Location: Zagreb / Tvornica Kulture / Croatia
Concert date: 01.02.2013
Attendance: 800
Ticket price: 50,00HRK
On the first Friday night and the first day of this February, the charity concert for the homeless at Zagreb’s Tvornica kulture brought under one roof some of the most interesting names in ex-Yu rock and new wave, plus the younger alternative rockers Adastra, who formed back in 2005!
You could feel the excitement in the crowd. Besides the active bands Aerodrom, Psihomodo Pop and Divlje Jagode, Pozdrav Azri had been announced too, and the anticipation ran even higher because ever since Marko Osmanović’s Thursday announcement that he was no longer Divlje Jagode’s singer, fans had been wondering about the mystery new vocalist Zele Lipovača was going to spring on the gathered crowd.
Aerodrom opened the night, with a borrowed drummer. They did their bit, solid and likeable, and the crowd added its voices to the songs Obična ljubavna priča, Fratello…., while lead guitarist Ivan Havidić especially stood out with a technically polished, emotionally colored command of his instrument. He had one more important job that night, too: helping out Adastra’s set, which he did with remarkable self-confidence, easy routine and conviction. Adastra got the younger crowd on its feet above all, with the hits Surovi grad, Nabujala rijeka and the socially engaged Nije svejedno. The message of that last one was also the guiding motto of the evening and the whole campaign.
Psihomodo Pop played third. They delivered their set in their usual manner. Besides the tried-and-true hits, Davor Gobac’s equally tried-and-true »motivational« speeches helped lift the concert mood.
Next up was the announced set from the »hidden« band, the so-called first surprise. That turned out to be a formation called Pozdrav Azri. It didn’t exactly spark as a surprise, since the lineup was exactly the same as at last year’s charity concert at Tvornica kulture. But it’s a proven classic repertoire from the legendary band Azra, and it set off strong emotional reactions and thunderous ovations in the hall. The room merged into one with the band. Given that this band’s poetry, like its music, ranks among the most prominent voices of the former Yugoslav rock scene, it was inspiring to see younger people at this spectacle singing along too.
Then came the high point of the night! Divlje Jagode unveil their new singer! Already on stage: Nasko Budimlić, Išpan Andraš, Damjan Deurić and the band’s indispensable commander Sead Lipovača »Zele«. They opened with the instrumental Magic Love….. Still no singer. The crowd wandered around in confusion over the riddle of the night. After the opening song Zele took a few moments, first with a speech warmly welcoming the aim of the charity campaign, and then he flipped the script and a young talent appeared on stage, the new singer Nikola Milat. Next came the song Dobrodošla ljubavi, which of course has its recognizable character, but with the new vocalist it worked a little differently. The songs that followed in the set didn’t escape that feeling either. The young guy still leaned on lyrics on stage, but on the other hand he confidently coaxed responses out of the crowd, who gratefully helped him along in the verses. The voice sounds surprisingly different from the predecessors Zele has tried out over the years in Divlje Jagode. It could cut both ways, and time will tell the right answer. Divlje Jagode certainly didn’t disappoint. They simply can’t. They’re a cult band with a cult repertoire and proven mileage in full-blooded stage experience.
The event itself, for a noble cause, knocked on the visitors’ hearts mainly through nostalgia. As such it’ll stick in the memory first and foremost, while musical highs aren’t what you’d look for in it. Its basic purpose was the fun that rock n’ roll brings, and in that respect the event of course delivered in full.
text edited by: Aleš Podbrežnik
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