JEAN-MICHEL JARRE – VERSAILLES 400
SONY MUSIC
FEBRUARY 24, 2024
Concert films are rather tricky. They can be overblown and verge on boring, or they can be extremely exciting while the viewer focuses on the artist and enjoys the music and production on the stage. The Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense, for example, is a brilliant concert film that does not rely on too much in ways of excessive editing, or crowd shots of people mouthing words, or excessive special effects The Band’s The Last Waltz is the same. Jean-Michel Jarre’s new concert film is something new altogether. This is a filmed document of an event, and it works on every level. I am not going to be too technical, because, quite honestly, I don’t understand all the high-tech stuff, but the concert was staged as a mixed-reality concert.
What exactly does a ‘mixed reality’ concert mean? This means that Jarre was using a LYNX-R1 headset throughout the concert. With the headset, a few computers, screens, and a lot of technical magic, this allowed Jarre to travel through time, space, and everything in between. It is 3D without the glasses. And having seen Kraftwerk last year in 3D, which was mind blowing, one can only imagine what it would have been like standing in Versailles watching the show.
The show itself was staged to celebrate the 400 anniversary of the Château de Versailles and performed in The Hall Of Mirrors. To say the staging was stunning is selling it short. Jarre has always been that one step ahead of the curve, much like his counterpart Brian Eno. However, Eno went a little lo-tech with his recent tour of The Ship, Jarre soars over the top with new technology that is sure to dazzle anyone who is watching. It is breathtaking to watch this concert film.
It is filmed quite nicely, and it is interesting to see Jarre morph and transform throughout the hour-long film. Again, it is the use of AI which allows him to pull the show
off. And while there are many reasons to fear AI, this concert is a pretty strong argument for how it can be used artistically and effectively. Jarre noted that he wanted to combine worlds with this show. Robots mixed in with 17th century artists, and he succeeds. The audience is taken through time, with one foot in reality and one foot in Jarre’s world.
Musically, it is top of the line Jarre. He opens the show with “Fantoms Of Versailles”, which moves into the classical piece (J.B. Lully’s “Le Château”) but then moves very quickly from the past to his most current song, “Epica Oxygène”. Along the way he performs songs from his classic albums Oxygène and Équinoxe. The music is a powerful, driving force, full of strong melodies, beats and electronica. It is amazing.
Jarre has always pointed the way to the future, he does it again with Versailles 400. This is a tour de force of images and music, all created by Jarre. He seems to be having as good a time as his audience and it was certainly loved by the crowd. Jarre shows how technology can be used as a tool to express human emotions, rather than the focal point of a show/song. And this is demonstrated clearly throughout the film.
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JEAN-MICHEL JARRE – VERSAILLES 400
Artist Links
Photo Credits: ©Cornic
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JEAN-MICHEL JARRE – VERSAILLES 400
