Eric Cantona has made his live debut in Manchester, performing tracks from his new EP âIâll Make My Own Heavenâ. Find footage of the set below.
The first of the Manchester United iconâs run of live shows kicked off in the city last week, with two back-to-back shows at the Stoller Hall venue (October 26 and 27). It follows his recently released debut EP, which arrived earlier this month via Decca.
Taking to the stage for the gig, Cantona performed wearing a fedora, a black trench coat and a white shirt, paired with some garish red tracksuit bottoms and red boots.
From there, he performed tracks from his newly shared EP ââ Iâll Make My Own Heavenâ and the French-sung âJe Veuxâ.
He also performed the lead single from the release, âThe Friends We Lostâ, as well as a host of new material. The former saw the football icon pay tribute to those no longer around, and put a more melancholy spin on the track live, as he dropped the guitar and string arrangement seen in the original recording, and performed it with just a pianist to his right and a cellist to his left.
Find the full setlist for his live shows below, as well as some footage from the Manchester gigs.
Eric Cantonaâs setlist was:
1. âRussian Rouletteâ
2. âI’ll make my own heavenâ
3. âLet’s hopeâ
4. âI’m just an unknown loverâ
5. âWe driveâ
6. âOf the sunâ
7. âWe’ll believe in ourselvesâ
8. âQue je travestisâ
9. âThe friends we lostâ
10. âMi Amorâ
11. âJ’avance et je rĂȘveâ
12. âPerfect imperfectionâ
13. âNowhere (Bang Bang)â
14. âJe Veuxâ
15. âWhere love is hanging outâ
16. âOn se loveâ
17. âI want to see youâ
18. âYou’ll never see me againâ
19. âI love you so muchâ
What a night with the king
Eric Cantona. pic.twitter.com/MOH7Nhr7Dn— mark F. (@Mark99mufc) October 29, 2023
Finir un concert par des spectateurs qui chantent sa gloire, only Eric Cantona in Manchester pic.twitter.com/pvYqrrDQmZ
— Richard Place (@R_Plaz) October 26, 2023
So last night. Eric Cantona at @StollerHall – absolutely brilliant
. Look at this kid's reaction x pic.twitter.com/ihdRXLDXxl
— Deb Sullivan (@heresdobby) October 28, 2023
Cantona first announced news of his new singing career earlier this year, when he took to social media to tease fans with the news of a new single. Shared on May 25, the former Manchester United icon dropped a preview of the music video â showing him in a Shakespearean pose, holding a model of his own head while singing, âWatch yourself in the mirror â someone you hate, someone you loveâ.
âIâm going to release my first single,â he simply wrote in the caption, directing his followers to visit his website for more information.
From there, he dropped the aforementioned track âThe Friends We Lostâ, and confirmed in an interview that he turned his hand to a career in music as it felt like the âclosest thingâ to come to his time on the football pitch.
The French athlete-turned-singer previously told the Irish Times that his music was inspired by artists including âNick Cave, Leonard Cohen and Daniel Johnstonâ, as well as the classic rock icons he listened to when he was a child.
Following his two back-to-back nights in Manchester, Cantona also played two shows at Londonâs Bloomsbury Theatre over the weekend (October 28 â 29). He has one more stop left on his tour â a show at Dublinâs Liberty Hall set for tomorrow (October 31) â and you can find any remaining tickets here.

In other Eric Cantona news, the former football star recently suggested that The Rolling Stones should support him at his live shows.
The moment took place during an interview with BBC News, when Cantona was asked which artists he would consider opening for as a support act, with the outlet noting that he is âjust starting outâ.
âI do not understand what you mean,â he responded, later going on to say: âNo. I am a headliner. Itâs why I cannot understand you. Maybe The [Rolling] Stones can support me.â
Although the new live dates mark the first time Cantona has embarked on a tour, he has been involved in the music world previously. Back in 2020, he took the starring role in the music video for Liam Gallagherâs single âOnceâ. Prior to then, heâd also joined The Libertines and Patti Smith on stage at a benefit concert for Palestine.
The post Watch Eric Cantona make his live debut in Manchester appeared first on NME.