Jean Michel Jarre: I would like to do a big outdoors project in Scotland

Extended video interview with Jean Michel Jarre ahead of his Braehead concert in October.

By John Kilbride

03 September 2010

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Music star Jean Michel Jarre says that he would love to bring one of his big outdoor projects to Scotland.

The keyboard superstar is one of the world's biggest musicians, and has over his career not only sold millions of records and played some of the biggest and most spectacular concerts in history, and pioneered the use of electronic music and synthesisers. He has played in front of some the biggest audiences in the world, with 3.5 million attending an open-air concert in Moscow and a crowd of 2.5 million at his show in Paris La Defense.
Speaking to STV's John Kilbride, he discussed his 1988 London Docklands concert, and how Glasgow offered to stage the show when it was hit by uncertainties as to whether the event that attracted 200,000 people would take place.

He said: "The concert was refused at the last minute, I think because of a mistake by the promoter not having done the entertainment license early enough, and I went to the media and said: 'Give me a venue and I'll be able to play' and at that stage lots of people, the Royal Navy proposed a boat, lots of people proposed the back of their garden and lots of different cites said

'You should forget London and come to us'

"That was the case of the city of Glasgow and they really welcomed me in a very special way I will never forget but in the end of the day everything went OK in London and we did the docklands, but I would like to one day do a big outdoors project in Scotland."
October sees him playing at Braehead Arena, part of his 2010 tour sees him play arena-sized venues around Europe, and he says that playing arena sized venues are a great opportunity.

He said: "I am bringing the magic of my outdoor concerts into a more controlled space, something that I probably couldn't have done a few years ago because the venues were not there. The technology was not there.

"Everything is going to be played really live, with no pre-recorded or pre-mixed things and no computers on stage. I really want to get this challenge of having a live performance with electronic music in days when so many acts are pre-recorded, pre-mixed and using a lot of computers, so that makes it really dynamic, fresh and with a dynamic sound."

He added: "I love the idea of putting all the energy of an outdoor concert into a more controlled stage, even a big space like the arena in Glasgow, to share this total immersion feeling that you can't have really outdoors and not depending on the wind or rain."

Asked what brought his back to Scotland for the third time in recent years he said: "It's first of all because I love Scotland, I love the vibes of this country, from the French point of view we have historically lots of links with Scotland, and it is a country that is traditionally open to new musical experiences and music in general, even much more than France - being a country more linked with literature - but I love the colour of Scotland and the sound of Scotland.

Not only bagpipes, but I love the contrast between the deep colours and the deep souls and the energy and I really hope the Scottish audience will enjoy this new project of mine as much as we are excited to be in Scotland on the third of October."


Source:  entertainmen