On November, 28th, WOODZ performed in Paris for his OO-LI AND tour.
When the lights in Salle Pleyel dim, Busted started playing and WOODZ arrived on stage wearing sunglasses and an half-opened shirt.
The first track is a rock song that sets the tone of the concert. WOODZ uses all the stage space, and naturally interacts with the audience, including fans on the balcony.
WOODZ changes his mic before singing “Love Me Harder”. The song is still mostly rock, but with a more sensual feeling mixed with a festive tempo. When WOODZ gets ready to start his first ment, he gets surprized by his MOODZ’s loud cheers using the rif from Seven Nation Army.
For “Chaser”, the background screen shows images from the space. When the song ends with a guitar solo, a VCR starts. The video shows WOODZ looking back over his own journey as an artist. It says “We crash, get hurt and will break. I don’t give up, I just go.”
When WOODZ comes back on stage, it’s to show his versality. While “Dirt on my leather” leads us straight to a Road 66 with blues inspiration, “Trigger” use his rap skills more. WOODZ gives 200% of his energy, getting fans on the balcony to jump along with him. He jokes that whole jumping hard his shirt got more open.
For the next section, he reads fans’ signs and notices that several fans came from abroad to watch him. He shakes a Swedish fan’s hand and sings Happy Birthday to whoever it can apply to. He shows fans a huge amount of love, which is given back to him almost immediately. During Walk in Paris”, fans give him roses. A sweet mood that goes on with “Multiply” as the lyrics appear on screen, and with “Abyss” during which fans turn their flashlights on.
After a change of outfit, “Kiss of Fire” seems to be a fans’ favorite. The audience sings along thé pop track. Later on, WOODZ sings verses of his songs depending on fans’ request, proving both his adaptability and his talent. “Lullability”, “Touché” and “Accident” are among the most requested songs.
After singing “Feel Like” and “Different”, the artist grabs a guitar. When he sings “Drowning”, he asks fans to sing along if they know the song. It quickly becomes obvious that they do know it, as they sing along to the ballad with rock instrumentals.
When fans start chanting to Seven Nation army, he uses the opportunity to share the spotlight with with musicians. The guitarist, bassis, drummer and keyboard player have a key role in OO-LI AND. It was heart-warming to see WOODZ so eager to let them shine individually. While he announces “Journey” as the last song, he stays on stage for I Hate You and Bump Bump, taking no break before his encore.
A video fanproject lets him take a breath before he takes a picture with the french flag, that he makes sure to hold the right way. “Ready to fight” is the real last song of the day, putting an end to a very successful concert. While WOODZ music is beautiful at any moment of the day, it’s on stage that he shines the most. He’s charismatic, playful, talented, caring towards his fans… He’s pretty much the full receipe for a perfect concert, and European fans can only hope to see more of him in the future.
We’d like to thank Onion Production for having us.
Photos and article : Soizic & Céline
