April and May 1986

In spring 1986, Nana comes back on tour to present two new albums: "Ma vérité" and "Alone". Her popularity is undeniable. In Quebec, for example, it is her fourth consecutive great success: "L’amour en héritage", the theme of a television series. In fact, the 45 rpm was considered the sixth most popular of 1985. At the beginning of this year, to her great satisfaction, the English version, "Only Love", reached the top of the British charts. In an interview, Nana announces that she has just recorded "Je reviens chez nous", by our chansonnier Jean-Pierre Ferland, in five languages. And behind the scenes, she talks about her very first LP in Spanish which is due for release this summer.

Original pages of the new program:

For her series of eight performances in Montreal, Nana settles in Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts. On May 16, opening night, I am in the hall with some friends. Like any admirer, I follow the concert in detail. The spectators, mostly aged 40 years and over, like to hear again the successes they know and react favourably to the most recent ones. They particularly appreciate the cover of "Je reviens chez nous", a song from Quebec. Throughout the evening, they let themselves be moved by her voice, her melodies and willingly participate by clapping their hands to mark the rhythm. What a surprise when Nana asks them to sing "Roses blanches de Corfou" in groups and in sections! Like many, I am captivated by her interpretation of "The guests". The musical and vocal accompaniment of the musicians wonderfully ensures the progression. Note that on the evening of May 19, she emphasizes the presence of its creator, Leonard Cohen, in the hall.

For having seen her several times in concert, I am more struck by the songs that I hear for the first time. With "Répondez-moi", I enjoy the freshness of the poetry. Her tribute to Marlene Dietrich is unknown to me, as for "La vie en rose" in the original language. What about the sublime "Alone" in which everything depends on her voice and the piano! And of her last quite exquisite encore, "Fidaki", that she sings a capella in front of a standing audience and who accompanies her by snapping their fingers!

During the intermission, we wonder if Nana has ever sung on stage with other glasses. To our surprise, in the second part, she arrives with her tinted hexagonal ones that she often wears backstage for years. Is it to accustom her audience to seeing her with them? For asking her after the show, if the change was official, Nana answered me that the other pair didn’t fit with her clothes. In fact, it was simply to give it a try, to see the reaction of the spectators. Although some newspapers publish photos, no journalist mentions it. Finally, a frame or another doesn’t change the show.

Concert of May 16, 1986 at Place des Arts

First part:

01- Introduction & Athina
02- Je n'ai pas peur de mourir avec toi
03- Où va l'amour?
04- Seeing is believing
05- Répondez-moi
06- Nafti yero nafti
07- Lavrion
08- Erini
09- The Queen of Hearts
10- L'amour en héritage
11- Chanter la vie
12- The guests
13- Casta diva

Second part:

01- Roses Love Sunshine
02- Oublie que j'ai de la peine
03- Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt
04- Lily Marleen
05- La vie en rose
06- Aspri mera
07- Solitaire
08- Come on Blue
Presentation of the musicians
09- The white rose of Athens / Roses blanches de Corfou
10- Ximeroni
11- I hartaeti / Zorba le Grec (musicians)
12- Je chante avec toi liberté
13- Alone
14- Je reviens chez nous
15- Milisse mou
16- Recuerdos
17- Le temps qu'il nous reste
18- Amazing Grace
19- Fidaki

Nana with Peter Erdmann