Rockstore, Montpellier, France
April 8, 1995

English Translation

In 95, in general indifference (except mine), Hole makes a small tour in France to promote their 2nd album ‘Live Through This’, and has the good idea to make a detour by Montpellier.

Finally, initially, I must admit that I was not even aware of their passage near my home. Let’s say to summarize that 5 days before the concert, my sister heard a contest on a local radio station whose lucky winner took 2 tickets to see Hole at the Rockstore. Not being herself a fan of this group (if at all) she was kind enough to participate and, to her surprise to win the tickets (well, I want to clarify that the fact of it didn’t matter much to me: to see this group I would have paid a lot of money.) On the day of the concert, for various reasons (thank you Céline, I will remember it :)) we arrive at the concert with more than 45 minutes late. The first part, a totally unknown grungy group, Miranda Sex Garden (where did they get a name like that? One wonders …) is of course already over, and Hole has already started! I arrive during ‘Asking For It’, which remains without doubt one of the best pieces of Hole to this day. The Rockstore is far from full, a little less than 500 people are in the room … The rest of the concert is very vague in my head. I am unable to give the complete setlist of the concert, but I know that that night, ‘Violet’, ‘Doll Parts’, ‘Teenage Whore’, ‘Jennifer’s Body’ or even ‘Rock Star’ (which the audience keeps calling claim by shouting: ‘When I went to schooooool’) will be played. Small anecdote (there are always anecdotes to tell after seeing Hole live): during the concert, Courtney Love tried, in vain to be offered a white fur coat that a girl was wearing in the audience, but she did not had no intention of giving it to him …And after about three quarters of an hour together, the group is already leaving; no reminder, nothing. The concert was very short (even shorter for me who missed the start). At the end of the concert, my sister gets (without really knowing what it is: what naivety!) A Miss Love pick, that’s it already.

Outside, undoubtedly disappointed by the brevity of the concert, the crowd disperses quickly, and we – who come out last – have the chance (hehe) to meet the bassist of the time, Melissa auf der Maur, who in addition to be beautiful, it must be admitted, is absolutely adorable. Being Canadian, she speaks to us in French and explains to us that Courtney was not feeling very well that evening and preferred to cut the show short … Then the guitarist Eric Erlandson shows up and stays outside with us a bit. This evening we will also meet the drummer, Patty Schemel, who is a real funeral. She will get back on the bus quickly after signing a few autographs anyway.

To sum up this concert, I would say it was short but awesome. And then, it was my very first concert (well, a concert with more than 100 people in the hall!). Only regret: not having been able to meet Courtney Love with the rest of the group. Girls who had left the Rockstore long before me will tell me later that she had rushed on the bus after the concert, hidden behind sunglasses and a black hat … Anyway, it’s really a group which ‘pulsates’ (as my François gossip would say – alias Mr Musemania). It remains one of my best concert memories.