AERO – Tribute to the Wind

On 7 September 2002, Jean-Michel Jarre staged his first open-air concert in Scandinavia, Aero – Tribute to the Wind, in a wind farm near Gl. Vrå in northern Denmark. The show was inspired by the wind, both as a source of renewable energy and as a force of nature.

In the end, though, it was the rain that stole the show. It turned the field into a mud bath during the concert and especially afterwards, as the audience struggled to make their way home. Despite the conditions, the evening was an artistic triumph. Alongside two strong new compositions, most of the set had been rearranged for the occasion, some pieces substantially so. The sound was among the best Jarre has ever achieved at an open-air show, a remarkable feat given the weather and a location far from anything and everything.

Visually, the show centred on the stage, with vivid, surreal computer-generated imagery. The wind turbines doubled as pillars of light, lending the scene a futuristic edge, while fireworks battled the wind and rain overhead.