Friday night at Paléo saw plenty of psychedelic images coming from the Jamiroquai stage. Images and videos all timed to perfection to link in with the music. From "Canned Heat" to "Cosmic Girl", JK produced a spectacular show and engaged with the crowd wishing Paléo a Happy 35th Birthday.
However some of the best images came from the grounds itself with the purple and green lights on the trees and the moon making an appearance above it all, (the cameraman took the opportunity of panning on the moon just as "Spacecowboy" was playing). Jamiroquai himself commented on the trees surrounding the grounds and on those that were lit up by the fires on the field.
As anyone who has ever been to Paléo will tell you, this festival isn't just about the music it's about the atmosphere, the people and the events going on alongside whats going on stage. The barefoot writer Jonas Parson ( photo below) tells us below about his Paléo on Friday.
Last night was the « roots » night, starring famous German reggae artist Gentleman, with Jamiroquai’s funk later on in the evening. The weather spared us, with nearly no rain, even though the temperature dropped quite a bit. Gentleman started the evening, all the way from Jamaica, erm, I mean Germany. Yes, as strange as it sounds, one of today’s best known reggaemen isn’t actually from Kingston, but from Osnabrück, Germany, even though his spiritual belonging to Jamaica can’t be denied.
The off to the Chapiteau it was, to go and see Inna Da Yard, a Jamaican (this time…) collective devoted to bringing Reggae back to its roots, with a singer, a guitar and drums, as it used to be played in their courtyards. These extremely talented musicians just sound great, and they look even greater. It’s basically a few old men with dreadlocks and sunglasses, sitting on chairs to one side of the stage, and coming one by one to sing while the others do percussions, along with a drummer a guitarist and a pianist. The concert was excellent, everybody dancing to the rhythm of the music, it being impossible to resist to the vibes, as if they were in total harmony with our bodies and the world around us. It would be interesting to find out the total amount of Marijuana smoked on Friday, for if Paleo does have the reputation of being filled with joint smokers, the reggae evening is always specially scented. And when the concert takes place in a closed space, the smoke hangs about in the air, while the people in the crowd keep puffing away.
The rest of the evening was spent mainly soaking in the atmosphere of the festival grounds, roaming about with friends. It was the occasion to see some quite interesting things, like a bare chested devil, red from head to feet, running towards the Village du Monde. This is something that I really appreciate about Paléo. People aren’t scared to act wildly, and you get to see the creative side of people, which is usually hidden away because of social conventions. If you act strangely, people at the festival won’t judge you, but will probably have a good laugh, sometimes joining in for some extra fun. Another example is the proliferation of “freehuggers”, i.e. people who go around the grounds with a sign saying ‘free hugs’, and giving out hugs to whoever wants them. Last night I saw quite a funny variation to the free hug: the free kiss, two girls with very red lipstick on offering to add a bit of colour to your cheeks.
Another great thing to see when you just wander about is the street performers who play throughout the grounds.
This year l’Asse has the honour of hosting two chorals, some explorers on an elephant, along with strange colourful creatures rising up from the backs of two artists who go round bringing a bit of colour into your day (apparently sent by the french ministry of culture, they took someone who spoke Spanish with them when they heard that Switzerland was a multilingual country…)
Every night tends to finish off at the quartier des Alpes, around on of the big fire installations, seeking warmth there. It’s funny to see the people gradually leaving as the fires die down, later in the evening, everybody migrating to the few pots still burning (the fires are made of a piece of jean in a pot full of some sort of wax)."