La Gaîté Lyrique: Concert Venue Review

Last night I went to La Gaîté Lyrique, a newly opened concert venue/museum in the 3rd arrondissement (3 bis Rue Papin). I checked in on Foursquare as soon as I got there (because I have a problem) and read the tips, which translate to, “beware of hipsters.” Duh. I’m here and as a former colleague unfortunately informed me, as a young(ish) music fan who looks for the cool new places and ironically uses the word bro, I’m a hipster. Fine.

La Gaîté Lyrique is seriously much cooler than me. This week they celebrated the week Infiné, which included the concert last night featuring Aufgang, Agoria, Terry Francis – Fabric Resident. Word to the wise: the first act went on at 10pm, the second at midnight and the third at 2:30am. It stays open until 4am and draws the likes of Christophe, a Parisian style Iggy Pop we decided. Come here to party.

The concert hall is completely modernized with top notch acoustics. The bar next door is a more traditional style Parisian salon with massive vertical windows and ornate crown molding. The modern decor includes modular lights that also serve as seating. The building dates back to 1862. Besides hosting such notable notes as yours truly and Christophe, Victor Hugo had is 70th birthday here. It almost fell about in the 1980s and has been mostly dormant until this year, when it reopened as a museum dedicated to electronic arts and music.

Check it out. They regularly announce concerts via their Facebook page. Their website is also available in French and English