Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum

[Dr_Jones]

Some amazing photos of the Brussels concert by Karel Uyttendaele:

[1906]

https://www.lesoir.be/685556/article/20 ... -bruxelles

Apparently, there were 8600 spectators in Brussels.

[Kanta]

[Glco8284]

[TomC]

A quick review of the Brussels concert. I really enjoyed the concert. The visuals, lasers and lights all felt much more "mature" to me than in Francofolies last year. I was a bit surprised at the beginning of the tour that JMJ would be the only one on stage, but I thought it worked really well. Not that I would mind a return of some of the supporting musicians, but the overall stage design and scale worked really well with one focal point for the performer. I think the fireworks and pyrotechnics were a local addition from the concert organisers from what I gathered from JMJ's speech afterwards, no huge displays, but it added a nice touch. Overall I think the the stage design and the overall production is really well tailored to the sort of shows he's doing this summer, having seen the Francofolies show, this is a logical evolution which works better.

Integrating the surrounding architecture might not work that well with the way the stage was set up, I gather it will be the same for Kraftwerk who are playing the same stage next month. I guess having a tailored show to every venue is understandably a bit out of scope for this production.

Musically I thought it was a well balanced mix of all periods, sure, I would personally prefer to have Conquistador and The Time Machine instead of Exit and The Architect, and a bit of Chronologie is always welcome, but I'm sure others would disagree . Really enjoyed the Oxymore tracks, and Arpeggiator is one of my all time favourites, so that was brilliant too. I was quite towards the front of the non-golden circle, and it was great seeing a lot of people really enjoying the music. The epica oxygene 4 mashup works really well I think and is a nice way of introducing 'the hit song' early on in the set, but I'm still not totally convinced about Glory-Equinoxe 4, where the stop-start flow doesn't really gel to my ears. Starting and ending the show with some classic high energy tracks gets the thumbs up from me . Perhaps a space for a slower track might add some resting point in the concert.

Curious to see what we'll be getting next year, as he's been mentioning concerts next year in a lot of interviews. I wouldn't mind the return of the laserharp .

[Jote]

Musically I thought it was a well balanced mix of all periods, sure, I would personally prefer to have Conquistador and The Time Machine instead of Exit and The Architect

Yes please. Or Falling Down. Or whatever has a melody to follow.

I'm still not totally convinced about Glory-Equinoxe 4, where the stop-start flow doesn't really gel to my ears.

It would be fine as a novelty mashup, but not as something as permanent as it has been since 2016. The verses and the chourses seem too disconnected from one another. Also you can't really hear the melody in the verse, and the fact that the second verse is oddly shortened doesn't help. And the chant from Glory "oh-oh-oh-oooooh" could be done away with, it's jarring (pun intended). The drums in the chorus seem to simplistic. I know that JMJ wanted this mashup because of the visuals of marching Equinoxe figures, but I'm sure this could have been executed in a much better fashion.

[Kanta]

[Kanta]

[Richard-Eastham]

That's a tight fit in Piazza San Marco. Those classical buildings are going to get plenty laser lights on them no matter what! This could be the most intense and most spectacular of the shows so far.

[Kanta]

[Richard-Eastham]

I was quite towards the front of the non-golden circle, and it was great seeing a lot of people really enjoying the music... the epica oxygene 4 mashup works really well I think and is a nice way of introducing 'the hit song' early on in the set

Nice review and I was also towards the front of the non-golden circle - shall we call it the silver circle?! Those people enjoying the music? I was one of them!

I too think Epica-Oxygene works well. I got a bit fed up of it for a while and wished for a more "authentic" version before Bratislava. But as an interpretation for a live show, it's good. And those 5 notes got a massive cheer, so it was good to get the hit out of the way early, as you say. And as Jote and others have said, it's often all about the melody. Stardust is one of his more recent EDM-ish tracks but that melody is so so good and the crowd loved it. And we all know JMJ doesn't like RV4, but same again, the melodic stuff works the best. I thought Epica, Oxymore and Brutalism work live, but more as counterpoints to the melodic tracks.

One thing that made me nostalgic for that classical architectural integration of Jarre concerts of the past, was that every so often the big screens showed a fixed camera angle of the stage but silhouetted in the foreground was an ornate lampost, a feature of the Royal Palace square. That image represented that "baroque/hi-tech, opera/laser, past/future" attitude that for me captures the essence of a JMJ show.

[Kanta]

[Kanta]

Jean-Michel Jarre, the pioneer of electronic music overly in Piazza San Marco before the exclusive concert

Source: https://www.ilgazzettino.it/cultura/jea ... 35302.html

[Kanta]

Jean-Michel Jarre @ Piazza San Marco, Venezia, Italy - 03/07/2025

Source: https://x.com/ThomasH_Synth/status/1940793709022646589

[Dr_Jones]

Looks like he already started