Jozinovic postpones Belgrade Arena shows, first to Nov 28

The sold-out Jakov Jozinovic concerts at the Belgrade Arena will not take place this weekend. On October 19, the singer announced on social media that both shows, scheduled for October 24 and 25, are postponed, citing technical and organizational reasons.

The first concert has a new date, November 28. The second has none yet, and a later announcement has been promised.

What did Jozinovic tell his audience?

Informer carried the announcement. The singer first addressed those who had planned to attend:

“My dears, I am aware of how much you were looking forward to our arena shows, how much you planned your trip and how much time and money you set aside to be part of these concerts. That is exactly why I am especially sorry to tell you that, for technical and organizational reasons, we have to postpone the concerts planned for October 24 and 25 to new dates,” Jozinovic began.

He then treated the two concerts separately. On the first he wrote: “For the October 24 concert the new date is November 28, and all tickets already bought are valid for that date.”

The second remained open:

“We will announce the new date of the concert planned for October 25 soon, and with that announcement we will share all the information for those attending that concert.”

He also apologized to fans who had already booked accommodation, arranged travel or taken days off to make it to the concert.

What happens to tickets?

Tickets for October 24 are valid for the new date. Anyone who cannot come on November 28 is entitled to a refund:

• a ticket bought at a point of sale is refunded there, with the physical ticket and the fiscal receipt
• for a ticket bought online, a request goes to kontakt@tickets.rs

According to B92, the statement from Jozinovic’s management was also carried by the Belgrade Arena.

What came before the postponement?

The decision comes less than a week before the concerts. B92 recalls that tickets sold out within just a few days, months in advance. Jozinovic played the mts Hall last October, had sold-out shows at Sava Centar this spring, and released his first album, “I Fly for Miracles,” in the summer. The same title is the slogan of the Arena concerts.

Before the postponement, a video spread online in which Jozinovic sings “If You Don’t Know What Happened” by Marko Perkovic Thompson and the group Hrvatske ruze. The recording is almost two years old, from when he was 19 and singing in cafes.

Two petitions followed. One asks that he be banned from entering Serbia, the other that the concerts be cancelled. Some buyers began reselling their tickets.

The singer then responded on Instagram. B92 carries his words:

“I never thought in terms of nationality, religion or skin color, nor did I sing in order to offend anyone.”

Tportal.hr cites another sentence from the same reaction: “I am a musician, not a politician.”

A link between the postponement and the video has not been confirmed. Neither Jozinovic nor the organizer has said that the petitions and calls for a boycott influenced the decision.

What about the concerts in Nis?

Jozinovic also has two concerts scheduled in Nis. B92 reports they are on November 13 and 14. Croatian veterans’ associations, among them the Association of Croatian Defenders of the Homeland War 91 (UHBDR91), are asking him to cancel them. They object to the dates, a few days before the commemoration of the victims of Vukovar and Skabrnja.

UHBDR91 president Mladen Pavkovic, as B92 reported in an earlier article, called the Nis performances “scandalous and insulting to all victims of the Homeland War.”

Jozinovic has promised to announce the date of the second Belgrade concert “soon.”