Location: Križanke / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: September 22, 2012
Attendance: 3000
What new could I possibly write about Parni Valjak’s “unplugged” show at Križanke? After all the years, from playing dives to a top-notch gig at the Arena? I have to say I’m hit with seriously mixed feelings. On one hand, you’ve got a lineup of top-tier musicians who never miss a beat in their performance and leave a more than good taste in your mouth. On the other, that gorgeous taste gets soured by the fact that the guys just can’t put together a decent setlist.
What we got was a show you can’t fault technically in any way. The stage set was gorgeous, tasteful, a cozy imitation of the intimate homeliness of a living room. The people in a jam-packed Križanke were happy, they partied with the band, it was really fun. So why the criticism?
I got quite a few surprises. The first was a really nice one, right at the start, because they picked Sjaj u očima as the opener. I hadn’t heard them play that song live in years. The follow-up put a surprised smile on my face too: 700 milja od kuće, another track I’m not even sure I’ve ever heard live before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck_S_MEWCnY
What came next was very different from what you’d expect after such a surprising start. They strung together a bunch of newer songs in a really clumsy way. I understand and respect the band’s wish to polish up the newer stuff too. Absolutely. But not like this, not right when the big bang, the peak of the show, should have followed, and instead they line up a pile of ballads. On top of that, fairly unknown ballads that don’t even remotely reach the quality of what the guys created in the past. I don’t get how a band with such rich live experience can kill the dynamics of a concert so clumsily.
The closer we got to the end, the more that bitter aftertaste somehow got fixed, mostly thanks to Javi se. That the guys are fed up to here with Jesen u meni they made clear with a rather unfortunate Latin version of that very song. Next came Lutka za Bal, U prolazu, Sve još miriše na nju. I was also really happy to hear Kao ti live again after a long time.
Parni Valjak are without a doubt one of the best bands in the former Yugoslavia. Every member is a top-class musician, they never slip up and get through the repertoire from start to finish without the slightest mistake. But over the years, when it comes to putting together a concert repertoire, they’ve sadly gotten a bit wooden. At one point I genuinely wished I could put together their setlist for a three-hour set.
Luckily, the guys finally decided to release their latest album STVARNO NESTVARNO in physical form too. It’s supposed to come out around the end of this year. They’ve finally realized that going »download-only« isn’t the wisest decision commercially, and especially not in strictly musical terms. After all, they belong to a generation in which lovers of good music still value the physical form of a music release most.
I also have to take a jab at the boorish behavior of some concert-goers. Fact is, it was a completely different crowd than two days earlier at the get-together of two rock legends (Wishbone Ash and Nazareth). The difference between the hard rock crowd and Saturday’s audience is huge. In favor of the former, of course.
A year and a half ago, in my report on Parni Valjak’s show at Cvetka, I wrote that it was my last time seeing them live. Then in December I ended up biting my tongue and caught a really good show at Arena Stožice. This Saturday, though, I had every reason to ask myself whether the show between Parni Valjak and me is really over (Predstavi je kraj). Do I really have nothing left but memories (Samo sjećanja)?
Setlist
01.Sjaj u očima
02.Moja je pjesma lagana
03.Neda
04.700 milja od kuće
05.Zastave
06.Prokleta nedjelja
07.Prazno tijelo
08.Kralj iluzija
09.Nakon svih godina
10.Stvarno nestvarno
11.Jesen preskačem
12.Ivana
13.Uhvati ritam
14.Ljubavna
15.Dok je tebe
16.Vrijeme ljubavi
17.Kada me dotakne
18.Dođi
19.Javi se
20.Jesen u meni
21.U ljubav vjerujem
22.Lutka za bal
23.Ugasi me
——————-
Encore:
24.U prolazu
25.Kao ti
26.Sve još miriše na nju
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