Mr. Nov: Standing Room Only

       This weekend and last, I attended two concerts for a French artist who I knew almost nothing about, and who won me over with his voice and his ability to win over the crowd. Mr. Nov, le chinois chauve (the bald Chinese guy). And I discovered his talent courtesy of a friend who's absolutely crazy about his music. So much so, that he was part of her motivation for crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Was he worth it? Well, just from the fact that I walked in to his concerts not quite knowing or caring what his style of music was, as I was there principally for moral support, and walked out as an almost fan and admiring his performance style, we'll say he was very much worth it. Honestly, I've never been to concerts like those, with standing room only, with black lights (which bother my eyes as it turns out) and fog, and people screaming with happiness at seeing their favorite artist on stage. It was a lovely experience, and I couldn't help but watch with admiration as Mr. Nov played on the energy of his audience and  let his them take over parts of his songs for him, pointing to them while they sang along like a veritable chorus. I love music, it is such an essential part to my well being, and to see all of Mr. Nov's fans singing and dancing along like that, all ages and types, made me ridiculously happy. And the way he performs! A very passionate singer indeed, singing about passion, no less. The lyrics to one of his songs have imprinted themselves in my head and refuse to stop playing, so that when I think of this energetic, passionate, tattooed artist, the song that plays in my head goes, "par terre, par terre, contre les murs." And the way he sang, gripping the microphone and putting his whole body into his music, oozing passion, are what come to mind. A new fan in me? Somewhat. Sort of. Indeed.