Mylène Farmer en concert was Mylène Farmer's 1989 concert tour in support of her second studio album, Ainsi soit je.... It was the first tour of the singer."Mylène Farmer passe à l'acte", Jean-Paul Germonville, May 1989 Newspaper article (Retrieved 29 January 2008)Le Méridional, 26 July 1989, "Mylène Farmer s'ouvre à la scène" Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 31 March 2008)
Introduction In 1989, five years had passed since the first hit of Farmer ("Maman a tort" in 1984), and other successful songs had crowned the singer's career. However, she always sang in play-backLe Soir, 12 October 1989, "A quoi sers Mylène Farmer ?" Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 31 March 2008) when she was invited on television (she only performed live - with difficulty - "Tristana" on La Nouvelle Affiche, on 1 April 1987). As a result, some people believed that Farmer was not a real singer. Thus, to prove her talent to her critics, Farmer scheduled a series of concerts for May 1989 in Saint-Étienne and at the Palais des Sports (Paris)L'Union, 17 May 1989, "Mylène Farmer enfin sur scène "sans contrefaçon"" Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008) for a total of nine shows."La Tournée 1989" (Retrieved 4 March 2008) According to Sophie Tellier, one of the dancers, Farmer thought at the beginning that she would never be able to go on stage, and then she saw this tour as an "incredible challenge".Mylène Farmer, le culte - L'envers du décor, Sophie Khairallah, 2007, Why Not Ed., p. 45 Farmer admitted that she knew before her tour that she would be the subject of criticisms, and is why she got ready physically and artistically with a great perfectionism.L'Eclair, 18 October 1989, "Mylène Farmer en concert le 28 octobre" Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008) She chose the Palais des Sports, because she explained that she "hated the intimate places" that "prevented her from finding pleasure"L'Humanité Dimanche, 17 March 1989, "Mylène Farmer", Victor Hache Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008) and that she needed big spaces.La Marseillaise, 1 April 1989, "L'androgyne Mylène Farmer", Victor Hache Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008) In October, she revealed that she will perform 16 songs on stage.L'Est Républicain, 10 October 1989, "Mylène Farmer, ainsi soit-elle !", Jean-Paul Germonville Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008)
Every effort was made by Farmer and Boutonnat so that this concert would be huge, whether it is at the level of the stage set, the music, special effects, choreographies... As these concerts were "a real triumph"France Dimanche, 29 May 1989, "Mylène Farmer - 2 singes partagent sa vie" Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 19 March 2008) (all available tickets were sold), a tour was scheduled adding 44 shows mainly across France, but also Switzerland and Belgium. Because of the smallness of some concert halls and the enormous size of the stage set, several shows were forced to be cancelled. Other shows were postponed (for example, the concerts in Valence and Sanary were postponed on 16 October for technical reasons).Var Matin, 26 September 1989, "Mylène Farmer : Gala reporté" Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008)Var Matin, 26 September 1989, "Sanary: le concert de Mylène Farmer reporté au 16 octobre" Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008) All the concert halls were full every evening. Farmer was also the first French female singer to sing in the great hall of the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy.Le Dictionnaire des Chansons de Mylène Farmer, Benoît Cachin, 2006, Tournon Ed., p. 208-210
Before going on stage, Farmer had an intensive athletic training including running (5 km per dayIAO, No. 7, February–April 2006), physical and breathing exercises, and was on a diet (she had even stopped smoking). She also took singing lessons.Télé Magazine, 14 March 1989, "Mylène Farmer, innocente et perverse" Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008) In an interview, she said about the concert : "I really eagerly awaited the moment to try this experiment. Today, I want to go there. I feel I'm able to do it. A second round is beginning. (...) I don't want an intimate concert hall. I need wide open spaces, a breath.""Mylène Farmer demain mercredi, au Parc-Expo", 24 October 1989 Newspaper article (Retrieved 29 January 2008) She confessed that she was anxious at the idea of singing on stage and that she didn't manage to sleep because of that."Concert - Mylène, la gentleman Farmer", Sophie Grassin, December 1989 Newspaper article (Retrieved 29 January 2008) However, she considered this show as "an immense pleasure".Elle, 6 February 1989, "L'Oeil sur eux", Yane Lèbre Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 19 March 2008)
Thierry Rogen, who has been involved in the elaboration of the show, said in an interview that this concert was "one of [the] most beautiful professional experiences, but at the same time one of [the] worst". According to him, preparations for the concert were very difficult, because Farmer and Boutonnat had a high level of professionalism and they wanted to produce a great spectacle. He explained: "We [Farmer's team] were scared until the end to not be up to the task. (...) We were the first to put synths and movies on stage, with a technology that was not so sophisticated as it is today (...). Mylène's discs were so sophisticated in the production that we could not go on stage and just put a drummer, a bass player and a guitarist. It needed that the audience find again on stage the color of albums which contained multiple sequences and programming. Therefore, in addition to the vocalists and Mylène on stage, there were also some backings, which included footage of voices. Perhaps it is this that has led criticism, because some people said that the sound was too great to emerge only from the stage." He confirmed then that Farmer had never sung in playback during this tour.Instant-Mag, No. 7, 2001, p. 13-14
The basis idea of the stage set was "the passage of time". Boutonnat and Farmer wanted to create "a little gothic atmosphere, mixing mysterious, deep and old things", connected to the psychoanalysis. All should be "both thoughtless and strong".Mylène Farmer, le culte - L'envers du décor, Sophie Khairallah, 2007, Why Not Ed., p. 46 Finally, a cemetery was chosen by the singer to frame her show and "her arrival on the stage resembled that of a ghost coming out of a tomb".Maginco, "To be or not to be - Mylène Farmer, la friponne au sourire d'ange", Joëlle Lehrer, 1989 Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 29 January 2008) Indeed, the atmosphere of these concerts was rather sad and cold. White and black were the dominant colors of the show.La Voix du Nord, November 1989, "Mylène Farmer à Liévin : "Peur de grandir"", J.Hannebicque Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008) The transport and the assembly of the stage necessitated enormous technical means.L'Alsace, 6 December 1989, "Mise en place du concert Mylène Farmer - Du sport au Palais", Béatrice Griesinger Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008) Spectators were not allowed to photograph the singer or the stage, because an agency was specially in charge of this work.La Voix du Nord, 27 November 1989, "Mylène Farmer en concert" Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008)
After the first shows, Farmer said that through these concerts, she was able for the first time in her life to have confidence in herself.France Soir, 7 December 1989, "La nouvelle Mylène Farmer : "J'ai enfin confiance en moi"", Monique Prévot Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 19 March 2008)
Critical reception
Negative comments The lack of talent
Reviewing a concert in Lausanne, Swiss newspaper Le Matin ran a review with the headline "A dish for nothing", criticising the music as an "indescribable sonic cacophony" and the choreography as "a nullity equalled only by stupidity".Le Matin, "Mylène Farmer à Beaulieu : Un plat pour rien - "J'irai cracher sur vos tombes" ou quand le futile joint l'inutile au désagréable", Jean Eligass, 14 October 1989 Newspaper article (Retrieved 5 March 2008) Similarly, Le Parisien argued that the show relied on "clichés from across the Atlantic", describing it as "well done, without a soul [...] icy, but colossal" and criticised Farmer's performance, referring to her "poor swaying hips", "thin voice" and "neurotic look". The review concluded that the show brought "neither pleasure nor happiness", calling it a "swindle".Le Parisien, 25 May 1989, "Mylène Farmer (le Toc 50)", Alain Morel Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 5 March 2008)
The lack of emotion and a sad ambiance
Other reviews criticised the show for its lack of emotion and spontaneity. Writing for Télé Moustique, Rudy Leonet concluded that, in spite of "formidable professionalism", the production failed to evoke the emotional intensity "one might expect from an artist known for her extreme sensitivity and vulnerability".Télé Moustique, 6 November 1989, "Mylène Farmer, jeux d'artifices", Rudy Leonet Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008) Likewise, an article published in L'Humanité considered the concert as "impeccable", but argued that the lack of spontaneity suggested that the singer "does not truly care for the audience".L'Humanité, 26 May 1989, "Panache hystérique", Karim Demigneux Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008) Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace described the concert as "prefabricated",Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, 7 December 1989, "Mylène Farmer : à bout de souffle", Daniel Carrot Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 19 March 2008) although some concertgoers disagreed with this assessment.Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, 24 December 1989, "Fantastique Mylène..." Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 19 March 2008) La Nouvelle République du Centre described the concert in Poitiers as being "satanic, grand, perverse, (...) sulphurous, fascinating, on the verge of the uneasiness".La Nouvelle République du Centre, 28 October 1989, "La grand-messe noire de Mylène", Gédé Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008)
The lack of dialogue with the audience
According to a press article, what "has failed the most to this performance is generosity". Indeed, except a 'good evening' and a 'thank you', Farmer didn't speak to her audience and according to this article it is possible to "wonder where the love comes from the public for a too cold" singer. In the same way, while Le Dauphiné libéré admitted that the show was "perfect", it criticized the "contact with the audience [which] was disappointing".Le Dauphiné libéré, 16 October 1989, "Mylène, ingénue libertine", Nicolas Campestre Devant-soi.com (Retrieved 30 March 2008)
The too loud sound system