As we near the close of what was an absolutely brutal year, Jean-Michel Jarre aims to end it on a high note, bringing positivity and hope as we move into 2021. Also a lot of lasers.
One of the pioneers of electronic music, known for his legendary concert spectaculars that have broken world records in attendance, Jarre has teamed up with French VR startup VrOOm to launch us into the New Year with a groundbreaking livestreamed concert event. In partnership with the City of Paris, as well as under the patronage of UNESCO, the performance will be held in a stunning 3D visual recreation of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris landmark.
“Virtual reality is to the performing arts today what cinema was to the theater in its early days, a kind of curiosity,” Jarre shared in a press release. “I believe that VR will become tomorrow, a mode of expression in its own right.”
Titled “Welcome To The Other Side,” the event is scheduled for Thursday, December 31st, and will be an exclusive one-off performance showcased worldwide and open to all as a free virtual concert. Through the use of social virtual reality, Jarre has developed a cutting-edge mixed media format where we can all ring in the New Year together—and party together—wherever we are. The immersive event will be available on the social VR platform VRChat, accessible either via PC or in virtual reality for those with VR headsets. The stream will also be available via Jarre’s social media platforms via PC or Mac, smartphone or tablet.
Jarre will perform live from a studio near the cathedral in Paris while his avatar plays inside a virtual version of Notre-Dame. The concert will be 45 minutes in length, in which Jarre will perform a set comprised of tracks from his Grammy Award-nominated Electronica album, as well as some newly reworked versions of his classic songs “Oxygéne” and “Equinoxe.”
You can join the New Years’ Eve celebration on December 31st, 2020, at 5:25PM ET (2:25PM PT) in North America. In case you can’t attend the livestream event, concert audio will be released on all music streaming platforms under the title “Welcome To The Other Side – Live” on January 1st, 2021, at 12:15AM CET, as well as in North America on December 31st at 6:15PM ET (3:15PM PT).
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