Jean Michel Jarre, photo by Gerard Giaume

His two-hour programme, promises Jean Michel Jarre, will be “romantic, hi-tech, popular and rock & roll”. A free, mega, open-air concert at the Port, which Jarre describes as “a natural amphitheatre,” has been a possibility since the time of Prince Rainier III. It’s the royal wedding which has provided the occasion.”

Consequently, Monaco has been slotted into Jarre’s current world tour, which means the repertoire will be similar to that already heard in 30 countries – with plus surprises.

The scenography, with its 200x20 m. LED screening has, however, been explicitly created for Monaco, “to bring the concert close to the large public expected.”

Jean Michel Jarre has been a familiar name to music fans since his 1977 hit album “Oxgene” exploded onto the market. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris, he was inspired to “reinvent music at its core, deploying the technology and tools of the epoch”.

He also conceived a new format for concerts, shedding the traditional theatre and arena context to bring music and vision, outdoors in state-of-the-art concert spectaculars, that showcase the natural environment in which they are performed - selling 80 million albums along the way.

Not surprisingly, Jarre is a UNESCO ambassador and spokesperson for Environment and Education. Those listening to the concert from terraces around the port can tune into a stereo sound by turning their radio dials to local FM.

The concert will also be available on YouTube.

A reminder: public transport and parking will be free in Monaco for the event and SNCF train service will be intensified to accommodate visitors from out-of-town.

For information: www. Jeanmicheljarre.com

Lois bolton