Michel Sardou Concerts Setlist

From waiters' tables at his father's cabaret in Montmartre to one of France's most influential and divisive singers, Michel Sardou has been ploughing a furrow in French life for over half a century. Born in 1947 into an artistic family, he found his voice, not just in love songs, but also in avowedly declaiming on the issues of the day.

His stardom was launched in scandal - when his 1967 pro-American hymn "Les Ricains" was unofficially forbidden by state radio under Charles de Gaulle, he only became more popular. Throughout the 1970s, he was making his name with songs which ignited hot controversy, from "Le temps des colonies" to "Je suis pour", addressing everything from colonialism to capital punishment. Some attacked him as reactionary, while others came to his defense as a champion of creative freedom.

But Sardou was more than controversy. His 1973 album "La maladie d'amour" proved he was a skilled writer of emotional tales and 1981's "Les lacs du Connemara" sold in each nook of the globe. That he sold Paris's Palais Omnisports de Bercy out a whopping 88 times speaks volumes about his continued popularity, and with album sales of over 100 million, he's one of France's most successful acts of all time.