BlahBlahCafe - Jean-Michel Jarre forum

Always good to clear the air with a nice debate.

I would be gutted if it is his farewell tour.

I don't like criticizing JMJ but there is more potential than what the current concert's tracklist is. One would never have thought that he did nothing after 2000. My opinion, some good tracks needed to make a return e.g. Millions of Stars, Miss Moon, GOL, etc.

Putting on a large tour which is costing a ton of money can't be easy in these poor finacial times. He did it last year when it was even much worse. My hat is off to the guy for trying, and succeeding. Whether he has a full or half empty arena, better half empty than totally empty. He appears to me to be testing the water with these new venues. If the attendance is poor, surely he'll note that and think twice before coming back to that place another time. You don't throw good money after bad.

If people left half way through the Germany concert, they left for a reason. But if it was during a break, then they could have been going for a break - food, drink, toilet, merchandise to returneath when the 2nd part started - Which raises the question - was there an intermission?

I've never understood why anyone takes any journalistic point of View on anything Jarre does seriously,every review spouts the same crap,like he living in some form of 70s bubble.

Today pulling people into arenas is whats important,and after almost 40 years in the business I don't think he's done too badly still putting arses on seats at concerts

One thing these Journalist people forget about todays concert concepts is that the days of individuality and creating something vastly mindblowing are gone,Jarre's concepts are not about whats relevant or fresh musically but the reasoning behind what he does visually,his music is simply just an add on to his future experiments,you need to see what he does and why he's doing it not what he sounds like to understand where he's coming from

the internet has killed those routes off of large unique ideas,and the same technology is availible to almost everyone,you can now experience a concert from the PC,gone are the days of the La defense ideas,Jarre must have seen this coming and hence why he's been playing with the More typical intimate concepts and looking to make them so with his own idea

Jarre has turned concert ideas around from his early biggies to the more typical evolving intimate concepts which Jarre I forsee is seeing how it will be using smaller venues and more intimate visuals,certainly the LIYLR Oxygene DVD was a nod to his vision and now
his Avatar type approach to Experimenting in 3D is only showing this is how it will be and although his ideas may run parallel today with other artist on stage with Laser and video effects,eventually I see the concert ritual as something which will become extinct once technology in our homes become more suited for visual effects without having the need to experience the atmosphere of a real venue,much of the magic of a concert has gone with a video or news being posted on the internet within Minutes of it starting,gone are the days of people being awestruck,immediacy and technology have changed our wow factor

I don't think its about financial risk of a large scale idea nowadays it about technology influencing the needs and demands from the general public,Look at the TV technology nowadays,I see that the days of people flocking to go and see the latest movie at the cinema are numbered and with the advance of 3D tv ideas,people will no longer want to go through the effort and expense of traveling to the cinema if they can download the film from the comfort of their armchair,Cinemas will become a thing of the past,much like People needing to buy Cds now

As for his music not being fresh!!!!well he created a phenomenal album called Oxygene in the mid 70s(incase you people reading those reviews weren't aware),he's now playing arenas in 2010,and still playing some of those older tracks.......yes its called a Back catalogue you F**kwit journalists!!!

If the music was not relevant today he wouldn't be putting arses on seats in arenas,after all every person buying a ticket possibly has the CDs to listen to,so wouldn't it be cheaper to stay at home!!!! No Simply because they still enjoy it 30 years later and flock to see him Live!!!its about sharing an Audio Visual experience,the music is secondary if its 30 or 3 years old

I think half of these reviewers just simply like to bring him down because he's not your typical mainstream pop face,adding shitty digs whilst trying to admit subconsciously they like his music and stuff but don't want to be seen to be,this is pretty much how most Depeche Mode Reviews seem to go..

When Jean Michel started his tour, he talked about the 60's rock band, who were testing their new songs on tour...

That's something Jarre did not do so far...

Maybe he needs all these "analog tunes" all around him on daily basis for such a long time to try "catch the spirit" of a "Jarre-ish"* album again... And all his energy gets involved in it.

* If this makes sense.

Some excellant and observational points there, Equinoxe.

As already stated, Jarre has been doing this for 40 years and continues to appeal to much of the public. These journalists of today are new and fresh and expect the likes of such artists who appeal to the younger generation which dominates most of todays charts. The last time we heard Jarre on chart radio was in the late 90s with 'Oxygene 8'. Since then his music has been pushed to one side or largely ignored with the introduction of younger and fresher artists whose musical experience goes as far as switching their laptop on.

Personally, I believe that Jarre is back to square one with his music, just like he was in the mid 1970s. His electronic music, although inspired by many today, is again "alien" to newcomers. With todays music being thrown together by all means of electronic gadgets, but mostly of either software or groove boxes, the idea to many newcomers of sitting behind a synthesizer and working with it from the inside out is; unlogical and in music terms unethical. Why spend hours trying to create a sound from scratch when you can just grab one fom one of many alternative hardwares/softwares. Artists like Jarre are trying to get known - again, but in our modern technological world where electronic music means R&B. It may be unfair to say, but Jarre is (as I call him) a dinosaur in todays music world who had his time 20 years ago. But as I have already said in this thread, my hat is off to him for his love of continuation in todays electronic music scene and the fact that he still puts "bums" on seats.

"Go!, Jarre, Go!"

Jon wrote:If people left half way through the Germany concert, they left for a reason.

Yeah, they'd probably just had too much bratwurst and beer, and had an emergency visit at the loo.

AnDrOiD wrote:

Jon wrote:If people left half way through the Germany concert, they left for a reason.

Yeah, they'd probably just had too much bratwurst and beer, and had an emergency visit at the loo.

AnDrOiD wrote:

Jon wrote:If people left half way through the Germany concert, they left for a reason.

Yeah, they'd probably just had too much bratwurst and beer, and had an emergency visit at the loo.

If that was me, I would cross my legs and hope for the best. I would never leave in the middle of a JMJ concert without good reason. I would have to be dragged out. Personally, why leave when you have spent money to attend? Some people just don't know how to appreciate properly. It's not gonna be there forever.

Maybe they saw the commercial and thought it would be Teo&Tea style dance music...

I'd never ever leave during a Jarre concert either, unless the laser harp set the ceiling on fire and maybe not even then.

Equinoxe wrote:much of the magic of a concert has gone with a video or news being posted on the internet within Minutes of it starting,gone are the days of people being awestruck,immediacy and technology have changed our wow factor

Amen! That's what I have said for 10 years.

Equinoxe wrote:I think half of these reviewers just simply like to bring him down because he's not your typical mainstream pop face,adding shitty digs whilst trying to admit subconsciously they like his music and stuff but don't want to be seen to be,this is pretty much how most Depeche Mode Reviews seem to go..

Jarre isnt easy to put a label on. Is it mainstream, or cult? Is it pop or avantgarde? Is it kitch or is it art? How can it be real music when they dont have a guitarplayer, a drummer and a bassplayer? The lights are there to cover up poor music? These music journalists, who are almost never electronic music specialists, cant see below the surface. Do you ever see a jazz concert or classical music concert reviewed by general pop and music journalists? No, the newspapers send experts, at least people with vast experience. Likewise, an electronic music concert needs people with understanding, and they dont employ them because electronic music is not understood by editors, journalists and publishers. That's why electronic dance music is considered cool and clever, while Jarre and his colleagues are just silly new age dudes.

rfoshaug wrote:I'd never ever leave during a Jarre concert either, unless the laser harp set the ceiling on fire and maybe not even then.

I'd just assume that the ceiling being on fire was all part of the show... and if parts of the ceiling that were well alight were dripping down onto the area near the stage, I'd still be clapping along.... "ah - so there *are* pyrotechnics tonight!!"

Equinoxe wrote:much of the magic of a concert has gone with a video or news being posted on the internet within Minutes of it starting, gone are the days of people being awestruck, immediacy and technology have changed our wow factor

That's right, and Jarre's outdoor concerts were a "kind" a response to that... From the very first one !

Where is Eigenharp that was promised?

*sigh* The eigenharp was never promised during the tour, just that he played it in his studio.

*sigh* Thanks.