French alt-rockers Phoenix embarked on a whirlwind globetrotting journey, while lead singer Thomas Mars documented for BlackBook their jet-setting tour from their hometown in Versailles to New York City to Germany to their new home base in Paris.

THE GILDED CAGE: Versailles, France - “This is the city where we grew up. Versailles is a beautiful city, but nothing much happens here. It’s filled, however, with the best works of art produced in France for the past three centuries. You can play any kind of music here -- there is no soundtrack to Versailles. Playing music in Versailles adds a new dimension; the city comes to life. It’s a place we always want to come back to, even if escaping Versailles seemed to be the only option when we were 17.”

PLEASURE AND PRESSURE: New York City, USA - “Being the musical guest on Saturday Night Live has been one of our favorite experiences. On a three-day break in New York, we rehearsed on Thursday and performed on Saturday, which gave us enough time to enjoy the whole experience. On the SNL set, there’s this energy that makes you feel like you are in a place that has the best of everything, where everyone is the best at what they do. But you also feel the possibility of failure, which is important in music.”

PHANTOMS OF THE OPERA: Bayreuth, Germany - “Bayreuth is famous for being home to the Festspielhaus, Wagner’s opera house. You’re supposed to play only Wagner’s music here -- nothing else is allowed! It’s here that we spent three days shooting the “Lisztomania” video with our friend Antoine Amadeus Wagner, who’s related to both Liszt and Wagner and has the keys to the city. We got to bend the rules and play our song on this unique stage, which was quite controversial… but fun for us.”

FRENCH KISS: Paris, France - “These are pictures of where we live and the places we like to go. The more we travel, the more we appreciate Paris, almost the way tourists appreciate it -- the way the Eiffel Tower lights up, or the quiet churches that are open at night and the little places around the River Seine. It’s very cliché to say, but Paris is such a beautiful and romantic city, such a cool hometown, and we are very grateful to be from here.”