Tribute to Kurt Cobain with Béatrice Dalle and Youv Dee at Les Abbesses: we were there, we tell you about it

Published by Caroline de Sortiraparis · Photos by Caroline de Sortiraparis · Published on January 30, 2025 at 02:00 p.m.
Actress Béatrice Dalle, rapper Youv Dee and musician Bastien Berger took to the stage at the Théâtre des Abbesses in Paris on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 to pay a vibrant and beautiful tribute to Kurt Cobain, the iconic lead singer of Nirvana. We were there, and tell you all about this beautiful musical show, simply entitled "Come as you are".

At the time, the Internet was in its infancy in France, and people were still listening to music on CD, or even on K7. But one event left an indelible mark on an entire generation: the death of Kurt Cobain. It was on April 5, 1994. So much so that almost everyone remembers where he was and what he was doing at that precise moment when his death was announced.

His thoughts and voice have haunted us ever since. And his songs, performed alongside Nirvana, continue to resonate in our heads, inspiring young and old alike. Just look at the intergenerational audience at the Théâtre des Abbesses on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. Fans of the grunge icon came out in force for the first of two Parisian performances of " Come as you are ".

An original creation by Printemps de Bourges, presented at the 2024 edition of the festival, this musical show, lasting around 1 hour 10 minutes, features two strong personalities of French expression, actress Béatrice Dalle and rapper Youv Dee, accompanied by musician Bastien Burger, former bassist with The DØ. The idea? Ten texts read by the former, taken from the singer's memoirs, and ten songs sung by the latter, taken from Nirvana's repertoire, with Bastien Berger in the middle, bridging the gap between each part.

It's around 8.15pm when the lights go down. Bastien Berger appears on stage armed with his guitar. As a few effects emanate from this instrument, sounds are broadcast into the room: a sample of Claire Chazal announcing the singer's tragic death, then the voice of Béatrice Dalle, confessing to having cried a lot. Footsteps can then be heard on the theater floor. They were those of the actress arriving at Bastien Berger's side. Dressed entirely in black, Béatrice Dalle begins to read one of the powerful texts from the singer's memoirs, published ten years after his death.

" I like to know that women are generally superior to men, and naturally less violent than them. I like to know that women are the only future of rock'n'roll ", reads Béatrice Dalle, glasses screwed on her nose, in front of her desk.

Then it was Youv Dee' s turn to take to the stage. Born in Val-d'Oise in 1996, after the death of Kurt Cobain, Youv Dee is a well-known artist among urban music fans. For this original creation, the rapper accepted the perilous challenge of covering 10 Nirvana songs, all well-known to the general public. Youv Dee opens with " Polly ", accompanied by Bastien Berger on guitar, demonstrating his incredible vocal skills. No rap revisited songs, but a bluff and convincing interpretation. At times, the vocal resemblance is striking.

Béatrice Dalle takes the microphone again. " I fully and unreservedly support: homosexuality, drug use, experimentation (even if I am living proof of the harmful consequences of excess), anti-oppression (against religion, racism, sexism, censorship and patriotism), creativity through art, music, journalism, love, friendship, family, animals and revolution on a grand scale [...] My God, I can't handle success. I feel so incredibly guilty about being successful.

The dark yet poetic lyrics were carefully and perfectly chosen by Béatrice Dalle. As the minutes tick by, we discover - through these few lines - a Kurt Cobain with a tortuous, tortured mind. A self-destructive and deeply sensitive man. Someone who thought he was an extraterrestrial as a child, and had lost the desire to play and sing during Nirvana's last tours. An angry artist who couldn't cope with success and fame, and had started taking heroin to relieve his excruciating stomach pains.

" Chemical products are a contemporary thing, and today I'm going to take all the ones I can get my greasy paws on, because this smell makes me remember you, just like they say in the ad " proclaims Béatrice Dalle, who has never hidden her admiration for the artist. " I'm Kurt Cobain's widow ", the actress confided last April on France Inter, adding that " there's not a day without him ".

So who better than Béatrice Dalle to read Kurt Cobain's intimate lyrics with force and passion. It was an obvious choice. And the result lives up to our expectations. Thanks to her touching interpretation, Béatrice Dalle plunges us back into the deep malaise of the Nirvana singer. There's total silence in the auditorium. We're all hanging on the actress's every word, her breath intensifying as the show progresses.

Lyrics and songs alternate on stage under strobe lighting effects: " All apologies ", " The Man Who Sold The World ", " Love buzz ", " Something in The Way ", not forgetting " Rape Me ", widely applauded by the audience, and the sublime " Come as you are ", which gave its name to this creation. Youv Dee, who invites the audience to clap their hands, is impeccable and at times gives us goose bumps. Bastien Berger is also remarkable, producing a few well-mastered riffs. And Béatrice Dalle can't help shaking her head to some of the choruses.

Béatrice Dalle ends her performance with an extract from Kurt Cobain's suicide note, and with sobs in her voice, she reveals all her sensitivity. " I must be one of those narcissists who don't appreciate things until they're gone [...] It's better to burn out frankly than to die slowly ". With these heartbreaking words, the first notes of " Smells Like Teen Spirit " echo through the hall, to the applause of the audience. The visual of the woman with angel wings, featured on the cover of"In Utero", is then projected onto the back of the stage. A climactic finale, warmly applauded by a conquered audience, overwhelmed and moved by this journey through time.

The second performance of this tribute to Kurt Cobain takes place this Thursday, January 30, 2025 at the Théâtre des Abbesses. There are still a few tickets available, so don't delay if you're a nostalgic Nirvana fan and Kurt Cobain rocked your teenage years. The trio return to the Paris region on March 27, with a date scheduled at theEMB in Sannois, Val-d'Oise.

Practical information

Location

31, rue des Abbesses
75018 Paris 18

Route planner

Accessibility info

Official website
www.theatredelaville-paris.com

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