Despite all the earlier debate over how we (bigbrother, Mum and myself) were to travel up to London and the venue, we ended up going in bigbrother's tired old car (the one he was sure wouldn't be able to make the journey !!!). After a bit of a problem finding the place he had booked the parking at (didn't expect it to be outside a battered old warehouse - but we were not the only ones parking there ... ), and a bit of a walk, all three of us found ourselves outside the Arena .... about 3 hours before the doors opened !!! (this was thanks to bigbrother panicking about the time it would take to drive up there, so setting off from home earlier than we really needed to). Cue lots of aimlessly walking around the area, or just sitting down on the steps outside the Arena, watching others just walk around, or mess around in the water jets/ fountains .. . During the walking, I did see a group of people (some who I recognised slightly from the fan forums - the more 'dedicated' fans ) standing by the entrance to the back /stage door area of the Arena. I knew there was to be a fan meeting there, and did kind-of want to go up and say hello .... but my nerve got the better of me. The group was mostly male, and the fact that they would not know me from Eve ( they might know my name or nickname , but not my face !!! ) put me off .... that, and I was with Mum and bigbrother too. So in the end, I didn't approach them. I also saw Christophe (someone else I knew from the forums) and his father walking around, but again my shyness ( and a strong sense of not making a fool of myself ) stopped me saying hello .... Didn't think he would want to be approached by a strange Goth-like blob of a woman he didn't know ( I was dressed in my usual uniform of long black jacket, dark jeans, black baseball boots, black T-shirt ( from Europe in Concert - a previous tour by Jean Michel) , a baker boy cap , dark eyes and bright red lipstick ! ).... perhaps next time I will be more brave ..... and there WILL be a next time !.
Eventually, the time came for the doors to open, and along with a lot of others who were waiting too, the three of us entered the venue. I hadn't been to the arena since its redevelopment, so hadn't seen the inside. Waiting in the foyer I was pleasantly surprised ... and not just by all the chrome and glass. The doors had opened a little early, so access to the Arena floor was still not allowed ... and I could hear why. The strains of VERY familiar music was drifting out from the arena itself .... and not for the last time that day , a huge smile came across my face. There must have been a sound check going on .... a small taster of what was to come ... and it sounded completely beautiful to me. I just stood there, behind a pillar , listening while the soothing sounds of Souvenir de Chine surrounded me and everyone else in the foyer ... then the distinct forceful notes of Rendezvous 2 and the laser harp resonated around the space too ... my smile became wider by the second. I couldn't wait for the concert to start now ....
Soon the music stopped seeping from the arena, and the foyer returned to being filled with just the sound of people talking once more. After a short time more, the doors to the arena floor itself opened , and we were allowed in to take our seats . Thanks to my obsession (and the details being posted on the fan forums ), our tickets were booked on the day they went on sale, so our seats were fairly near the front of the arena ( 13 rows back) . I could see some of those I saw by the stage door come in ... they were mostly seated in the first few, if not the actual first row.... they must have been a bit faster booking than me !. I wasn't unhappy where I was - I had a fairly good view of the stage, even if I was at the far right hand side of it. So all 3 of us sat and waited while the arena filled ... all the while, the calm strains of Waiting for Cousteau played over the sound system. After sitting there for a while, I suddenly noticed someone else I knew from the forums - Kanta - with her sister in their seats a few rows in front of us. I was just about to go, be brave and say hello when the arena lights started to go down, and the sound of Waiting for Cousteau faded away .... so I decided not to - again, maybe next time..... the show was about begin ...
I had seen photos of the earlier concerts in the tour (in Poland /Hungary /Scandinavia) posted on the fan forums, so I had a small idea what to expect .... but nothing prepared me for seeing and hearing those first moments in person ... and bigbrother and Mum had no idea what was going to hit them. The powerful sound of Industrial Revolutions part 2 suddenly boomed around the arena, a series of wide blazing white laser beams emanated from strange looking objects at the back of the stage .... then one of the beams was broken by a single hand, followed by a familiar silhouette ... as Jean Michel walked through, portable synth slung around him and started to play . It was just wonderful ... simple but very effective. The wide smile returned to my face, and I sat and continued to watch and listen while Jean Michel and the music continued and began to weave its magic over me once again.
Jean Michel himself was back in his white shirt and jeans combo ... looking a little scruffy, but definitely as handsome as ever .... and full of energy! . As the concert progressed, he was jumping around like someone half his age, trying to encourage us to stand, clap, dance ( which the crowd did ... eventually ) ... it could had looked ridiculous , but it didn't. He wasn't like that all the time ... for periods, he looked serious, engrossed in what he was doing ... playing the Theremin, you could see the concentration in his face ... the mad scientist was back ... at others he had a huge smile on his face again ... it looked as if he was enjoying performing the show as much as we the audience was watching it ! He did speak to the audience a little too ... well, more than he had at the Albert Hall last year ... dedicating tracks to London ( Oxygene 4) and to the memory of his father ( Calypso part 3 ) among others. He seemed just very human somehow, not as distant as before perhaps ? ... wanting to share his music, and his enjoyment of it with us all....
As for the music and visuals ... the simple coloured lights and mirror of the Oxygene Tour last year had been replaced by more coloured lights and lasers which shot over the heads of the audience and painted patterns on the back wall of the arena ( for those who turned around to see them ... ). It was , maybe, not as spectacular as the visuals of the outdoor shows (or as some people expected), but it was very effective ... the focus was put back more onto the music ... the reason most of us came in the first place. Ahh .. the music. The track-list was a mixture of greatest hits and favourite pieces .... ranging from the usual suspects (Oxygene 4, Rendezvous 2, Souvenir de Chine) to some welcome additions we had not heard for ages live - if ever (Rendezvous 3 and Equinoxe 5). The sound quality was good ... maybe not as good as the Albert Hall perhaps, but that space was designed for music - the Arena is just a large concrete and steel box . The invisible speaker system Jean Michel was using worked well ... the sound seemed to come from everywhere .... and definitely was LOUD! During Oxygene 5 / Variation III, it was as if there was a solid wall of sound in front of us, almost pressing down on us. Combined with the visuals, there was so much energy about it felt like the air around us was ready to spontaneously combust ! ... powerful stuff indeed ( but those tracks are still a bit too free form for me though ... sorry, just my opinion!) . Personal highlights of the night for me :
Rendezvous 3 and the laser harp - I really liked this track but I had only ever seen/heard it on the Houston video .... to hear and feel the bass notes vibrate through my body, and see Jean Michel's gloved hand break the beams on the laser harp for myself just made my day ... and it DEFINITELY was live - no play-back here !
Oxygene 12 - one of my favourite tracks, and played back in time, unlike last year...
Equinoxe 4 - with the "Equinoxe lights" popping up and down in the background with the music ...
Calypso 3 - again, only ever seen/ heard by me on Video ( this time Paris-La Defense) ... a beautiful track, taking my mind back to an earlier, simpler time .... the beginning of my petite obsession ....in my head there was the Maestro in the 'Ringmasters' coat, conducting the masses under the huge metallic pyramid .. and the dedication to his late father made it extra special ...
Chronologie 6 and 2 - favourite tracks , with the little red accordion solo being played right in front of me ( well, almost ... ) for part 6 , and the thundering organ sound of the opening of part 2 echoing around the arena, bringing a shiver of delight down my spine ...
and finally, Rendezvous 2 - I never tire of this track, and it didn't disappoint .... as powerful, bombastic and simply brilliant as ever .. and another outing for the Maestro's trade mark - the spectacular laser harp ( and it was back in (almost) its classic form - beams shooting straight up to the roof ).
For most of the concert, there was nothing but the stage, the music and Jean Michel ... everything else just faded into the background ( including bigbrother and Mum! ). I say for most of the concert .... my blissful state was shattered quite a few times by people going in and out of the arena ... mostly for food and drink it seemed !. I was seated by one of the doors out of the arena, and had to keep standing up to allow people access out ... it was very annoying after the first few times. I was not the only person in that situation though - I could see it happening both in front and behind me. I thought it was very disrespectful to Jean Michel and the team on stage .... surely people can go an hour or so without an alcoholic drink or a hot dog ? That combined with people still coming into their seats at least 10-15 mins into the concert ... those things spoilt the magic just a little ... but it was just a little. It was another special night for me .... reminding me just why I have been a fan of Jean Michel and his music for so long ( over 20 years now .. ) ... because it connects with me in ways other music doesn't, because it makes me happy, and because I simply love it !. I think I might have even converted Mum to the cause ... well, almost - she said she enjoyed it ( if it was a bit loud for her ), and that she " understands what I see in it now " ... praise indeed. She also said she hadn't seen me smile so much in ages ... and I have to say I was a very happy bunny that night.
So , with our ears ringing from all that sonic abuse , 3 happy but slightly tired people joined the crowds leaving the arena at the end of the show and made our way back to the poor old car and the drive back home. I was thinking on the way home, while the darkness sped past the window, and the concert replayed itself in my head how lucky I have been - with this concert, I have seen the Maestro in concert 3 times in a little under 18 months, and 6 times in total ... and that I would continue to take every opportunity I could to see him again ... the next opportunity came up quicker than I could have imagined.
Soon after the show at Wembley, and the end of the dates for this part of the tour, further dates were announced for March next year (2010) - a second part of the tour. These dates were around France ( he had not visited his home country during this leg ) .... including one in Paris. This was far too much of a temptation for me .... I love the city anyway, and hadn't visited since 2007 .... so, killing two birds with one stone, and spending money I could not really afford, I booked two tickets for the Paris gig ( I will think about booking travel/hotels closer to the time ) ... my petite obsession with the Maestro continues unabated ... Paris, here I come ..... !!
NB: just to note, the amazing images with this post are not mine ( unfortunately) ... they come from various sites on the net .. most of them belong to my friend from the Blah Blah Cafe (Jarre fan forum) - Kanta . Many thanks to her for sharing them .....
