I saw Damso at Paris La Défense Arena: more than a concert, an almost mystical experience

Damso, Paris La Défense Arena. A triple date with a bittersweet taste. With his BÄ’YÄ€H TOURthe Belgian rapper brings his sixth album to life on stage, announced as the last, in the most spectacular way. I knew this evening was going to be different before it even happened.

Shortly before 8:50 p.m., the lights in the room flashed by themselves, in fits and starts. Giant screens glitch. The room holds its breath. A warm-up before a seven-minute introduction which sounds almost like a warning.

Dems’ nightmare

Then she arrives. A white creature, with long hair, alone in the center of the stage. Motionless. Solar and disturbing at the same time, she immediately makes me think of the Painter of Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 who, by chance of the calendar, performs on the side of the Seine Musicale at the exact same time. A voice from the abyss invades space. Hooded figures watch silently from the sides. Then demons arise. They contort themselves, utter guttural sounds, throw themselves at the white creature in an apocalyptic sequence. 

I feel like I’m seeing a nightmare of HR Giger, father of Dune by Jodorowsky and the terrifying Alien by Ridley Scott, come to life in front of me. I also think of The Cell de Tarsem Singh, au The Labyrinth of Bread by Guillermo Del Toro. References serving a story, that of a man in inner struggle.

When Damso comes into the spotlight, he doesn’t need to say a word to trigger the crowd’s screams. His all-black look – sunglasses, gloved hands, chains hanging from his pants – is enough to impress. I notice that his microphone looks like a relic from another world, like an animal jaw painted black. Unforgivable begins and Dems occupies the stage as if he were the natural center of gravity. Around him, everything is agitated.

100 diamants et un spectacle à 360 degrés

What strikes me during these 2 hours of show is the absolutely total character of the show. At La Défense Arena, a gigantic room that is difficult to tame, a detail always catches my eye. On the stands, in the air, in the most remote corners. There are perhaps 15 or 20 dancers, characters, creatures, we don’t know anymore, offering circus acts, lifts and jetties that take the breath away, brandishing harps and skeletal pianos. Under the orange play of light, the curls of smoke become sand dust.

This sticky, uncomfortable atmosphere sticks to my skin. I have the impression of seeing my sleep paralysis materializing. Something we can’t really name.

But this story is not mine, it is Damso’s. On the screens, his light double appears sporadically then immediately evaporates, as if he couldn’t gain the upper hand. This is where the staging makes sense: the creatures are not there to dress up the pieces. They embody the rapper’s words. His discomfort, his contradictions, his fears, everything that he cannot overcome. It’s strong.

Deep inside

Moments of bravery follow one another without me having time to breathe. On Wood fire with Sarah Sey as a guest, the atmosphere turns hemoglobin red and jets of flame emerge from the four corners of the Arena. Solitaire mosaic is enhanced by acrobatics in the air which give the title an almost sacred dimension. The sequence with God never lies is perfect. Damso masters space, but also silences. Too bad that real interactions with the public are limited to a few exchanges of hands.

And then there is Two sea canvases. The whole crowd is singing. The voice of his son Lior, bathed in innocence, echoes off the walls and hits me right in the heart. This is perhaps his most beautiful pieceand certainly the most human moment of the evening, the tipping point of this carefully orchestrated visual chaos.

Will the rapper end his career?

Divided into five acts with two interludes, the finale takes place in what he calls “The White World”. Silk sheets dress I already have feelings. All creatures are now immaculate. We are suddenly enveloped by a bubble of happiness, I even have the impression of attending a wedding – with atypical guests of course. Damso delivers a masterclass of hits: Who asked me, Alpha, Moon Year, 911the essential Macarena.

The conclusion is made on FEET and the outro of BÄ’YÄ€H. On the spherical proscenium, Damso puts down the microphone. Then he withdraws and rushes, during a strange religious procession, into a white coffin. Is this the end of a chapter, of a character, of an era? Of his career itself? I don’t have the answer, only Damso knows it. But I can’t stop thinking about that last image. Exactly what a big concert is supposed to give me.

Tracklist du concert de Damso

1. Unforgivable
2. LIFE OLENCE
3. Vantablack
4. 2 diamonds
5. JCVDEMS
6. Bye bye bye
7. Wood fire
8. Leave me alone.
9. Schema
10. Solitaire mosaic
11. God never lies
12. Outlet
13. Smog
14. 24h plus tôt
15. The street is dead.
16. Fibonacci
17. J Respect R
18. Frère
19. LIFE LIFE
20. Love is blind
21. Ipséité
22. TWO SEA CANVAS
23. I ALREADY HAVE FEELINGS
24. Qui m’a demandé
25. Alpha
26. Year Moon
27. 911
28. Macarena
29. Morose
30. FEET