I'm going to the Oslo concert on May 13th. It will be my first Jarre concert (and quite possibly my last?), and it will be something to remember.
There are songs and moments in Jarre's career I don't like as much as others. I don't like Metamorphoses and Teo & Tea as much as most other albums. I think Zoolook is one my least favorite albums (Ethnicolor is both epic and embarassing at the same time, the rest of the album is not epic). I don't much like the electric guitars used on Europe In Concert. I get a little embarassed when Jarre tries to play the Theremin....
But the great songs and moments in his career are epic! If he plays Oxygene 2 or 4, Equinoxe 4, Equinoxe 7, Chronologie 3 or 4, Rendez-Vous 2, 3 or 4, Calypso 2, Oxygene 7, 8 or 12, Souvenir of China, or any of his other great songs from his 32-year career, I know I'll be happy. If there is a laser harp I'll be over the moon!!!
I know I can handle a bit of theremin madness or a couple of tracks from Teo & Tea, or flute playing (which I actually don't think is bad at all - it was Jarre's use of the Yamaha WX5 wind controller in the Solidarnosc DVD that made me want to buy a wind controller myself even though I ended up with the AKAI EWI4000s).
There may be moments during the concert when Jarre and his crew play songs that aren't my favorites or play versions of songs that I don't like as much as the original or other concert versions. So what?? It's still a Jarre concert. I'm not the kind of fan that would cut off my right arm (even though I'm left handed hehe) just to see the God himself, but I have a ton of respect for Jarre and his musical accomplishments, and it will be nice to have seen the man himself live.
And even if there should be (in my personal opinion) moments during the concert when he plays songs that aren't my top 10 favorites, there will still be Oxygene 4 and other great songs. There will be video projections and lasers, and hopefully even a laser harp. There will be a lot of sound, deep bass, visual effects, analogue and/or digital synthesizers, and I'll be there together with 9,000 other people in Oslo Spektrum. It will be a real Jarre concert! And a very special evening.
I'm a little surprised to see some forum members implying things like "a flute??? shit, that means AERO tracklist, and in that case the whole concert will be crap", based on (reliable??) info from Atomic Agency, the promoter of the Oslo concert. Or "look at that crappy flyer that has a picture from an earlier concert - the whole concert will probably be bad then". Well, if you are so concerned about being disappointed, then stay at home. Maybe you've been at too many Jarre concerts or watched too many of his concert videos and grown tired of his music.
Me? I'm just happy to be able to attend a real Jarre concert. I can't imagine walking out of Oslo Spektrum wishing I'd spent my 550 Norwegian Kroner on alcohol instead.
