I went, not expecting a lot since I'm not that much into Opeth. Not expecting much of Cynic either, since I had already seen them twice since the reunion and well, they weren't a very exciting act.

As I stepped into the venue, The Ocean was playing. Not bad, though there's so much room for improvements in their music. I was constantly filling what I could hear with other layers of music in my head. Apart from that and the stupid movements the guitarists tend to make so as to appear in trance with what they play, it was good.

Then came Cynic, setting up their own gear before the show starts - the lights were still on. They played only one song off Focus (Veil Of Maya), everything else was from the new album Traced In Air. I found it excellent, really, and the musicians did seem to enjoy it much more than on the previous shows I had attended. But... it lasted only 30 minutes! They walked off the stage just like they walked on, no effect or whatsoever, no encore... I wanted more!

And finally, 30 minutes after (yes, as long as Cynic played...), Opeth came on stage, greeted by some massive applauses. I felt surrounded by fans and wondered why I didn't feel part of them - I mean, I felt like the black sheep in there. Opeth did a good job, but what I'll remember (just like I did after their performance at the Hellfest) are the jokes Åkerfeldt told us, his tone, etc. But the music was good, it's just that for some unknown reasons it has always failed to stick in my mind.
It lasted 1:30, fair enough, only I still couldn't believe that the Cynic show was so short, all of this because of some stupid curfew. That's the curse of playing in Paris.