So, the decision is made?
Yes, it's decided. The business is for sale with a professional for €115,000. It even includes the sound system, the amps, the IV license, and the address book. I've been trying to sell it for years, offering to take over from anyone who might be interested. But it's not moving forward. So now, I'm going to sell it to the first person who wants it. Even if it's to turn Celtic into a bank.
Why now?
I'm 45 years old, and I've been waiting behind this counter for over 20 years, always with the same view of Cours Reyffie. It's the right time to move on. I gave a lot, working 60- or 70-hour weeks when I lived upstairs. I want to move on, take my time, and enjoy my evenings.
When does the concert schedule extend?
The schedule is set until the end of August. There are two or three shows in September and October. Anyway, I'm going to ease off with three concerts a week, while waiting for the tickets to sell out.
What are some of the defining moments at Celtic?
I can't say; there are so many. With 3,000 or 4,000 concerts in 20 years, it's difficult to talk about one concert in particular. There are times when you realize you're moving to another stage. When you start receiving emails from musicians from all over the world who say they've heard about Celtic and would love to play here. It's become a recognized venue in a certain circle. I'm thinking, for example, of Hasse Poulsen's trio, Das Kapital, who arrived by plane a little late because the day before they were at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen.
What makes Celtic unique?
First of all, the venue. As soon as you walk in, you see the entire room with chairs and tables around the center, where everyone is open to each other. Then, here, when there's a concert, you listen to the artists. There are concerts where I don't run the coffee machine or the glass washer. It adds extraneous noise that ruins the music. When someone walks into Celtic in the middle of a concert, they quickly understand how things work here. People leave if they want to chat, or they sit down discreetly. It's a matter of respecting the musicians, and of other spectators listening to the artist's performance. Like yesterday's Raoul Eden performance with his folk guitar, it's an experience with repetitive chords that are layered to create a mass from which acoustic illusions emerge. Everyone got into the atmosphere, and there wasn't a sound from start to finish.
You can see the evolution of Celtic, from an underground bar to an institution that sits alongside Le Parvis, La Gespe, and the Conservatoire in Dark Side of the Rock!
Yes, for those interested in what's happening in Tarbes. I've realized over the years that Celtic truly plays an essential role: making culture accessible to everyone, even those who live far away, because it's easier to walk through the door of this place than in more institutional venues. I've seen people who lived a hundred meters from the conservatoire who discovered Baroque music by coming here and staying for a concert organized in partnership with the conservatoire. They were captivated, they chatted with the musicians, and they wanted to come back. It's two worlds that hadn't met before coming to Celtic. A true reward for the hard work I've done.
And now, what are your plans?
That's not the point.
Tarbes without the Celtic Pub
A return to the reality of a modest, mid-sized town for the public, who have been pampered for 20 years with such an eclectic and gem-rich program. Like Emily Jane White's concert the day after an interview on France Inter, Aquaserge, which has since moved to the Théâtre des Nouveautés in the Parvis program, or the multiple appearances of Eugène Chadbourne's electric rake, which has a Wikipedia bio as long as your arm. And many other concerts, poetry evenings, theater, and improbable shows that somehow emerged from Belfi's imagination.
