On July 5, 2025, the Zagreb Hippodrome was the scene of a spectacle that will be remembered for a long time – Marko Perković Thompson gathered, according to the organizers, as many as 504,000 people, making this concert the most significant musical event in the history of Croatia and one of the largest in the world.
Atmosphere and production
The concert began a little after 9 p.m. with the song “Ustani iz sjene” from the new album “Hodočasnik“, accompanied by fireworks and torches in the audience, which further heightened the atmosphere. During the evening, above the Hippodrome, drones created an impressive light display – images of Our Lady, the cross, the inscription “Oluja 95,” and the Croatian flag, which left a strong impression on the crowd. The audience came from all over Croatia and abroad, and more than 6,500 policemen and 5,000 security guards were hired for security.
Music program
Thompson performed 30 songs from all stages of his career, including greatest hits and new songs from the album “Pilgrim”. The songs marked the first part of the concert: “Ustani iz sjene”, “Ravnoteža”, “Dolazak Hrvata”, “Duh ratnika”, “Kletva kralja Zvonimir”, “Bosna”, “E moj narode”, “Mali dio svemira”, “Početak”. Particularly emotional moments were during the songs “Vjetre s Dinare” and “Sine moj”, which Thompson dedicated to his son.
In the second part of the concert, the audience lit up the Hippodrome with their cell phone lights during “Ratnici svjetla”, and the highlight of the evening was the “Bojna Čavoglave”, accompanied by thousands of torches and the traditional shout. The concert ended with the songs “Devedeset i neke” and “Lijepa li si“, which many consider the unofficial Croatian anthem.
Messages and guests
Thompson addressed the audience several times, thanking them for the fellowship and emphasizing the importance of faith, patriotism, and historical heritage.
He especially emphasized the role of young people in the future of Croatia, saying:
Croatia is in the right hands, we old people can now die in peace. Continue to be awake, take over Croatia completely, make it proud and beautiful like in dreams.
He was joined on stage by the retired Bishop of Sibenik, Ante Ivas, who performed the song “Maranatha” and held a prayer.
Organization and security
Around 450,000 tickets were sold for the concert, and the organizers estimate that 504,000 visitors attended, breaking the world record for the highest number of tickets sold at a concert.
The event took place with high security measures, and several minor incidents were recorded, mostly related to pyrotechnics.
Thompson’s concert at the Hippodrome was a historic event, marked by strong emotions, patriotic messages, and impressive production, and the number of people gathered ranks it among the most fabulous musical spectacles in the world.
Eighty years since the Bleiburg tragedy and the Ways of the Cross. As our historians have told us, as many of us as are here today were at Bleiburg and did not return. A new seed has sprouted, Thompson said.
Thank God that it was such a nice, beautiful concert that lasted a short time, but we were there for almost three hours. Dear friends, let’s bring together this memory of this day, and you young people – I would especially like to address you now. We, this generation, believe that we are the best in history, so we have the right to say so, because we created the Croatian state. Many generations wanted to create it, and we managed, but when I see you young people. When I see the strength in you. We were afraid for you when you were 5 or 10 years old, what would happen to our children, whether the coming winds would blow you away, whether they would mix you up, whether they would scatter you, but they didn’t. You remained rooted to our values and that’s what keeps us going now, and that’s why – you’re better and stronger and stronger than us. Croatia is in the right hands, we old people can now die in peace. Continue to be awake, take over Croatia completely, make it proud and beautiful as in dreams.
