JULY 27 UPDATE:
With no official confirmation yet of a light and sound spectacular by
electronic music pioneer Jean Michel Jarre just four months out from
its planned date, the mercurial musician yesterday confirmed he still
plans to headline the 80,000-patron show.
However, the gargantuan gig has been pushed back to the first half of 2013, rather than its initially planned November 2012.
Jarre is in Perth shoring up support and sponsorship for the concert from local agencies and companies.
Maryanne Bell of Perth-based ITM Productions – who aims to bring
Jarre’s much-anticipated Rendez-vous show to Perth – today told
oneperth.com.au the show would occur in the first half of 2013.
This timing is vaguer than the March 2013 projection reported this morning by some news outlets.
In a statement yesterday, Jarre announced he would be an ambassador
for the Perth Fashion Festival scheduled for September 19 to 25.
“Since attending last year’s festival and seeing first hand Western
Australia’s creative talents it’s a thrill to start building community
connections that will be the foundation for Rendez-vous Perth,” Jarre
said.
Ms Bell had earlier said no premature announcement would be made
about ticketing because of the military-scale logistics involved in
pulling the show together.
“Everything’s on track and Jean-Michel’s so excited back in Paris,” Ms Bell told
oneperth.com.au back in May.
“Jean-Michel is determined to put Perth on the map.”
Jarre fan sites around the world have been a
Twitter since
oneperth.com.au revealed details of the Jarre concert – planned for
Langley Park.
“It’s going to be the most exclusive event of the year on the Western
Australian calendar, with worldwide broadcasting,” Ms Bell said of the
show slated to draw an 80,000-strong crowd.
“The VIP area will be black tie with people ushered in by limousines to a red carpet.
“This concert is just going to blow people away.”
If Jarre can pull off the ‘Rendez-Vous Perth’ gig it will be free to
the public – except for 8000 privileged patrons holding gold, VIP and
corporate tickets.
STAR ACT SUPPORTING
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| The man, and his massive concert plan. |
Ms Bell said Jarre would bring a “big star” to Perth as his support act – but declined to reveal who that would be.
She said fans would cram Langley Park, the southern foreshore of the Swan, and Kings Park to experience the Jarre juggernaut.
Meetings had been arranged with with major sponsors, and Ms Bell said WA Government agency EventsCorp would be “brought in”.
International TV deals were also nearing completion.
“This will be like a mini tsunami,” she said.
“It’s like keeping a racehorse behind its gate.”
Ms Bell said no ticketing announcement would be made until all major details had been squared off.
She confirmed Jarre’s spectacular would be the only one in Australia.
But how did Perth – the world’s most isolated metropolis – score such a top flight event?
Well, that dates back to two covert visits Jarre made to the city in May and August last year.
Ms Bell – who spends lots of time in Europe and has known Jarre for
two years – had been urging him to visit her home city of Perth.
During his 10-day stay, Jarre met Premier
Colin Barnett, Planning Minister John Day and Tourism Minister Kim Hames to discuss the concert idea.
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| Electronic maestro Jean Michel Jarre keen to tackle 'final frontier'. |
ADORES PERTH
“Jean-Michel adores Perth,” Ms Bell said.
“He sees it as a bit of a last frontier, no pollution, a beautiful city.”
Ms Bell says her company’s website has been inundated with thousands
of requests for tickets from places as far flung as India, China,
Germany, London and South America.
On March 13,
oneperth.com.au revealed that Perth City Council had given the concert the green light.
The legendary French musician, 63, holds the music world’s crowd-pulling record of 3.5 million fans to a single show.
In Perth, Jarre plans to lock Langley Park down for a month to allow massive stages and stands to be erected and dismantled.
To help concert-goers see Jarre, six giant screens are set to stand along the length of Langley Park.
Jarre holds several world records for large outdoor concert audiences
– the ultimate being when he played for an audience of 3.5 million
people to celebrate the 850th birthday of Moscow.
Photo: Miemo Penttinen
Source:
oneperth
