Given the noise about Blur playing again this year in Hyde Park and possibly Glastonbury, it does raise the question as to whether they will have a more traditional tour taking in dates in Paris and other European cities or do a summer of selective festivals. I did try and find a review of their last Paris concert and found this which fell into that category of reviews that leave me baffled and confused - I think they’re saying it was good…(?)

Either way, if Blur do play Paris again, it will probably be at a smaller venue given that their popularity is less widespread……Blur in Paris in spring has a certain ring to it.

For every sold out Goliath stadium tour there is a local theatre in Nottingham putting on a tribute night.

The Sound of Neil Diamond, Tribute Act

For every Led Zeppelin, there’s a Whole Lotta Led, for every Beatles, there’s The Cheatles, and for the ladies office party, there’s The Sound of Neil Diamond tribute. What of Oasis?… An initial search on one tribute bands directory resulted in not one single act listed as following in the footsteps of Manchester’s finest. Perhaps anyone who dared to don the retro sun-shades, black hooded jacket and tight fitting jeans before sneering Wonderwall into the mic, were taking outside for a good kicking. A further search of Google proved me wrong… Definately Might Be, Oasish and Soasis are all currently filling a working-man’s club or seaside pier near you.

Oasish 'The UKs Leading Tribute to Oasis'

The reason such tribute acts exist is to fulfill the gaping void left when a band acrimoniously split, burn out or, in the case of Oasis, sell out their tour dates in minutes. Hence, the Oasis tribute acts are thriving right now.

Oasis Live in Concert, Lille Zenith & POP Bercy, Paris, 2009

So, Oasis’s biggest ever UK stadium tour sells out. Now what? You could get yourself down toThe Half Brick in Worthing on the 6th December and see Oasish play live (and see Stereotonics on the same night). Or, you could see the real deal - Oasis live in Lille in January or Oasis live in concert, Paris in March. Short Breaks are offering Eurostar and concert breaks packages from only £179 (Elton John, Paris, December) as well as packages to see The Killers £189, and Oasis from £199.

The Fairy-Godmother of Pop, the legendary, flamboyant artist Elton John takes to the stage in Paris on 9th December.

Elton John Live in Concert, POP Bercy Paris, 9 December 2008

Bringing his outrageous Las Vegas Show, The Red Piano, which has been running at Caesars Palace since 2004 to the French Capital for one night only, Elton will be treating his audience to his back catalogue of classics such as ‘Rocket Man’, ‘Candle in the Wind’ and ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’.

Tickets for Elton John playing live in Paris are of course very much in demand right now. Back in May 2007, fans were left disappointed when part of the tour, scheduled for later that year, was cancelled.

Any fans who missed out last year need not worry this time around…Short Breaks do still have a limited allocation of tickets left. And the news gets even better - We’ve just reduced our package price from £219 to just £179. (Hotel and ticket-only breaks are also available from £125). Visit Elton John Red Piano Tour for more information.

We at Short Breaks are loving The Killers right now. So much so, we are (almost) content to wait patiently for their site to load up while our collective facial hair grows to an uncontrollable length (much like those lovely beards fashioned by Flowers, Stoermer and Vannucci Jr while supporting Sam’s Town). Fortunately, we have a Killers concert in Paris to promote, so instead of sitting idly, watching the on-screen egg timer - beard-stroking optional, we can instead update you with some European concert news.

The Killers Live in Concert, Zenith Paris, 19 March 2009

The Killers return to Paris to play Zenith Arena on March 19th 2009. Short Breaks give you the opportunity to see the band at a more intimate venue than those they are playing in the UK.

Both hotel and ticket only prices, Eurostar included, are available from £125. Visit The Killers Live in Paris for more information.

To reflect the music of the acts Short Breaks promote via their live concert breaks, a dedicated last.fm Short Breaks profile has been created.

Using the superb audioscrobbler software, it’s easy to share what Short Breaks are currently listening to. Coldplay and Interpol have been on the jukebox of late, with Lights by Editors and Madonna’s Music long-standing favourites.

Within the upcoming events area of last.fm site, Short Breaks are attending Motorhead on 26th November at Le Zenith and Elton John on 9th December at POP Bercy, Paris. Past highlights include live performances by Detroit’s The White Stripes at Canel+, French House act Daft Punk at POP Bercy and the amazing Red Hot Chili Peppers (supported by Jet and the now recently split Dirty Pretty Things).

Over the coming weeks we’ll be adding more favourite tracks from some of the greatest live performers to our Live Concert Breaks Library and hope to share this with you here on the Short Breaks Blog.