Hans Zimmer Live in Paris: On Beauty, Passion, and Finally Going
Yesterday, I went to Hans Zimmer’s concert live in Paris, and it felt so good for many reasons. But maybe the biggest one is that ever since I saw his Prague concert on YouTube, I had told myself that one day, I would go too. And not just go. I would sit right in front so I could look him in the eyeballs.
I did not get to sit in front. I sat in the second row.
I think that was good enough lol.
The first time I heard Hans Zimmer’s music was probably The Lion King, as a child. But the one that made a huge impression on me was the soundtrack of Gladiator, which I also watched as a child. The moment where Maximus died and went to rejoin his family was such a beautiful scene, and the music captured it so well. I still get goosebumps when I think about it now. I think it is my favourite piece.
At the time, I did not know who Hans Zimmer was, and I did not really understand film music as its own thing. I just knew it as the Gladiator song. That was it. Until I heard a girl in university playing it, and I got so excited. I found out it was called Now We Are Free, that it was made by Hans Zimmer, and that he had other music I would probably love too. I binged it for a week straight.
I have always liked to imagine, to daydream, to make up whole movies in my head, and his music was always the perfect accompaniment.
Back to the evening itself: from the second row, I could see him and the other musicians clearly. Their expressions. The way they moved as they played. I had tears in my eyes at multiple points. Part of it was just the feeling of finally fulfilling a dream. But also, the music, the lights, the passion, and that genuine mastery of craft were deeply moving. I think of it now and still tear up.
I noticed a number of things that night, and I wanted to write them down so I do not lose the thoughts, the feelings, the little flashes of them. It is hard to write this. But I could not let it pass.
1. The women drummers
At some point in my life, I was interested in trying out drums. But I had always been told it was a man’s instrument. So seeing three women drummers on that stage did something to me. Two of them had a solo, and it was deeply electrifying. The beats resonated through the room. The synchronicity. The way they moved their heads and bodies from side to side. They played like they had no care in the world, but still with so much focus and enjoyment.
I loved it for them.
And for me too, because I got to see that.
2. Hans Zimmer’s little commentary
This was another part that made the night feel special. We got little bits of commentary from Hans Zimmer, and hearing him speak made me happy because some of what he said resonated so deeply with me.
He spoke a little about how he made the soundtrack for Interstellar, and I think I understood more clearly why his music feels the way it does. It is not just music arranged for musicality alone, even though that matters too. He tries to bring soul into it. You do not just hear it. You leave feeling something.
At one point, he went on a short tirade about wanting to live in a world where he just makes music and is surrounded by the beauty of music. That really stayed with me.
Because sometimes I feel myself slowly corroding away.
I watch a lot of “practical” YouTube now, and I can feel how it pulls me further from that softer, more alive part of myself. I have always loved being in my own little bubble of things that truly make me happy. I have not had that in a long time.
Recently, I watched a documentary by Joshua Oppenheimer on the Indonesian genocide, told from the perpetrators’ point of view. We follow a man called Congo, and what struck me was that there is no satisfying logic to the madness. No answer that makes it make sense. There is just horror, and the stories people tell themselves around it.
And yes, I can despair when I think about how many people like that may exist in the world. People who could harm others for no real reason at all.
But then I move through life like a shadow, afraid of basking in beauty.
And we all die someday. So I think it is better to bask in beauty while I am here.
To see happiness before I go.
That is what his commentary reminded me of.
The feeling that lingers is best captured by a line from Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s Heaven Official’s Blessing: 身在无间，心在桃源 — body in abyss, heart in paradise.
Maybe that is also why it unsettles me that I almost did not let myself have this night at all. I knew I wanted to. I could afford it. But I kept hesitating, the way I often do now when money is involved. I had almost convinced myself that I did not want it.
BUT I DID.
It took a conversation with a manager at work to make me admit that I wanted it, and that I was doing myself a disservice by not going. It is good to be rational. It is good to save and invest for the future. But just look at what I would have missed.
3. The passion that shines
When people ask me what kind of qualities I look for in a man, I always say: a Bob-the-Builder type. Someone deeply passionate about something, someone who practically vibrates when they talk about it.
That kind of passion moves me every time. There is something beautiful about seeing someone give themselves fully to a thing, becoming better and better at it not because they set out chasing greatness, but because they loved it enough to stay with it. And then somehow, almost by chance, they end up at the very top. I love seeing that.
Coincidentally, I also went to an exhibition at Musée Maillol for Philippe Geluck, and I got the exact same feeling. Maybe he is just naturally warm. Or maybe it was something deeper than that. But even through the way the exhibition was arranged, that passion came through. The way it told the story from his childhood up to the independence of Le Chat. The little details that made the whole experience feel coherent. The level of care that made it almost impossible not to have a good time.
That is the kind of passion I mean.
Hans Zimmer has it too. It shows in the music. It shows every time he invents some new instrument, or some strange new texture, just to capture exactly the sound he wants. It is gorgeous.
I have always wanted to be this kind of person. I want to be consumed by something in a way that brings joy. That is the important distinction for me. Not misery. Not obsession that empties you out. Passion that gives life.
And I do not feel like I have that right now.
I work as a software engineer in the corporate world. I do enjoy learning, and I can get excited just sitting down to learn something new. I dream of being recognized one day for bringing something into the world that did not otherwise exist. But I am not that person right now, and I do not yet know how to become her.
For now, watching the passion of others reminds me that this kind of life can exist. Maybe for me too, someday.
And I will keep looking for that person in me.
4. The African section
As an African myself, this section was absolutely delightful.
Seeing us represented in a way that was not just problems felt healing. The music. Seeing Lebo M live. The way the choir gave their all, even through the dance. It made me excited to associate myself with that. Almost like saying, look at them, look at me...
I am African too lol.
They got a standing ovation. Very well deserved.
5. The beauty of humans
Another thing that moved me all night was the beauty of human beings with one another.
The musicians smiling at each other. Pointing each other out after certain sections, as if to say: they did that. The Dutch guy beside me, I think, giving me a helpful tip on how to record a video so I could keep the sound. I had asked him to send me one he had taken, and that small interaction felt unexpectedly kind.
Then the audience later on, with their phone lights out in the dark in unison. The fact that the band came from different parts of the world.
All of it felt beautiful to me.
I love seeing us come together like that, and I hope we have more of a world that allows it.
6. Favourite instruments
Three instruments stood out to me in particular.
First, the cello. Of course. I love love love this instrument. The deep sound feels so good. It resonates through you. When I watched the Prague concert, Tina Guo was the cellist, and she looked incredible swaying with the music. I have always loved watching expressions, and she always seemed to be enjoying herself so fully.
This time around, we had Mariko, and it was equally magical watching her play. I loved her.
Then the bass. There was a section with the bass player that was electrifying. I do not even know how to describe how I felt listening to it. It sounded almost tribal. So good. And the way he moved too. Captivating.
And finally, the guitar. This one surprised me, because I have never really been into guitars. But the way the guitarist played pulled me in completely.
I’M SOOOO HAPPY LOL.
7. Courage
We also had a female acrobat during the performance, and she was incredible.
Normally, I tend to stay away from acrobatic performances because I do not want to see anyone fall. Thankfully, that did not happen. I have taken two pole dance classes — not the same thing, I know — and even that was enough to show me how insanely hard this kind of movement is.
But she moved so beautifully. This was during Interstellar, and her act mimicked movement in space, and she GOT IT. I loved watching her slow movements because, while they looked effortless, I know how much focus they must have required.
Hans’s commentary also made the act feel even more human to me. Does she feel fear? I think she must. Some version of it. But I also think she feels some other overwhelming thing that makes this beautiful to her, something stronger than fear. When she flew, she seemed superhuman.
8. Money is good
I was VIP. Lol. I love that for me.
I got to enter through a separate entrance that was not packed with people, got escorted to my seat, and got to sit up front. I also got a programme book with little insights into Hans Zimmer and the musicians, which was very nice.
Honestly, I do not know if I can ever go to a concert I really care about in any other way again.
In general, I feel a sadness now that it is over. My phone camera does not work well — another consequence of me being cheap — and I could not capture the beauty of it properly to hold onto for longer. I searched online to see if there would be some filmed version, like the Prague video, but I do not think there is.
I still do not want the night to end, even though it is already the next morning. I am so sad it is over.
I remember when I first thought about writing this down. I felt strongly that I wanted to share it, but the actual work of writing felt tiring. Still, I am glad I did it. Now I can come back to this and remind myself of the beauty of that concert.