From Dive Holes to the Arena (2011)

Arhiv Arhiv Last updated 11 June 2026

Venue: Arena Stožice / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 16.12.2011
Attendance: 8500

Never say never. Even though the April show at Cvetličarna left me a bit disappointed, I decided to head to the big Parni Valjak gig at Arena Stožice anyway. I’d be lying if I said curiosity about the fixed-up acoustics was the only thing that dragged me there.

Everyone who’d been at the Elton John show swore up and down that the acoustics had been sorted and the sound was now excellent. All well and good, but I wanted to hear it with my own ears. The Parni Valjak show was a perfect chance (and a perfect excuse) to find out for myself. Considering I’d already seen the band in small clubs, in a tent and of course in the legendary Tivoli hall, I finally wanted to see the guys on a truly big stage, in an arena. And of course I also wanted to put my new camera and telephoto lens through their paces.

Comparing it with the recent Cvetličarna show practically suggests itself. The guys have made a new studio album. Sadly, so far it’s only available as a “download”, unlocked by the “number in the barcode” on tickets to their shows. Valjak are probably the first band in the world to pull off such a praiseworthy move. Us traditionalist fans, and I count myself among them, are waiting for the CD, which is supposed to come out in physical form next year. I really hope it does. Until then we’ll just have to make do with “inferior” MP3 files.

The guys kicked off the show with the new track Vjeruj. I was pleasantly surprised when the band showed up on stage via hydraulics, rising right out of the “floor” of the stage itself. Kind of like Bon Jovi did on the New Jersey tour in the late eighties. I’d go so far as to say they’re the first in the territory of the former Yugoslavia to pull off a stage stunt like that. Kudos!

You could tell right away the guys were in the mood for a good gig. The setlist was quite different from April’s. Lots of songs from the new album STVARNO NESTVARNO. As more-than-excellent as the new tracks are, I think it was a mistake to play 6 songs in a row that the crowd didn’t really know yet. It kind of killed the dynamics of the show. It would’ve been far better to mix the new songs in with the rest instead of playing them back to back. Then again, that’s my only gripe about an otherwise superb concert. ‘Ajde igraj and Nemirno more were a nice surprise, while plenty of songs the guys played at Cvetličarna dropped out of the setlist. That move gives hope that we’ll get to hear some older song live again one day, which the long-time fans would be even happier about.

Either way, at Stožice the guys proved that their music definitely belongs in arenas, not clubs. They’re brilliant in clubs, of course, but in big arenas their music shines even more. And of course an indispensable part of any Parni Valjak show is their crowd, which once again did its bit with flying colors. When a couple of buddies and I found ourselves in the VIP room with the band a good hour after the show, I hinted to Aki that after all these years Slovenian fans deserve for the guys to record a big show like this and release it on DVD, as a way of saying thanks for their years of loyalty. He said he found it an interesting idea. I definitely hope they make it happen someday. Maybe even at the next show.

Since the late eighties, when they were playing Slovenia in holes like the former Black Jack disco in Ljubljana, all the way to the Arena Stožice show, the guys have come a long way. I’ll also take this chance to thank PR rep Eva for her kindness and selfless help in getting the RockLine crew accredited for the show. I hope even more people turn out for the next Parni Valjak gig at Stožice, but above all I’m happy that the guys at least partly proved me wrong, that they’re gladly dipping into their rich repertoire and are still able to surprise a fan as demanding, nitpicky and grumpy as me. This time I’ll just write this: “see you at the next show”.

Oh, and the acoustics at Stožice are now more than satisfactory.

Setlist

1.Vjeruj
2.Zastave
3.Pokreni se
4.Zagreb ima isti pozivni
5.’Ajde igraj
6.Nemirno more
7.Kralj iluzija
8.Stvarno nestvarno
9.Nakon svih godina
10.Ljubav je droga
11.Svijet je danas lud
12.Mir na jastuku
13.Dok si pored mene
14.Pusti nek traje
15.Jesen u meni
16.Prokleta nedelja
17.Dok ja tebe
18.Ljubavna
19.Istina
20.Aleluja
21.Dođi
22.Molitva
23.Uhvati ritam
24.Sunčanom stranom
25.Ja u ljubav vjerujem
26.Lutka za bal
27.Ugasi me