They will go to see Mylène Farmer in concert, five, seven or even eleven times

Nine cities, thirteen dates. On Saturday, Mylène Farmer will kick off Lille’s “Nervermore”, the biggest stadium tour ever by a French artist. The return to the stage of the star is eagerly awaited, four years after his residency at the Paris La Defense Arena which brought together 243,000 people for nine evenings. This year, as with previous tours and residencies, hundreds of fans are planning to see her, see her again and see her again. Five, seven or even more than ten times. For what ? Attempt to answer in a few testimonies.

Motivation number 1: rarity. “Concerts are the only time you can share something with Mylène Farmer. She hardly does any more TV, no signing session ”, slips us Alexandre. So this quadra from Saint-Ouen will go and applaud for several evenings the one he has admired for twenty-five years. He has his tickets for the shows in Lille, Nantes, Lyon, Brussels as well as for the two Stade de France… “It’s a budget, he admits, but it’s also an opportunity to take advantage of it to spend weekends in these cities and to combine the pleasant with the pleasant. »

125 euros per date

Michael, 33, has meanwhile planned to attend eleven of the thirteen concerts. “When I talk about it, my relatives roll their eyes, I realize it’s a privilege,” explains this HR manager from Maisons-Alfort. He did not make a precise count of his expenses but, for his places in the gold lawn, he invested a total of 1,375 euros (125 euros per date). “The tickets went on sale two years ago, it allowed me to spread out the purchases over time, he says. For transport, I took the tickets as soon as possible in order to spend as little as possible and, for accommodation, we share the costs with friends. It is this last point that motivates him the most to go on concerts with Mylène Farmer: “spending evenings with [ses] friends who share [sa] passion for the artist.

Same thing for Jean-Marie. This 43-year-old Marseillais, sales director in beauty, is “above all” galvanized by “the human side” of the experience. Farmer meetings punctuate his life: it was at a concert of the star that he met, fourteen years ago, the one who is now her husband. He has planned to go on seven dates, which he will share, depending on the evening, with his husband and/or with his best friends. Sylvain is one of them. Podcast co-creator Mylène Farmer – Stories of… – whose episodes have accumulated 600,000 plays for four years – he will be there for five concerts.

Being present from the launch in Lille was obvious for Sylvain. “I like to see her face when she discovers the public. I always have the impression that she is relieved to see us, that she says to herself: “They are here!” he smiles. The 40-year-old from Ile-de-France, who is used to going to applaud the singer several times on each tour or residence, notes that she is “concentrated as rarely” during the premieres. One of his pleasures is to see her leave her detention over the evenings.

“There are nights when she doesn’t cry”

If Alexandre considers that, from one concert to another, there are differences “which do not jump to the eyes of the general public”, Michael is more categorical: “No date is like another. The little phrases, the little hiccups, the atmosphere… All that changes from one day to the next. Personally, I manage very well to distinguish each of my memories. I can say what happened and when. Benoît, a 36-year-old from Brussels, does not say the opposite. He planned to go to five concerts of Nervermore and expects to discover something new each time. “Mylène Farmer’s shows are dense in terms of theatricality. This year, I will do two dates in the stands to take full advantage of it, and the others in the pit, to be closer to her, ”he explains.

The pit is the beating heart of any farmer’s concert. This is where the emotions are most bubbling. This is where the tearful moments are best enjoyed, namely the piano-voice ballads that contributed to the legend of Mylène Farmer. Gossips see in it tears shed on command. “It’s a received idea, sweeps Sylvain. Live, everything is there for the emotion to be there, so it’s not surprising that it can be moved. But there are evenings when she does not cry and others when the emotion arises more than another. I remember for example a concert in Angers in 1999 and his shining eyes on remember the day, which she did not have the other times. »

Going to several Mylène Farmer concerts also increases your chances of attending times when the well-oiled machine jams somewhat. “In 2019, at the end of Disenchantedthe public continued to sing the chorus, but the technique had already switched to the next table, that of Dream. We felt that it was rowing”, recalls Jean-Marie with amusement.

“We always think it will be the last time”

Sylvain, he has in mind this evening of 2013 when the artist “landed on the buttocks” in full interpretation of XXL. “She has funny reactions. It feels like nothing can touch her on stage. In 2006, she lost herself in the rhythm and the lyrics of Undress me. She stopped and said, “Let’s start again.” In 2009, at the Stade de France, the sound dropped on Disenchanted. Nothing came out of the speakers, nothing worked, but she made the final despite everything, in full control. She has an ease on stage, she allows herself everything. She really has an incredible relaxation in the middle of this barnum. »

These aficionados of Mylène Farmer also all have in common to distance themselves from the caricature that fans of the redhead fall into all excesses. “I’ve been following her for a long time, but I don’t like everything she does, like her record monkey me or the tour Timeless, says Alexander. That doesn’t stop me from coming back. I loved The influence, his latest album. »

Benoît, he likes this opus released this fall much less. “I’m not a fan of Woodkid’s compositions. So I don’t play it on a loop. It’s a sign that I can have a critical look, ”insists the Brussels resident. He will therefore go to the Lille concert “so as not to be spoiled”, at the Stade de France “because there are rumors of guests » and in Nice « because it will be the last ». “We always think it will be the last time,” he continues. With a tour called Nevermore, “Never again”, the fears of the ultimate meeting are reinforced. If this is a farewell to the scene of Mylène Farmer, going to see her several times is therefore also accumulating goodbyes.

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