The Godfather of Punk, Iggy Pop, is still alive and kicking, quite literally. But in two upcoming concerts on the Coast he’ll show that he has yet another trick in his hat: experimental jazz.

Common courtesy demands not to mention the age of a lady or a punk rock star. But Iggy Pop doesn’t care if you know that he will blow out 75 birthday candles this April, and after 57 of those years spent in showbiz, he is still doing his marathon stage routine like it were the 1970s. Now, following a two-year hiatus from one of his favourite tour destinations, the Iguana will blitz the Côte d’Azur with not just one but two appearances this year: on May 19, he stops over at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on his Free 2022 tour, and on July 19, he performs the closing event of the Nice Jazz Festival. Tickets for both events are on sale now via their relevant websites and at the usual ticket outlets.

Why experimental jazz? Don’t blame age. Iggy can still perform those hip-dislocating moves. But the singer’s 18th solo album is an introspection, performed in an intimate setting in close proximity with the audience, and one that shows his intellectual side. In this moment of uninhibited freedom – from his own image, from the world’s worries – he will be accompanied by Leron Thomas, Sarah Lipstate, and French musicians Florian Pellissier, Tibo Brandalise, Kenny Ruby and Greg Fauque.

Other French and European tour dates are listed on the official Iggy Pop website.

If you give a good performance, something that gets some feeling across to people, that’s such a rare gift. It is underestimated at this point in history when the music biz is inevitably turning into a kind of politics.” — Iggy Pop

 
Note to readers: The organizers inform that shows may be cancelled or reprogrammed at short notice and without warning.
 
another grey line

Lead image by Rob Baker Ashton, courtesy Ville de Nice

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