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JEAN-MICHEL JARRE: WELCOME TO THE OTHER SIDE The city of Paris commissions electro-pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre to produce a virtual show to welcome in 2021. Viewed by 75 million people via VR headsets, TV coverage and across various social streaming platforms, TPi’s Stew Hume speaks to the creative team behind this pioneering project…
It’s a few weeks into 2021 and TPi is chatting over Zoom to a key creative involved in one of the largest-ever virtual gigs assembled, from the comfort of his home in the Scottish Highlands. Instead of merely discussing Jean-Michel Jarre’s latest pioneering stunt, Lighting and Show Designer, Jvan Morandi begins by discussing an online video game, Blitz War, which he and his friends had been playing until the early hours of the morning prior. There is a very good reason for this. According to Morandi, there is something which fellow industry peers, promoters and artists can learn from all-night gaming sessions. “When it comes to virtual shows, it’s not the amazing effects or impressive CGI that keeps an audience’s attention – it has to be engaging, otherwise you’ll switch off after 15 minutes,” he commented. “There is a
reason why my friends and I stay up for hours playing a rather rudimental 8-bit video game. It’s because we were participating in something.” Let’s backtrack for a second. Last year, instead of putting on its traditional New Year’s Eve celebration, the city of Paris commissioned Jean-Michel Jarre to create a virtual event to welcome in 2021, with viewers able to watch from the safety of their home. According to Sony Music International, the event has now garnered more than 75 million views across social media platforms including Facebook, VRC, Weibo and TikTok. The concert lasted 55 minutes and took viewers into a virtual experience with a digital replica of Notre Dame Cathedral. The performance could be viewed via a VR headset in which gig-goers were able to move around the virtual Notre Dame and interact with the surroundings. 18