Tom Waits / Paris 2008

On a sweltering night in the heart of Paris, a sense of nervous expectation surrounds Le Grand Rex, the city's oldest cinema. Cigarette smoke swirls along the boulevard outside the theatre as hordes of Raindogs queue before entering the vaudeville world of Tom Waits.

That the venue is running well over an hour late only adds to the sense of expectation. By the time the lights dip in the art deco cinema and the dishevelled figure of Waits shuffles on to the darkened stage, the crowd are on the verge of exploding.

Suddenly a spotlight shines. It's Waits, centre stage, mounted upon a circular podium like a circus ringmaster. He is surrounded by his band and a backdrop of vintage Gramophone horns.

Waits stomps his feet on the wooden boards, sawdust billows up from the floor, and his rasping voice spits out the opening to "Lucinda" which in turn merges into the junk shop boogie of Leadbelly's "Ain't Goin' Down To The Well".

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Tom
• Waits
• Paris
• Lucinda
• Ain't
• Goin
• Down
• To
• The
• Well

[63frankie]

i was there in paris magnificent night i saw you taken out and come back in thought it must be a terrorist or somebody illegally filming well done best video i have seen on u tube all the better its tom waits thank you videodharma

[videodharma]

Thanks :)

[downinthehall]

Great video! I think I was sitting near you at the concert. Was you the guy the security staff pounced on for filming?

[videodharma]

Yep, that was me. I thought I was gonna be thrown out of the theatre, but they let me back in after taking my camcorder :)

[Elnonopololo]

If caves could sing, they'd sound like Tom Waits.

Man, I wish he'd release at least a couple of DVDs from his more recent tours. He puts an even better show now than he did twenty years ago!

[cherishwest]

Thank you SOOOO much for this video. I caught two shows on the Glitter and Doom tour in the US last summer. What a time. Tom is absolutely amazing!!!

[hydrostrudel]

der junge hat stimmbruch.na sowas.

[platterhof]

Imagine, if you were lost on a countryside road, at dark night, and suddenly Waits pops up singing you like this. Heartattack.

[nustada]

@63frankie

A camera=terrorist? Your the terrorist!

[Beejis60]

If you were one of the three that voted a thumbs down on this then you have zero taste in music.

[hellomynameisscen]

Nice! The funniest thing is that this video's on tom wait's official page!

[FSGambolputty]

J'y étais ! Quel grand souvenir !

[fahim113]

You lucky lucky people!!! Hope you realsie how damn fortunate you are to have been in the presence of such genius. Hairs on back of my neck standing on end just watchign this short clip!

[ButtercupSara7]

<3 Wish I could see him live.

[wape15]

tom waits..my god...:D