Lou Reed, John Cale & Nico
Le Bataclan '72

Velvet Underground.

In addition to being the name of a pornographic magazine, it was also the name of a group that, in the late '60s, revolutionized the music scene in parts of New York.
In an era where psychedelia was all the rage, promoting pacifism and free love, they, the Velvet Underground, changed course by greatly distancing themselves from the musical and ideological standards of those years.
Excess in music, perversion, striking themes, and their so counter-current attitude did not contribute to putting them in a good light.
Discovered and launched by the king of pop art, Andy Warhol (also an emerging artist at the time), they only produced two albums (of which I emphasize the importance of the unforgettable eponymous first one) before breaking up. However, a good dose of success awaited the three main members (Lou Reed, John Cale, and Nico) thanks to their solo careers after the split.

January 29, 1972, the three "surviving" musicians reunite at Le Bataclan in Paris. The result is an excellent acoustic concert in which, in addition to presenting their own songs, the repertoire of the Velvet Underground is also revived.

It begins with a stunning version of "Waiting For The Man" where Reed revisits his Velvet Underground-style singing/speaking accompanied by the simple acoustic guitar and a fantastic piano played by Nico.
This is followed by an engaging "Berlin" and a gritty "Black Angels Death Song" where Cale's viola reigns supreme.
After a compelling "Heroin", one of the best tracks of the concert, Reed steps aside and leaves the microphone to Cale, who gives us three emotional and intense pieces. "Empty Bottles" stands out above all.
The last part of the live is entrusted to the beautiful Nico, who begins by delighting us with a fantastic "Femme Fatale", which flows sweet and cold at the same time.
Later on, another intense and compelling episode is represented by "I'll Be Your Mirror" from the VU archive, paving the way for the last piece of this fantastic live session: "All Tomorrow's Parties", so simple, light, and enveloping.

In conclusion, a beautiful live performance and a real gem for the fans, one negative note is the recording, which could have been better, but perhaps it's better this way, they liked to annoy the listener a little.

(who remembers the 7 minutes and 46 seconds of "European Son"?)