SHOW REVIEW | We The Kings in Paris, France

The 7 hours of waiting for We The Kings in 30-degree weather in Paris on February 3rd was worth it!

It was the very first time We The Kings was headlining in France and they chose the Trabendo to do so. And the guys couldn’t have chosen better opening acts!

First up on stage was The Earl Grey, a local band that definitively impressed the whole crowd. Not only did they go out in the cold to perform an acoustic set and meet us while sound check was running late, but they also interacted with the crowd during the show, giving away copies of their new album ‘We Are Young’. The lead singer, Alex, even jumped in the pit during their last song “In This Memory” while their street team leader was brought up on stage to perform with them. Everyone could see how much the band loved their fans and how thankful they were! I had the chance to meet Alex after the show, and he’s truly one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. He even told me that most of their fans had been invited to the show via Facebook and to the band’s own expenses.

After 4 songs, the frenchies let the stage to a band coming all the way from the UK, Natives. Formally known as Not Advised, the 5 boys from Southampton offered us a great performance, including their latest single “Stand For Something”. Lead singer Jim Thomas immediately bonded with the crowd, making us jump along with him to “Give Him Energy”. Before their last song, the band took out a Polaroid camera to picture their very first show in France. Yet again, I got the pleasure to meet the 5 guys after the show, by the merchandise stand. They were all so nice, chatting (and drinking) away with their brand new French fans.

After a couple of songs, it was time! It had been almost a year since We The Kings had last performed in France, opening for Simple Plan in April ’12. Their 2-hour set kicked off with a cover of Jay-Z’s “Niggas In Paris”. The band performed some of their biggest hits, including “She Takes Me High”, “Friday Is Forever”, “Heaven Can Wait” and even “We’ll Be A Dream”. Travis Clark stopped singing several times, to explain that he was overwhelmed by the crowd singing along to songs they knew by heart though English was not their first language. As the first notes of “Say You Like Me” echoed through the venue, fans held up signs reading ‘France Likes You’, almost bringing Travis to tears. The guys wrapped their set with their very first hit “Check Yes Juliet” before heading to M&G.

Some lucky fans who stayed late enough after the show had the chance to catch Travis, Charles and Coley as they were heading back to their tour bus. For about an hour, the three guys made sure to take at least one picture with each one of the 50 fans that were waiting. Travis even pleased fans by covering an acappella Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me”, song that was formally on their set list but had been replaced by Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child”

By the end of the show, one thing was sure: the promise made by the band to come back to perform in France soon had definitively brought some sun back to this rainy Sunday.