Yann Tiersen at L'Olympia in Paris, 27th October

(Yeah, I'm still not sure how that happened.)

The Olympia has seen names such as Art Garfunkel, Air, and Elvis Costello play on its stage. (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin have played there too, if you're more of a classic rock-and-roll person.) On 27th October, Yann Tiersen joined that list of names for his final European tour date, and I was lucky enough to be there. 

To be honest, I'd never heard any of Tiersen's music, except the Amélie soundtrack, before going to the show. I wanted to visit friends and see some of the galleries in Paris over half-term anyway, and when I got offered the chance to go and see him play there, I took a risk, hoping that I'd like what I heard. And I certainly did.

Yann Tiersen's performance was exactly that: a performance. He and his band used familiar classics and songs from soundtracks, group songs, a spoken performance piece with ominous backing music, and acapella singing. The band members changed instruments, and even though the show must have been meticulously planned, it all seemed very natural. The band's presence easily filled the stage, during both the powerful group pieces and the quieter songs with only one or two band members playing. Even though the room was filled with hundreds of people crammed in to see the band, every song felt really special, and it was easy to feel connected to everyone else in the audience, or just forget about them all together, because everyone was so absorbed in the music.

The show progressed through surreal spoken-word performance pieces, to quiet piano pieces (one of which the audience responded to with gasps followed by applause), to an amazingly energetic violin solo by Tiersen in his first encore, and the very wholesome acoustic song Ashes, which the band sang in English to finish their second encore. It was a beautiful way to end the show, and we left with the song's heart-warmingly honest lyrics ringing in our ears.

I don't think any one show could make me call someone a musical genius, but this show definitely comes close. Tiersen's performance showcased his abilities as a songwriter and a performer, as well as demonstrating how much his music has evolved over time. If you ever get the chance to see a Yann Tiersen show, make sure you don't miss it: it's not the kind of performance you'll forget in a hurry.