Hala Tivoli, Jean Michel Jarre, 7.11.2008

The godfather of electronic music Jean Michel Jarre has arrived in Ljubljana. Although he is known for millions of fans on his concerts recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, on his fourth tour (the first in 1982 in China and two in Europe in the 90s) he opted for smaller venues, including a small hall in the Tivoli. On tour, he wanted to mark the 32nd anniversary of the release of the timeless album Oxygene with an ecological note, which put him on the map of successful musicians. He brought 50 analog synthesizers and a bunch of unusual equipment onto the stage, which are already anthological today. He was assisted on stage by three other musicians (Dominique Perrier, Claude Samard, and Francis Rimbert).

I went to the concert with Gregor and Tone. On Friday, November 7, 2008, we were in the hall at 8 p.m. Tickets were 45 EUR, 50 EUR, and 60 EUR. We took the cheaper ones and therefore landed in the stands. Of course, the hall was sold out, where fans of his music from all over the region gathered. We were ready for an audio-visual spectacle we were not used to at Tivoli. Upon entering, the 60-year-old musician was energetic, and already quite a bit cheery. He ran around the hall among the audience with longer and disheveled hair and addressed the listeners in Slovene, saying that he received one of the first letters of support from Ljubljana.

After a short warm-up, the concert started with Oxygene part I and then continued with Oxygene part II more dynamically. Certainly, the music from this album is anchored in the collective consciousness, if not through many bases for various TV commercials. The performance of Oxygene part III will be remembered after the solo played at Theremin. Oxygene part IV is probably the biggest hit from the album. With Oxygene part V we turn into calmer waters. With a huge mirror, he brings the audience closer to the process of creating on stage. In the end, Oxygene part VI gets the audience on their feet. After loud applause, he returns to the encore (Oxygene 7-13), where he promises to return to Ljubljana (which he will achieve in 2016 in Stožice) and concludes the hour-and-a-half-long experience.