Living Local in Paris #10

Last night, we attended the 32nd annual benefit concert for Restaurants du Cœur (Restaurants of Love).

Restaurants du Cœur was founded in 1986.  Famed French comedian Coluche said, "I have a little idea, a bit like this... If there are people who would be interested in sponsoring a free soup kitchen, we'd start first in Paris and then spread to France's big cities."  

The little idea has grown into something big.  Today, Restaurants du Cœur collects food, money and clothes which it distributes to those in need.  As the name implies, the organization operates restaurants that serve clients.  All over France, Restaurants du Cœur has 40,000 volunteers in nearly 2,500 eating establishments serving about 600,000 meals daily.  In Paris, one restaurant is located on a barge on the Seine and there is even one located on our street.  Sadly, Coluche did not live to see the success of Restaurants du Cœur.  He died in a motorcycle accident shortly after the charity began.

The annual concert to benefit  Restaurants du Cœur began in 1989 and has since become a big deal, with many performers, a large stage production with multiple sold-out shows.  The final shows are recorded and later shown to a very large audience on France's flagship television channel, TF1.  The performers include many of France's well-known singers, actors, comedians, celebrities and sports stars.  They are known as Les Enfoirés, which translates as The Bastards.  The all-volunteer company annually performs a series of concerts in a different French city.  This year, the concert was located in Paris.  

We attended one of the sold-out shows that was a rehearsal for the final shows that will be recorded and televised later in January.  We enjoyed the show.  The songs were well-known to the audience, who sang along with the performers on stage.  The production was elaborate.  Each performance involved a different stage set with a different group of costumed performers.  Some of the best moments came between the performances, during which the stage was reset for the next act.  During those breaks, one of the guest singers or musicians would keep the crowd warm with a popular song.  The crowd cheered and danced, while singing along.  That crowd knew every word!

Here are a few photos from the show.

A performance of Elton John's "Your Song" from the film Moulin Rouge

To hear a song written specially for last year's show, you can click here to listen to the catchy tune, which has since become popular in France.  We even heard schoolchildren sing the song last Summer.  

Thanks for sharing the experience with us.