Imagine this: while Marko Perković Thompson’s fans were gearing up for the biggest concert in independent Croatia’s history, with half a million people at Zagreb’s hippodrome, rain mercilessly canceled the Forevergreen concert in front of the Croatian National Theatre! Yes, that’s right – while Thompson was gathering a crowd of half a million, Forevergreen, which was supposed to celebrate 30 years of Croatian music and feature nearly 40 performers, ended up soaked and canceled due to rain.
Forevergreen was planned as a spectacle celebrating domestic evergreen hits, featuring drama, opera, and ballet artists from HNK, as well as bands, under the creative leadership of Ante Gela and Nikša Kušelj. Awards for the best artistic achievements of the season were also to be presented, but the rain said “no.” The concert was postponed to early September, leaving the audience thirsty for culture.
On the other hand, Thompson’s concert at the hippodrome was a real storm! The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs even warned its citizens not to travel to Zagreb due to security risks, as around half a million people were expected. The police were on high alert, detaining 44 people before the concert, and streets were blocked with messages to move cars because “there will be no mercy.”
The concert also featured a special guest, retired bishop Ante Ivas, who wrote the song “Maranatha” performed by Thompson. Interior Minister Davor Božinović called it a “historic event,” and all services were ready to monitor the situation on the ground.
While Thompson gathered the crowd and put on a spectacle, Forevergreen was left in the shadow of rain and cancellation. Is this a sign that Thompson is truly the king of Zagreb? Or is Forevergreen a victim of bad weather and injustice? Either way, these two events showed how divided Zagreb is between rain and Thompson.
If you were at either event or have an opinion on who really won this battle for attention, feel free to drop a comment. Maybe it’s time for Forevergreen to get better prepared for the next rain, or for Thompson to learn to share the stage!
