This past weekend I went to another all night concert in a venue under a bridge. Just like Faust Night Club, Showcase Paris is under the Alexandre III Bridge in Paris, just on the North side. What So Not was the headliner who came on at 3 am, along with Stupead, Kasbo, Point Point and Ganz. Here is my review and comparison of the venues and artists:
Unlike last time, I actually went to this concert with some friends. We got there at about 12:15 am when the doors opened at 11:45 pm. There weren’t that many people there and Stupead was on. His style was funky with some dub step drops. I enjoyed his music, but my friends and I snagged a seat until we were ready to get up and dance. There was a VIP section roped off with a few extra seats on the side in the back of the room.
Getting there early allowed me to check the venue out. Interestingly enough, this is the venue that The Chainsmokers were supposed to play at before it got moved to the Trianon. I’m glad it got moved, as even though the space is bigger than Faust, it was significantly smaller than the Trianon. This being said, they had more bars and each bar was larger. This allowed for more space between dance floor and bar, and of course more space for people waiting for drinks. Showcase also had separate bathrooms for men and women whereas Faust did not. One thing that Faust had that Showcase did not was a separate smoking room. Even though I prefer smokers to go outside, which Showcase did allow, I liked how the separate room in Faust was quieter and sold coffee and small refreshments. The only food Showcase sold was hotdogs from a cart.
Slower Kasbo
Next up was Kasbo. Kasbo recently played at Red Rocks with Big Gigantic but his music was too chill for me in that moment. It was much slower and as the crowd got bigger I could sense they were ready for Point Point. Point Point is a DJ from Paris and he had some great graphics. This is another difference between Faust and Showcase. Faust had a great atmosphere with lights on the ceiling and walls to go along with the music, but not a wall for a screen (the VIP is behind the DJ booth in Faust). Having a screen with graphics is part of the show, and Showcase was definitely able to allow each artist to display their own art. Point Point mixed a lot of popular songs with different beats and drops and really got the crowd worked up for What So Not.
Point Point’s graphics of… Points
What So Not had the best graphics of the night. They were colorful images that didn’t take away from the songs. He played all of his hits out for a good 5-10 minutes each which allowed for the bass to drop several times. When this happened, the crowd started a strange mosh pit. This was surprising to me as so far in Europe, people have given me my space at events. At this concert people were pulling and pushing you into a mosh pit as if it were a rock concert. I was not a fan of that.
What So Not in his fur coat
By the time What So Not got off the stage at 4:30 am, I was ready to leave. I waited another 30 min to hear Ganz as I needed to wait for the first train home. I liked Ganz as he continued the upbeat music. He played a lot of trap which made me smile. I love when EDM DJs combine music from other genres.
Overall, I think I would have to say I enjoyed my time at Faust more. Minus not having a screen behind the DJs, I think the venue is nicer. I really enjoyed What So Not and finding out about Point Point but I will be sure to show up later than 1 am as drinks are too expensive.
I see Flume tomorrow, who used to be in What So Not, at a new venue so I can’t wait to compare that experience as well.
Have you been to two venues that are similar and close in proximity like these two?