“Nevermore” “Never again”. Never again ? It is in any case the name of Mylène Farmer’s new tour which begins on June 3 in Lille (Nord). Thirteen dates, as many stadiums and shows that promise to be excessive. At the time of writing these lines, little information has circulated, except that nearly 90 semi-trailers will be on the road to transport equipment, sets, screens, costumes… Everything to impress . It takes at least that for the 61-year-old singer’s return to the stage to be an event. It is out of the question that it is not one.
More than 500,000 seats were quickly sold out. And yet the artist announced this new show at the worst time, in June 2021while France was still in the middle of Covid, that it was very difficult to imagine concerts under normal conditions. So think about it, an XXL show with tens of thousands of people… And yet, the fans took the date for two years later without knowing what was going to happen, if we were going to manage to get rid of this virus and its constraints.
But there is no question of missing Mylène. Because you have to see it at least once in your life, fan or not. We also said that of Johnny Hallyday. During his giant concerts, he gathered his faithful, but not only. Others came to attend a unique show and an extraordinary experience. Since the disappearance of the Taulier in 2017, who can still arouse such excitement in France? Indochina renowned for its ambitious visual devices? Certainly. But especially Mylène Farmer. As proof, the first spectators of his inaugural show at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Lille will watch for his appearance on stage. Where will she come from?
From light to shadow, the paradox of an idol
She appeared in the middle of a cemetery setting during her first tour in 1989, in a sarcophagus hanging from the ceiling of Bercy in 2009, hanging from a crescent moon during his last show in 2019 at Paris La Défense Arena. This time, unlike his last show designed especially for the huge enclosure of Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) and therefore untransportable, the new one will travel and offer the same sensations to everyone, from Parisians at the Stade de France to Nantes residents. de la Beaujoire via the Swiss in Geneva or the Belgians in Brussels. It will be his first tour since 2013, his first big outdoor shows since 2009 and his first real stadium tour.
Many firsts for one last? It’s true that this “Nevermore” is intriguing, like the half-word announcement of a final lap and a way of saying that “never again” will we be able to see it as much as this year. In the few rare interviews that she gave Mylène Farmer kicks in touch on the question of farewell concerts. “I refuse to project myself,” she confided in an ellipse to the JDD last fall. Economy of words, of appearances, to better make oneself desired.
It has been going on for almost forty years. Four decades at a time under the spotlight, but as discreetly as possible. From shadow to light, it is often said of stars to tell their story. Farmer is the opposite: from light to shade. Or how a mischievous singer became a mysterious icon.
The oldest among us remember his regular appearances on television in the last century, in the mid-1980s in “It’s even better in the afternoon” by Christophe Dechavanne, “Nowhere else” surrounded by Philippe Gildas and an Antoine de Caunes who dared to tickle the singer: “Mylène, since the start of the show, I wonder 😛hopefully she’s a redhead. Can you confirm it for me, ”asked the troublemaker host. “She’s redheaded… upstairs,” retorted the singer, not yet petrified by the interviews.
Since then, she has only given it in dribs and drabs under specific conditions. For the one she had given to the Parisian in 2020, it was necessary to send her by email a series of questions to which she had first answered in writing, before meeting her face to face and developing what she wanted to say. . But his word is so rare that we had accepted. For our special issue, she preferred not to speak. Whatever. We had something to tell.
His ex-companion, his designer, his stuntman… All tell us about the artist
The 68 pages of the special issue “Who are you Mylène? “, on newsstands this Wednesday, are the result of investigations, interviews, reports carried out in recent months as closely as possible to an artist who is certainly discreet but perhaps much less mysterious than she seems. “Mylène doesn’t cheat”, tells us, for example, Laurent Boutonnat, her former producer, ex-Pygmalion and companion, who agreed to speak to us at length exclusively as he had not done for twenty years.
We also followed in the footsteps of the singer when her name was still Mylène Jeanne Gautier and she lived in a modest house not far from Montreal (Canada). Fashion designer Franck Sorbier also opened the doors of his workshop to us, where more than 200 costumes were made for his incredible show in 2006. His main collaborators also spoke about their Mylène: producer Thierry Suc, stunt rider Mario Luraschi for old, the very trendy Woodkid for the most recent, who produced a large part of “Emprise”, his latest album to date.
Proof once again that the star remains in tune with the times, has crossed all eras, continues to create the event, while some of his songs are taken up by the new generation. Like “Désenchantée”, which always delights all electro evenings worthy of the name, and whose text still resonates with the news for young people not even born when it was released in 1991.. “Everything is chaos. Next to. All my ideals: damaged words. I am looking for a soul who can help me. I am from a disenchanted generation…”
A clic that will certainly be prominently featured in this new show to be discovered in a few days. This special issue “Who are you Mylène” is also an opportunity for the Parisian to launch a new collection of special editions called “Stories of stars”, where our journalists will tell you like never before about the fate of the most important artists of our era. Good reading.
“Who are you Mylene? Investigation of such a discreet icon »special issue of “Parisien”, 68 pages, 4.90 euros.