Iggy Pop @ Grand Rex, Paris - May 15th, 2016

The Stooges are no more. Both Asheton brothers are now dead and the best rock reunion has now come to an end. So when it was time for Iggy Pop to return to his solo career, instead of slumming it in festivals with a mediocre backing band comprised of pedestrian metal musicians, Iggy decided to class it up a bit. He called up Josh Homme and he formed a deluxe band with members of Queens of the Stone Age and Arctic Monkeys to play some of the world's most beautiful theatres.

Tonight is the last night of their tour and they're playing Le Grand Rex in Paris and any fear one might have had over old Jim Osterberg having calmed down was alleviated from the first song: a raucous rendition of "Lust for Life," which set the tone for the whole show.

No Stooges songs tonight, but a set comprising mostly of his new album and selections from The Idiot and Lust For Life. It's hard to chose a highlight but maybe the most intense moment was the unexpected "Repo Man." But also "Tonight," "The Passenger," "Funtime," "Nightclubbing," "China Girl" and new songs "Gardenia" and "American Valhalla..."

Concert of the year so far, and it's not even close.