Rendez-vous Houston
Encyclopedia
Rendez-vous Houston: A City in Concert was a live performance by musician Jean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
amidst the skyscrapers of downtown
Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
on the evening of April 5, 1986, coinciding with the release of the Rendez-Vous album. For a period of time, it held a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest outdoor "rock concert" in history, with figures varying from 1 to 1.5 million in attendance. Rendez-vous Houston is remembered for being the concert which celebrated the astronauts of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
, which had happened only two and a half months beforehand. One of Jarre's friends, astronaut Ron McNair
Ronald McNair
Ronald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. was a physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L.-Background:...
, had been killed in the disaster. He was supposed to play the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
from space during the track "Last Rendez-Vous"; his substitute for the concert was Houston native Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum is an American smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured as Whitney Houston's opening act for several years. Whalum has also recorded a series of well received solo albums and film soundtracks, with music ranging from pop to R&B to smooth jazz...
.
Planning and problems of the concert
In 1985, Jarre was contacted by the musical director of the Houston Grand OperaHouston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
with the proposal for him related to the celebrations of Texas' 150th birthday in 1986, 150th birthday of the city of Houston and NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's 25th birthday. Because of NASA's involvement, Jarre got the chance to keep in contact with a friend of his, astronaut captain Bruce McCandless II
Bruce McCandless II
Bruce McCandless II is a former naval aviator with the United States Navy and former NASA astronaut. During the first of his two Space Shuttle missions he made the first ever untethered free flight, using the Manned Maneuvering Unit.-Education:McCandless is the son of Bruce McCandless, a decorated...
who later introduced Jarre to a flight companion of his, astronaut and jazz musician Ron McNair
Ronald McNair
Ronald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. was a physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L.-Background:...
. Together they had the idea that for the celebrations, Jarre would create a piece of music that could be performed by McNair on his saxophone. The idea was that McNair, on his next trip into space in the Challenger Space Shuttle, would perform (and record onto video) the new piece of music, which would then be projected (through video playback) onto a giant screen that was to be constructed on the front of one of the buildings.
On January 28th, 1986, McNair telephoned Jarre for the last time. "...Everything's ready. See you in a week's time. Watch me on TV for the takeoff!" On that same day, an appalled world witnessed a historic tragedy - the Challenger Space Shuttle disintegrated in mid-air whilst on its ascent into space. Distraught by what happened, Jarre almost decided to cancel the concert. However, astronauts from NASA (including Bruce McCandless) telephoned Jarre. They asked Jarre not to cancel, as now the concert must go ahead, and be held in tribute to pay respect to the astronauts who had lost their lives in the disaster.
The run-up to the concert itself still did not go smoothly. Rain poured down on Houston a couple of days before the concert, destroying much of the equipment on stage (which was repaired by the day of the concert), breaking wires and ruining instruments. Furthermore, there had been a very strong wind blowing all week, which ended up splitting open the giant projection screen (which was made from several small canvas panels) and causing it to come crashing down.
The local police turned up during the middle of a rehearsal demanding immediate payment of a fine; the residents who lived nearby were complaining of excessive noise and were exhausted from their sleepless nights. Also, FBI officers threatened to put a stop to the whole proceedings because they were being deprived of electricity. 30 large lamps had been installed on top of FBI headquarters, and they were causing problems with their surveillance of Colonel Gaddafi
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
, who was visiting the city at that time.
There was still one more slight problem before the concert started. The chief of the Houston Fire Department
Houston Fire Department
City of Houston Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the fourth largest city in the United States...
, Robert Clayton, had told Francis Dreyfus, Jarre's manager, that the show must be cancelled. This was due to a change of the wind direction; the Chief was concerned that the crowd would be showered with firework debris. After some back-and-forth argument with Dreyfus, Clayton agreed that the concert could proceed on a 'see how it goes' term.
During the concert (specifically, during the performance of Equinoxe
Equinoxe
Équinoxe was the second major-label album release by French musician Jean Michel Jarre, released on Disques Dreyfus in late 1978....
Part 5), the amount of fireworks being used and the direction of the wind did indeed cause debris to rain down on the audience, covering them in ash. Clayton frantically began to try to stop the proceedings, fearing that people would be injured. Although his fears were duly noted, the crowd took no notice of the ash falling onto them and carried on enjoying the concert proceedings.
During the concert, Interstate 45 which runs past the downtown Buffalo Bayou Park, came to a standstill as locals and long distance travellers alike stopped, parked on the crowded freeway and applauded, wept and laughed in unison with the thousands below them in the park.
Track listing
- Ethnicolor part 1
Rural Space
- OxygèneOxygeneOxygène is an album of instrumental electronic music composed, produced, and performed by the French composer Jean Michel Jarre. It was first released in France in December 1976, on Disques Dreyfus with license to Polydor. The album's international release was in summer 1977...
Part 1 - Oxygène Part 2
- Oxygène Part 4
- EquinoxeEquinoxeÉquinoxe was the second major-label album release by French musician Jean Michel Jarre, released on Disques Dreyfus in late 1978....
Part 7 - Souvenir of China
Urban Space
- Equinoxe Part 4
- Equinoxe Part 2
- Equinoxe Part 5
Outer Space
- Rendez-Vous 3
- Rendez-Vous 2
- Oxygène Part 5
- Last Rendez-Vous (Ron's Piece)
- Rendez-Vous 4
- Rendez-Vous 4 (encore)
Musicians
- Jean Michel Jarre: Keyboards, laser harpLaser harpA laser harp is an electronic musical instrument consisting of several laser beams to be blocked, in analogy with the plucking of the strings of a harp, in order to produce sounds. It was invented by Bernard Szajner and popularized by Jean Michel Jarre, and has been a high profile feature of...
- Michel Geiss: Keyboards
- Sylvain Durand: Keyboards
- Dominique Perrier: Keyboards
- Francis Rimbert: Keyboards
- Pascal Lebourg: Keyboards
- Jo Hammer: Drums
- Dino Lumbroso: Percussions
- Kirk Whalum: Alto Saxophone
- Christine Durand: Soprano
- The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts: Choir
- The Singing Boys of Houston: Choir
See also
- Space Shuttle Challenger disasterSpace Shuttle Challenger disasterThe Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
- Ron McNairRonald McNairRonald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. was a physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L.-Background:...
- List of Jean Michel Jarre concerts
External links
- Pictures of the event
- More detailed information of the event
- Gonzales, J. R. "Rendez-Vous Houston: 25 years later." Houston ChronicleHouston ChronicleThe Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
. April 5, 2011.