© CPU – Chris Stessens (archive)
Since 2003, the greatest artists on earth have descended on the banks of the Seine. Radiohead, Green Day, Foo Fighters and The Cure have given their best in the past. This year, an extra day was scheduled for the actual festival. Lana Del Rey had the honor of kicking off Rock En Seine. Anyone who thought that Miss Del Rey’s melancholic pop would have no place had better think again. In no time, all tickets were sold out and the ‘sold out’ sign was soon hung on the door. It became a gathering of Lana Del Rey supporters, dressed in white dresses and flowers in their hair.
The air above the Parc de Saint-Cloud was already sultry and charged with tension as the clock ticked toward 9:45 p.m. for Lana Del Rey’s performance at Rock en Seine. The stage setup looked like it had been plucked from a forgotten Hollywood film set: lush greenery, weathered columns that seemed to have defied the ravages of time, and a sense of decay that felt romantic yet melancholic. The only thing missing was Lana herself, the diva known for her unpredictable timing. But the crowd, loyal and expectant, knew that waiting was inherent to the Lana Del Rey experience; waiting for that elusive spell she conjures up time and time again.
When the clock struck 10:10 p.m., the moment finally arrived. The delay was only twenty-five minutes – almost a stroke of luck for those who had braced themselves for a much longer wait. An introductory video brought the tension to a boiling point and then she appeared, bathed in a cinematic glow that immediately evoked memories of classic Hollywood glamour. Her face seemed to have come straight out of a Marilyn Monroe film, a sculpture of melancholy and introspection. The crowd exploded: cries of admiration, tears of emotion – Lana’s appearance was so emotional that the fans could hardly see what was happening on stage.
She opened with “Body Electric,” a song that had been absent from her setlists for some time, but the enthusiasm of the crowd ensured that Lana’s voice was sometimes lost in the chorus of thousands of devoted fans. Every word was sung along to, every phrase repeated with a fervent devotion that felt almost religious. Yet it quickly became apparent that this version of “Body Electric”—like most of the songs—had been shortened. Although her songs are known for their expansive, cinematic length, there seemed to be a fear that the audience would lose patience. A misconception, as it turned out, because given the almost fanatical devotion of her Parisian audience, it could have gone on longer and every note would still have been received with equal passion.
The visual accompaniment to the performance was nothing short of spectacular. Dancers moved gracefully through the fairy-tale decor, there was a swing, a make-up table and even a Harley Davidson – although the latter was only used as a decorative element. It felt like each part was its own miniature theatre piece: carefully directed and orchestrated. However, for some it may have come across as a bit too flashy. In a world where Lana’s music is already so rich in images and emotions, this overload of visual stimuli sometimes felt unnecessary. This may have had something to do with her well-known insecurity on stage; it seemed that she surrounded herself with this professional shell to protect her fragile self-confidence.
The first half of the set, which lasted an hour and a half, had a certain aloofness. Sure, the audience sang and screamed, and hits like “Summertime Sadness,” “Ride,” and “Born To Die” were received with enthusiasm. But the magic – that unique Lana Del Rey magic that seems to slow down time and transport us to another dimension – was missing. Only after a musical intermezzo did the mood seem to change. The set switched to slower, more introspective songs like “Bartender” and “Chemtrails Over the Country Club.” It was here, in the more intimate moments, that she really began to shine. This was the moment when she seemed to freeze time; the audience captured in the fragile beauty of her music.
“Arcadia” was simply sublime, the highlight of the evening. The vulnerability in Lana’s voice, the quiet intensity of the music, and the breathless attention of everyone at Rock En Seine made this a magical moment. “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” and “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” came along a little later, and they underlined why Lana’s more recent work is among her best. Even “Video Games,” once her biggest hit, felt almost traditional here compared to the emotional depth of her newer repertoire.
One of the strangest moments of the night came just before the encore, when Lana surprised us with a hologram of herself singing “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it.” Accompanied by a live pianist, the hologram had a chilling, almost ominous feel to it that even felt a little creepy. Thankfully, Miss Del Rey showed up in person for the encore. Featuring “A&W” and “Young and Beautiful,” it was short but sweet. It closed with a strange foxtrot-like rhythm that put an unexpected twist on the night, as if it were time to wake up and emerge from the dream. As the final notes faded away, one thing was clear: Lana Del Rey has an untouchable status in France. While she may never be an exuberant performer, she proves time and time again that she is capable of moments of pure beauty on stage. We can only dream of what these songs would do in a smaller, more intimate setting, where they would have the space to fully develop.
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Setlist:
Body Electric
Without You
West Coast
Doin’ Time (Sublime cover)
Summertime Sadness
Cherry
Pretty When You Cry
Ride Monologue
Ride
Born to Die
Interlude (Instrumental interlude)
Bartender
Burnt Norton (Interlude)
Chemtrails Over the Country Club
The Grants
Interlude (Contains elements from Hey Long Beach’s “The Abandoned Jergins Tunnel in Long Beach”)
Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
Norman fucking Rockwell
Arcadia
Video Games
hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it
A&W
Young and Beautiful
