Stromae is well known around the world, but the Belgian pop star has still yet to break into the U.S. charts. However, that didn't stop him from performing in front of a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden last night.
Even if you weren't able to make it out to his historic performance as of the first Belgian performer to headline New York's massive venue and actually sing in French (technically following Charles Aznavour who didn't sing exclusively in the language), we are still able to see some of the highlights. Thanks to the phones of fans annoying the concert attendees behind them we are graced with some smartphone-quality videos of Thursday's concert.
Perhaps most notable among the clips is his performance of "Papautai," in which he came on with his typical shtick of acting like a doll as his fellow band members drag and place him in front of the mic stand. While usually stoic during this sequence, Stromae couldn't help but break with a little dance when he dropped out from the verse and allowed the American crowd to sing along in French. It was a touching moment of how cultures can blend through the power of music.
The band also performed an a cappella version of "Tous Les Memes," which filled the massive venue with beautiful harmonies and rhythmic claps. He even got a laugh from the crowd as the band grabbed their crotches and breasts imitating men and women. Don't worry; he also performed it in its original dance-pop glory.
"Humain a L'eau" seemed like an absolute blast as one fan caught the extended ending, panning back around to a dancing crowd going wild to the massive bass on the song.
Check out some of the other moments from the concert below including Stromae's rant about how Americans think Belgian things like wine and crescents are French.
