The big day is coming: after a long wait due to the pandemic, on May 14, Rockin’1000 returns to France with a great concert at the Stade de France in Paris (gates open at 7 p.m. – concert starts at 9 p.m.). Currently, 45,000 tickets have been sold, and it is going to be almost sold out!
“We’re picking up where we left off 3 years ago. The enthusiasm is high, even if the war we are experiencing brings in a note of sadness and anger – declares Fabio Zaffagnini, CEO and artistic director of Rockin’1000. He continues: We had much time to perfect a musical project that was already at the limits of reality, to take care of the smallest details, to polish everything, to create more dynamics. So, what we’re going to do is not “just” a concert where a lot of people play, but a show full of surprises, where empty and full will alternate, where we’ll be moved, and then we’ll jump like crazy singing at the top of our lungs. The Stade de France will turn into a spaceship full of colors that will make us travel through the history of Rock music. It will be unforgettable.”
Rockin’1000 is a unique show featuring more than 1000 musicians (1088 to be precise) from all over the world, who play live, simultaneously, a rock repertoire of two hours: 359 guitarists, 166 bassists, 238 singers, 216 drummers, and for the first time in France, 109 keyboardists, will bring on the turf of the Stade de France the greatest standards of Rock music.
The musicians playing in Paris come from 25 countries belonging to 4 continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. 846 musicians come from France alone, 160 from Italy, followed by Germany, Belgium, Austria, United States, Monaco, Poland, Switzerland, UK, Greece, Ireland, Holland, Spain, Tunisia, Algeria, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Philippines, Portugal, Sweden, and Ukraine.
There are 745 hometowns! The musician from the farthest away is a guitarist from the Philippines, while the oldest musician is a 70-year-old German singer, and the youngest is a 16-year-old French drummer. The musician who impressed the organization the most for her geographical origin is a young guitarist from Ukraine. Pink quotas are finally growing: Rockin’1000 has always tried to encourage female musicians: for the first time, with 309 females and 779 males, almost 30% of the candidates are women.
This second French edition reconfirmed the master of ceremonies and godfather of the concert: Philippe Manœuvre, an absolute landmark in Rock’n’roll and a true rock icon in France.
Conducting the orchestra, as in 2019, will be Maestro Alex Deschamps, composer, author, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist
WHAT IS NEW COMPARED TO 2019
A special guest will join the adventure: Matthieu Chedid, also known by the pseudonym -M-, French singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, with several albums to his credit that have consecrated him at a national and international level, leading him to collaborate with artists such as Sean Lennon, Johnny Hallyday, Vanessa Paradis, Billy Ze Kick, and many others. Among the guests, there is also Richard Kolinka, drummer of Téléphone, participating with exclusive content: he will play in the drummer’s section the legendary song “Un autre monde.” The DJ set signed by Émilie Mazoyer, radio host and producer specialized in rock music, will open the show.
Between special entrances, music composed ad hoc, a new light design, an audio setup that balances the sound of the thousand and the solos of the special guests, and the addition of another stage, those who attended the 2019 show will discover many new features introduced in this second, renewed edition.
A focused creative team enriches Fabio Zaffagnini’s artistic direction: Marco Boarino – Show Director, with his consolidated international experience in directing and creative multidisciplinary direction, Andrea Celi – Concept Creator & Author, Jordan Babev and Davide Pedrotti – Light designers. Their objective is to create a unique immersive experience, creating dynamism in the sound of a thousand musicians, enhancing the use of lights, and boosting the rhythm of the stage action.
The repertoire
The official setlist will not be revealed before the concert. At the moment, 21 tracks have been confirmed for a two-hour repertoire that promises to be an injection of pure adrenaline: ranging from some of the most iconic songs in the History of Rock such as Born to Be Wild (Steppenwolf), Sympathy for the Devil (Rolling Stones), Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) (Pink Floyd), Killing in the Name (Rage Against The Machine) and Paradise City (Guns’n’Roses) to unforgettable tracks, beloved across multiple generations such as Don’t Look Back in Anger (Oasis), Space Oddity (David Bowie), Under Pressure (Queen/Bowie), Won’t Get Fooled Again (The Who), Gold on the Ceiling (The Black Keys), Lithium (Nirvana), Hells Bells (AC/DC), Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes).
As in 2019, this edition celebrates the musical culture of the host country: the repertoire contains a selection of much-loved pieces that have left their mark on French rock culture and beyond, such as Un autre monde (Téléphone), C’est comme ça (Les Rita Mitsouko) and Antisocial (Trust) and a block of the show entirely dedicated to the special guest Matthieu Chedid, known as -M-, who will bring Mojo, Je dis aime, a Medley and Machistador.
There will also be a performance of My Hero (Foo Fighters) during the show, a special tribute to Taylor Hawkins, Foo Fighters’ drummer, who recently passed away.
INFO
May 14, 2022
Gates open at 7 p.m. – Show starts at 9 p.m.
Tickets: from 29 €
Info: http://www.rockin1000.com
Tickets available on the website http://www.stadedefrance.com
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