THE VELVET UNDERGROUNDBACK IN PARIS! (Sort of.)

Although I've seen the constituent musicians in concert over the years -- John Cale numerous times in Washington DC and Paris; Lou Reed on the Berlin tour in DC; Cale and Reed performing Songs For Drella (with a guest appearance by drummer Mo Tucker) at BAM in NYC; and all of them here in Paris during the 1993 reunion tour -- the first time I heard the Velvet Underground in concert was at one of the band's several 1969 gigs at the old Woodrose Ballroom, a former bowling alley in Deerfield, MA.

My verdict:

LOUD.

But I loved this band, which would become the inspirational precursor to the entire punk movement of the Seventies.

Recently, in conjunction with the La Philharmonie de Paris' exhibition The Velvet Underground: New York Extravaganza, founding member John Cale hosted an array of special guests to pay tribute to the group's debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. Audience clips below:
Click here to watch the fan videos.