July 30, 2023 – Croatians’ love of singer Oliver Dragojevic shows no sign of abating, 5 years after his death, as 20,000 attend a spectacular concert dedicated to him in his native Vela Luka on Korcula.
July 2018 was undoubtedly the most amazing month in my 21 years in Croatia. There was the small question of that World Cup Final in Moscow, after which more than 550,000 people lined the streets of Zagreb to welcome home their football heroes.
Two weeks later, there was another national outpouring of emotion, but for more tragic reasons – the death of national (and regional) icon, singer Oliver Dragojevic. What happened next was as impressive as the support of the World Cup heroes, as a maritime funeral cortege was arranged to transfer Oliver to his final resting place, from Split to his native town of Vela Luka on Korcula. Two incredible outpourings of emotion for two very different reasons in one month, which led me to do an article and more recent video (with some footage of that final journey) – Croatians are World Champions of celebration in life and in death. You can see the video below.
Five years on, and the love of Oliver burns just as brightly, as some 20,000 people descended on Vela Luka last night for a star-studded concert in memory of the great man. It was broadcast live on national television, and you can capture the entire event and atmosphere in the video below.
Meri Cetinić, Danijela Martinović, Goran Karan, Hari Rončević, Marko Tolja, The Shades, Matija Cvek, Klapa Šufit, Natali Dizdar, Lorena Bućan and Jure Brkljača performed, and around 20 thousand people who flooded the waterfront sang Oliver’s hits in unison with them. , and the concert was watched from boats and nearby balconies. A fitting tribute for a truly great singer.
