Lacuna Coil remains a paradox. Everyone knows them, but the Italians seem to be systematically forgotten in a strange limbo. The phrase we hear most often about them? ‘Oh yeah, they were my whole youth!’ Yet, with a consistency that commands respect, Lacuna Coil continues to release highly respectable albums, evolving their music to keep it relevant, and the recent Sleepless Empire (review) was further proof of their knack for churning out hits. As a result, when Lacuna Coil plays at festivals, it's often at a time slot that doesn't quite do them justice, even though everyone goes to see them, if only out of nostalgia... but to find the last time they played in Paris, you have to go back to 2019, when they opened for Eluveitie at the same Élysée Montmartre! The last time Lacuna Coil played in the french capital as headliners was in... 2016, with a few appearances in the suburbs (Vauréal in 2017, Savigny-le-Temple in 2018).
This evening at the Élysée Montmartre, this time as the main attraction, was therefore a minor event. As we approached the Sacré Cœur, we nevertheless hoped that the competition from Disturbed and Megadeth playing at the Zénith at the same time would not detract from the evening organised by Veryshow. Everything was fine: a good half hour before the first act, there were only six tickets left at the box office!
NONPOINT
About Nonpoint, we could paraphrase some of what was said above about Lacuna Coil: the last (and only?) time we saw them in the Paris area was in Vauréal ten years ago. Yet, with a career spanning almost thirty years, Nonpoint has achieved something of a cult status. Chatting in the venue before the concert, it quickly becomes clear that the audience is divided between those who have never heard of them... and those who have made the trip to see them, full of enthusiasm! In short, we're not being ripped off: the support act is was a real curiosity worth to see!
Talking about nostalgia... Nonpoint's sound takes us straight back to that time between the late 1990s and early 2000s. Their look alone is reminiscent of the music videos that were on MTV twenty years ago! Dreadlocks, trainers, jerseys... Their mix of nu metal and super catchy groove metal is sometimes reminiscent of Mudvayne, sometimes Skindred, sometimes a sunnier version of KoRn (Nonpoint is from Florida). Aware of what those discovering the band on stage tonight must be thinking, singer Elias Soriano shouts out at one point: ‘If you don't know who we are and can't read our name on the screen behind me, we are KoRn!’ as the intro riff to Blind rings out.
Let's stop comparing them to the Bakersfield band: Nonpoint's music is less dark and takes us on a whirlwind of energy. Veterans Soriano, with his impeccable vocals, especially when Nonpoint launches into more melodic parts, and Robb Rivera on drums take centre stage... with the drums more prominent than usual, leaving Soriano little space. Around them, guitarists Rasheed Thomas and Jaysin Zeilstra compete to see who can look the most like they're in KoRn, whirling furiously in all directions and putting on a great show.
Nonpoint is fun. Little by little, the audience is won over, whether by the sound of the classics (Bullet with a Name, The Wreckoning, Alive and Kicking, What A Day, Rabia) or more recent tracks (A Million Watts, Ruthless). However, we are surprised not to hear more of the band's latest tracks (the heaviness of Underdog would have been welcome!). Of course, when they cover Phil Collins' In the Air, everyone knows the lyrics, but the crowd was already up for the activities on offer: clapping their hands, speaking Spanish on Rabia, making a gun with their fingers on Bullet With a Name (aaah, those Americans!). In the end, everyone was happy: it grooved and it rocked, we felt like we were young again and that baggy trousers were still in fashion, perfect for hiding the bottle of Eristoff Black we used to buy in secret!
LACUNA COIL
No more partying, no more sunshine, no more sportsmen and Florida. After Nonpoint's flashy spots, Lacuna Coil sets a darker mood at the Élysée Montmartre as drummer Richard Meiz arrives first and strikes a pose, a drumstick in his mouth, to greet the audience. Then Andrea Ferro appears running, as generous as ever with his grimaces, and starts growling his parts of Layers of Time. Christina Scabbia hides under her hood until it's her turn to sing. The new guy on guitar, Daniele Salomone, isn't allowed to take off his hood: he might be mistaken for the ‘other almost-bald bearded guy’ in the band, the irreplaceable bassist Marco Coti Zelati, aka Maki. First come, first served!
After their appearance at the last Motocultor (live report), we are delighted to finally be able to enjoy the current set in its entirety, indoors. Lacuna Coil lodges its choruses in our heads. The songs follow one another, we know them all, even the ones we don't know so well: everything is catchy, everything is familiar, everything is immediately appealing. Scabbia's vocals resonate powerfully, her mastery is impressive. We note, with a touch of amusement, that the band still introduces Hosting the Shadows as clumsily as ever, announcing that they have a ‘very special guest for the next song, Randy Blythe’: sure enough, just like their set at Motocultor Festival, part of the audience gets excited before realising that no, the Lamb of God singer isn't actually here tonight!
No track is weaker than the others, none are boring or dispensable. The chemistry between the nasty riffs and the more melancholic vocals is galvanising. Lacuna Coil brings people together with its talent and good humour. Generous in her exchanges, Christina Scabbia regularly thanks the audience and promises us that if we haven't seen them in so long, it's not their fault but rather because they always seem to be last on the promoters' list. This brings us back to what we were saying earlier: Lacuna Coil seems strangely under the radar. Oh, and it was the birthday of a girl in the front row who follows the band on tour. Christina and the whole audience sang for her, she'll certainly remember it for a long time!
Logically, the setlist is dominated by tracks from Sleepless Empire: Gravity, I Wish You Were Dead, Never Dawn, Oxygen, In Nomine Patris... they're less than a year old, but it feels like we've been listening to them forever. Live, Lacuna Coil pays close attention to transitions, giving more space to electronics, for example. This adds to the drama: just listen to the crowd going wild as, little by little, the melody of Heaven's a Lie builds, theatrical and intense! Later, Swamped reminds us once again of Lacuna Coil's most gothic moments, whose dark romanticism and elegance, boosted by unifying choruses, still work so well. Along with Spellbound, these are the only three tracks from the 2000s played tonight (and even then, those from Comalies are in their updated 2023 versions).
When the generous encore of four songs begins, Richard Meiz resumes his position, standing behind his drums. Scabbia returns with her hood up. It feels like we're back at the beginning, but these are indeed the final moments of a theatrical and unifying hour-and-a-half concert that has flown by in the blink of an eye. Charisma, generosity, interaction with the audience, mutual enjoyment, flawless performances that give the songs extra impact, and Andrea Ferro spending the evening rolling his eyes and pointing his fingers at his temples: Lacuna Coil performs like a well-oiled machine, but with soul. So now, you snobbish elitist metalheads, stop showing off by sulking, admit that you secretly love it and come have a blast at the live show! Don't worry, we won't see you in the dark, we'll be watching the stage! It's time to accept that Lacuna Coil has become unmissable, and this crowded night leaves us feeling confident: they seem to be on the verge of starting a new phase in their career where they are finally given the place they deserve, at the top of the bill!
