“, she said ok. I went there without much conviction. No idea what I was going to see.

Absolute shock. A sensation never felt before or since. A goddess in front of, far away, a mad public. The whole room standing. Something changed in me that day.

I remember, at the end of the concert, leaving the hall, people sitting on the floor, sometimes alone, crying all the tears in their bodies. As if they had lost someone close to them. It was very shocking to me who was just a child.

My parents say that since I got home that night, I have never been the same. Me, who was so lonely: not a blanket in my bassinet found its place when I was a baby, a fan of anyone, an introvert. Suddenly I only lived for her. And it has never left me for 30 years. She is my longest love story!

Here is. I still watch this concert very often. “Because” still upsets me as much. The quality of the video from this gig exceeds the quality of some much newer ones.

It is a concert apart in her career, unique, which made her what she is today.

Michel (Liévin, November 26, 1989)

The first concert of Mylène Farmer which I attended will remain forever engraved in my memory and in my heart.

I was 16, and it was my very first concert, any artist. It was above all the realization of a growing admiration for an artist that I had discovered in 1984 with “MAMAN A TORT”, and for which I definitely succumbed when I discovered the video for “Tristana” on television.

The closed gates through which one could guess the tombstones. The “tick, tock” of “L’HORLOGE“. The Capuchin monk. And the light that sprang from a tomb, cutting the silhouette of the one who at the time was for me the only one who seemed to understand what I was feeling.

The concert took place like a dream, but I have the very precise memory of realizing that in front of me on this stage stood a woman of flesh and blood and not an ethereal being.

Even though I must have attended dozens of concerts by incredible artists since then, including Mylène Farmer’s other tours, I have never felt an emotion of such intensity since. It was a moment out of time, out of space. A pagan mass, an indescribable communion …

This show definitely sealed my admiration and respect for this woman who forged, as a teenager, my musical and literary culture and my taste for the dark and bizarre aesthetic, which still exists today.

Even if my musical preferences have evolved, even if the man I am today is no longer the teenager then, this concert of November 26, 1989 will always continue to bring this part of me to life.

Céline (Mulhouse, December 5, 1989)

To begin with, I found myself in the pit and among the crowd .. And yet, I had the impression that there was only her and me .. I was so connected, and that during all the concert: nothing existed around me anymore.

From the first moment I was impressed. And in the end, when she disappears, I couldn’t hold back a sob… then the void… Oh no, it couldn’t stop there!

At the end of the concert, as I was on foot, I went behind the hall and I stopped for a moment because there were vehicles, hoping perhaps to see Mylène. It was at this moment that a guard with a dog approached me and said bluntly: ” If you are waiting for Mylène, it’s too late, she’s already gone.” Tomorrow, she will be in Strasbourg, she sleeps at the hotel this evening “. And I answer her: “I hope she is installed at the Hôtel du Parc at least “.

And he told me bluntly: ” No, she’s at the Altea hotel “.

Without asking anything, I had the answers to my questions. So what do I do? I’m going of course! I rush, I fly ..

Arrival at the Altea hotel around midnight, I enter the lobby, and recognize Mamadou who is at the reception. Working in tourism, we all know each other. I tell him that I was at Mylène Farmer’s concert and he suggests that I wait for her because she is at the hotel restaurant with her troupe! I can’t believe it; this evening is going like a dream …

Obviously, I am the only one waiting for her in the hall, and Mamadou, to occupy me, gives me the list of rooms to photocopy. And guess whose rooms? From Mylène and her troop! So, I had her room number: 416… But let’s not dream, I didn’t go.

After a few hours of waiting, around 2 a.m., two 8/10-year-old boys show up with huge photos of Mylène, it made me smile because I only had a portrait postcard of Mylène in black and white.

Mamadou warns me: “she’s coming “.

As soon as she appears, the two boys rush to Mylène to ask for an autograph. In two seconds, it was done.

And in my turn, I walk towards her near the counter, she is accompanied by Thierry Suc who wears a sweater with Snowy (it marked me) and put down my little postcard that I flatten my hands because I had it in my pocket. And there I wait with my eyes fixed on the map.

Minutes pass and suddenly Mylène turns to me with a big smile (she had sunglasses on, otherwise I would have been instantly liquefied) and said: “Who is it for?”  Time stopped at that moment.

I was speechless, my eyes wide, my heart pounding… After an effort, I was finally able to pronounce with some difficulty: “  … for… Celine… “. The signed autograph, she disappeared in the elevator …

Stéphane (Mulhouse, December 5, 1989)

Curious about Mylène’s career since 1986, I remember discovering the first images of the show at the Palais des Sports in a magazine. I then asked my parents to go there because it was to go to Voujeaucourt near Montbéliard on November 28. They agreed, but the concert was canceled. So the places being available for Mulhouse, they took me there! It was December 5, 1989.

I remember being cold outside, arriving at 5.30pm and there was hardly anyone in front of the doors! I sympathized with two girls and a boy fan of Jeanne Mas! I remember a palpable tension before the start of the show, the audience was impatient and stressed at the same time. Many were dressed in dark colors, there were also some Gothic ones.

I remember a general fervor at the beginning. I was in the first row against the gates and right in the middle! I saw a few people pass by who were fainting. I was hallucinating about it.

I remember a series of paintings that fascinated me, happy moments despite Mylène’s tears. An explosion of cheers from the audience at the end of “Libertine“. And then during the “Movements of the moon“, the first cracks in the room, the girls in tears. Two of them had already experienced a concert in Paris. I then remember the first screed of lead when the gates close and the lights come back on. The Palais des Sports hall was as marked.

I finally remember having found my parents at the exit, having cried a little in the car, with the feeling of having lived an intense and unique moment. My parents didn’t quite understand why I was crying. And then I took them to the 2009 Tour, they lived the moment, they understood. Since then I take them on every tour because I love them and they gave me this gift 30 years ago for saying yes . Today I’m 45 years old, my passion for Mylène has allowed me to open up to music, I listen to everything, I do about 30 to 40 concerts a year, but when it’s Mylène on stage that is, and will remain, always unique. Next meeting with my parents on June 14, 2019!

Clément (Bercy, December 1989)

I went to see Mylène Farmer’s concert in Paris Bercy, I don’t remember the exact date, but I must have been 12 years old or rather 13 because my birthday is at the end of the year.

When I was younger, I was a fan of Michael Jackson and I waited for the show “The Children of Rock” to see the clip for “Thriller”. And in the meantime, they showed a young singer and her music video: “Plus grandir”. It shocked me and left an incredible memory. Months later Mylène released “Libertine” but I hadn’t made the connection between the redhead and the brunette that I had seen in the “Plus grandir” clip.

When the clip for “Tristana” came out, everything fell into place in my head and I understood that it was the same artist. I pissed off my parents to buy me the LP of “Cendres de lune”. When “Sans contrefaçon” came out and the album “AINSI SOIT JE…” it was a tidal wave. Mylène had become a star who lined up tubes and TVs. I cut the newspaper articles. In short, I was a fan.

When I knew she was going to go to Bercy, I pissed off my parents again to bring me to see her. I was too young to go there on my own, and my parents thought Mylène was creepy and morbid. In short, my father devoted himself to taking me and there it was the shock.

I had seen concerts before, but the memory that I keep of this concert is engraved in my memory. I’ve never seen that. I was expecting the flagship titles of course, but I did not expect such a staging, the sets, the changes of costumes, of atmospheres with each song… It was a total spectacle!

When I think of Tour 89 today, I think back to it with nostalgia but I also understand that this concert was the continuity of the universe of Mylène and Laurent on stage. Everything had been recreated for the stage, the wolves of “Tristana“, the cemetery, the duel of “Libertine” … The transcription of her world on stage was a total success. The arrangements made for the songs were also a success, taking the studio arrangements, the gimmicks of the maxi 45s and adding a live dimension. For me it’s still my favorite Mylène concert because I think everything was perfect: the arrangements, the sound, the choreography, the costumes, her voice. Where I find that on Tour 96 the sound was too cold, his voice too high pitched … The sequel is history, but I think early fans like me struggled with the sequel, because what she came up with in the ’80s was second to none. It was a reflection of our teenage souls. I remain a fan of Mylène but I look at it with more distance today. There remains the memory of this concert.

---

RECEIVE ALL THE NEWS FROM MYLENEFARMER.COM VIA EMAIL

---