Jean-Michel Jarre at Braehead, Glasgow

Great show at Braehead Arena in Glasgow on Sunday night by Jean-Michel Jarre, strangely the first time I'd actually got to see him. Strange because I've liked his stuff for decades, and because I well know what a big figure he is in French music.

A colleague likened him to Paul McCartney, in the size of his influence, although unlike McCartney he certainly isn't a nostalgia act and his eyes are firmly on the future.

I only recently realised - when I interviewed Jarre - that the 2010 tour was influenced by Arthur C Clarke's book. Of course, Clarke was famously influenced by Jarre when writing the 2010 book.

Jarre's an optimist, and passionate about what he does, his music and his art. We need more people like him.

Sure there could have been a bigger crowd, but given that he played Glasgow last year and the tickets were not cheap - the economic meltdown's effect on live music remains to be seen - it was a phenomenal show.

Jarre's a proper star, and while there could be accusations of self-indulgence at times, the fact that he takes what could be a fairly unengaging spectacle into something quite dynamic speaks volumes. Four blokes with keyboards could be a fairly bloodless show, and while Kraftwerk have made this into an art form, electronic music can be on the dry side and a little too close to a classical recital at times. But Jarre manages to personalise things, keeping the scale a human one despite the immensity of the spectacle and all the technology on display. This isn't music by robots, it's a remarkably human performance.

Special mention too for his tartan trousers too, he certainly made the effort to blend in to Scotland!

Of course, Jarre's done more than most to have people experience his music for nothing and to participate in the most spectacular music events for no charge. For all electronic music can be a little austere, Jarre has done more than most to popularise it and to share his art.

There are a couple of things I'd like to see though. One is Jean-Michel Jarre playing at one of the Ibiza mega clubs. More young people need to hear him. I don't think there were many folks in the crowd under 40, and I reckon some of his material would go down an absolute storm in the right environment. If I was inclined, I would set myself up as a techno DJ and play nothing but Jarre and similar artists. Would be an easy way to make a living I reckon.

The other? I'd like to see Jarre perform a large-scale outdoors show in Scotland. The Edinburgh Festival closing fireworks concert would be a useful blueprint that could be changed just a little to be a Jarre spectacular. Of course, there would have to be an occasion - perhaps to mark Scotland's Independence Day and our international recognition by France? You never know...

Here's a video from the show, quite good quality and gives an idea of what was going on. Can't see much of Jarre in the shot though, but rest assured he was having as great a time as the audience was.