The artist formerly known as Ted Horowitz is celebrating thirty years on the road as his larger-than-life blooze-rock persona. This is Popa Chubby's second Paris gig in less than ten months, which probably explains why this date at the Cabaret Sauvage wasn't as well-attended as the Olympia from last October.
Inevitably, there wasn't a big difference between the two concerts. In fact, it seems that every show by the blues-rock behemoth follows the same pattern, at least since the first time we saw him over a quarter of a century ago. But this reliability is part of what makes the audiences keep coming back: you are guaranteed a good time. These blues aren't for crying or feeling low, these blues are a party.
As the city was winding down from another heatwave episode, the New Yorker decided to turn up the heat even more, to the delight of his French fans. Playing a few tunes from his latest album Emotional Gangster as well a bunch of choice covers like Hoochie Koochie Man, Hey Joe, Over the Rainbow and Sympathy for the Devil, the Beast from the East regaled us with his fiery solos and soulful singing, jamming hard with his bandmates until they left the stage drained, exhausted. It's always a good idea to leave the audience wanting more, and this is exactly what you get when you attend a Popa Chubby show: you get more.
