Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum

[MarnixB]

Recently I was listening to an audio rip of the Barcelona show of the Europe in concert 1993 tour. And I was wondering why wasn’t that show released on cd instead the Hong Kong show? Was there a reason for that they didn’t release that show or a compilation of the European tour.
Personally for me Fishing junks doesn’t fit in the setlist of that tour . I am not a big fan of that song and its not representive of the tour.
I am really curious who made the decision to release Hong kong instead of a proper full audio release of the European tour ?

[Dr_Jones]

Parts of Barcelona are on the Hong Kong CD. Digi Sequencer for example: you can hear the spanish guitars at the end of the song, very faint if you listen carefully.

The reason Hong Kong got a release and not any of the Europe in Concert concerts is because JMJs production company for the tour, CICS, went bankrupt and any release of that tour would mean money would go to the curators. At least, that's the story I read back in the day.

[MarnixB]

Thnx! For the information I didn’t knew that story of bankrupt. That explains a lot why they released Hongkong instead of an European show.

[Finaero]

IIRC other than Fishing Junks (actually from the Hong Kong rehearsals instead of the actual concert) and Souvenir of China (PLD), all the tracks are still from various EiC concerts which I guess somewhat explains why in some tracks JMJ talks to the audience in French and otherwise (mostly) in English.

(Also a shame that the EiC version of Rendez-Vous 2 is only available on the VHS)

[Richard-Eastham]

Do we know the details of the CICS bankruptcy? I thought the EiC shows were an artistic and commercial success. Local promotion and a sponsor in Swatch should have meant financial security. What went wrong?

[Jote]

Parts of Barcelona are on the Hong Kong CD. Digi Sequencer for example: you can hear the spanish guitars at the end of the song, very faint if you listen carefully.

Isn't that Hong Kong release 99% EiC with only Fishing Junks taken from Hong Kong and Souvenir of China from Paris La Defense?

The reason Hong Kong got a release and not any of the Europe in Concert concerts is because JMJs production company for the tour, CICS, went bankrupt and any release of that tour would mean money would go to the curators. At least, that's the story I read back in the day.

I heard this bankruptcy was also a point of contention between JMJ and Geiss and that's why Geiss left

[Robi83]

Do we know the details of the CICS bankruptcy? I thought the EiC shows were an artistic and commercial success. Local promotion and a sponsor in Swatch should have meant financial security. What went wrong?

It could be commercial success, however there are managers and managing directors, who "can't" handle the finance.

[rinogurr]

1994 Report (via Google Translate)

"I was not involved, directly or indirectly, in managing the production," declared Jean-Michel Jarre regarding the bill —estimated between 12 and 17 million francs — left with his tour suppliers. His lawyer, Maître Françoise, added: "It is not the musician who is at fault, but the company that produces his shows". But aren’t these statements merely smokescreens hiding the real issue?

The Compagnie Internationale de Concerts et Spectacles (CICS), the organizer of the European tour that drew 633,000 spectators between July 28 and October 16, is insolvent. Yet this company, now based in Bougival, owns 5% of Jean-Michel Jarre’s shares.

A true financial catastrophe.

And that’s not all. CICS is managed by three equal majority shareholders, including a certain France P., who operates under her maiden name—and who happens to be none other than Jean-Michel Jarre’s mother. Moreover, creditor companies report having frequently dealt directly, even in person, with the artist regarding payments for their services. This explains their complete trust in him. These are testimonies the creditors’ lawyers will not fail to gather. “Our clients believe they can prove that Mr. Jarre was fully aware of these dealings,” declares Bertrand Courtois, lawyer for four companies that together represent nearly 4 million francs in unpaid debts.

This financial disaster is all the more serious because it has dragged down nearly 140 small businesses with it, some of them well known in the entertainment world. Strato Vision, for instance, which handled laser effects, has, according to its CEO Claude Liffant, been forced to file for bankruptcy, lay off its seven employees, and forfeit 400,000 francs in unpaid debts. For Fiat Lux, responsible for lighting, the debt amounts to 1.5 million francs and it too has been declared insolvent. As for Loca Pose France, a company specializing in building safety netting, its president Georges Langevin reports a shortfall of 4 million francs.

[dzoolook]

Hong Kong is a very special album for me. I discovered JMJ with Chronologie when I was very young, and listening to Hong Kong album months after completely blew my mind. I think the sound quality of the album is sublime and truly spectacular. Some time ago, I realized that the album not only contains tracks from Barcelona but also from other concerts from Europe in Concert Tour, like Versailles, in addition to many studio edits (as Patrick Rondat also mentioned in an interview with Fjarre.com), such as the guitar solos in Rendez-Vous 4 and, I believe, also in Chronologie 2. The only flaw I notice in the record is a very abrupt cut in Chronologie 8 at the point where the choirs come in. As for Fishing Junks at Sunset, I’m not sure why it’s said to be from the Hong Kong rehearsals; it could have been reworked in the studio as well.

Sandly, not only Rendez Vous 2 is out, but Chronologie 5 is out too.

[Dr_Jones]

1994 Report (via Google Translate)

I think I found a similar article in one of my scrapbooks

20250830_221858.jpg

[rinogurr]

1994 Report (via Google Translate)

I think I found a similar article in one of my scrapbooks

20250830_221858.jpg

[dzoolook]

1994 Report (via Google Translate)

I think I found a similar article in one of my scrapbooks

20250830_221858.jpg

Following the financial difficulties of CICS
Jean-Michel Jarre explains

Jean-Michel Jarre: despite everything, a new tour this year.
(Photo Pat/Stills.)

“The role of an artist is to go on stage and deliver a show to the public, not to take on the responsibility of management that he does not control,” insists Jean-Michel Jarre following reports that CICS, the production company that organized his European tour last summer, has been in default of payment since January 14 and may file for bankruptcy at the end of the month, leaving several million francs unpaid.

“My European tour was a success,” adds the musician, “but cancellations and the unprofessionalism of a Spanish promoter penalized the organizers of the CICS company. This explains the shortfall, both for suppliers and for myself, as to this day I have not received a single cent from this tour.”

Nevertheless, it should be noted that insurance companies are expected to soon pay CICS (of which Jean-Michel Jarre holds 5% of the shares) compensation corresponding to the cancellations of concerts, which will allow the company to pay its service providers, including three companies (lighting and stage electronics) that have already filed for bankruptcy.

Despite these financial difficulties, Jean-Michel Jarre still plans to carry out a world tour this year, starting in March in Hong Kong, with the majority of providers he has been working with for over ten years.

J.-L.W.

[Richard-Eastham]

Parts of Barcelona are on the Hong Kong CD. Digi Sequencer for example: you can hear the spanish guitars at the end of the song, very faint if you listen carefully.

Isn't that Hong Kong release 99% EiC with only Fishing Junks taken from Hong Kong and Souvenir of China from Paris La Defense?

The reason Hong Kong got a release and not any of the Europe in Concert concerts is because JMJs production company for the tour, CICS, went bankrupt and any release of that tour would mean money would go to the curators. At least, that's the story I read back in the day.

I heard this bankruptcy was also a point of contention between JMJ and Geiss and that's why Geiss left

In the planning of Europe in Concert, I read that Michel Geiss had already decided to be "behind the scenes" rather than on stage. I wonder if a failure to reach a financial agreement before the tour began resulted in this change of stage position?

[MarnixB]

Based on the known setlists this would have been a realistic double album release of the European tour. Corrections are welcome.

Jean Michel jarre - Europe in concert

Tracklist
1. Countdown
2. Chronologie
3. Equinoxe 4
4. How old are you?
5. Chronologie 2
6. Chronologie 3
7. where are you going?
8. Chronologie 4
9. Chronologie 5
10. sale of the century
11. Digisequencer
12. Chronologie 6
13. Chronologie 7
14. Magnetic Fields 2
15. Chronologie 8
16. Band in the Rain (unplugged)
17. Oxygene part 4
18. Fourth Rendez-Vous
19. Second Rendez-Vous

20. Chronologie 4 (encore)

[MarnixB]

What was the reason they added “souvenir of China” from La Defense to the Hong Kong album if the song was ‘t played at the 1993/94 shows ?