Catherine Ringer in Concert • France • August 8 2018

Catherine was the lead singer of the French cult band Les Rita Mitsouko that defined the sophisticated and whimsical French pop rock in the 80s. Her phenomenal performance embodied elements of pop, rock, punk, performance art, vaudeville, and dance performance, and all of it was done with complete abandon, amazing energy, joy, a sense of drama, a powerful voice with a very specific sound, a warm generosity and a good dose of spunk. 

Possibly the greatest rock concert I have ever seen. The lady is a phenomenon. Sophisticated, powerful, smart and fun. At 62, she can rock harder than any of those fabricated girls the industry is churning out these days. Impeccable stage instinct and a flair for the right gesture and a knack for eccentric costume props that may not be a as flashy as Grace Jones’ but highly effective nonetheless because they maintain an improvised character (like a sarong she turns into a turban for an encore. From the moment she entered the stage, wearing a funny hat that hid her face, I knew she was a master. Body control of a ballerina mixed with punk spirit and vocal chops that floored me. She’s really as much a dancer as a singer. Every second she was onstage was pure electricity and fun.   Her set included of course her classics, “Marcia Baila” and “Andy” which I used to sing at my cabaret, Foreign Affairs, some ten years ago, What a treat to see the original and find her to be such a tour de force to this day. Catherine, baila!