Bronze work, 1993 concert… What will the statue of Johnny Hallyday inaugurated on Saturday in Fréjus look like?

Fréjus will inaugurate a statue of the most famous French rocker, Johnny Hallyday, this Saturday, September 21. Still hidden under his sheet, the mystery of his appearance remains, with the exception of a few details.

The Boss erected in Fréjus. The statue of French rock legend Johnny Hallyday took its place near the city’s port, Place des Gaboulets, before being officially inaugurated this Saturday, September 21.

This is the culmination of a three-year project led by the town hall and the Harley Davidson Club Desperados. For Fréjus, it is an opportunity to salute and pay tribute to a “long love story” with Johnny Hallyday and the city.

The rocker gave “a first concert in 1966” in the Var commune, then a “last one 50 years later, almost to the day, in 2016 at the Base Nature”.

“Doing Johnny at 50”

And on the eve of being unveiled to the eyes of the people of Fréjus, the mystery still remains as to the appearance of the statue, hidden under a brown sheet.

Only a few details have been confirmed: the work, entirely made of bronze, weighs about 200 kilos and measures 1.85 meters. It was made by Olivier Delobel, ready to show the world his three-year work.

“The Desperados agreed to do Johnny at 50,” says the artist. “He was fit, he was strong, he still had the goatee, it was their favorite period.”

And the reference image was also suggested by fans: the Parc des Princes 1993. “I got the DVD of the concert, and then I took out lots of photos on the Internet, I bought a book…”, lists Olivier Delobel.

Biker parade and free concerts

To work, the sculptor also needed a lot of profile photos, “hard to find”, but also full-face and three-quarters, all from the same period around 1993.

After this long research work, the artist started with a clay model, before moving on to the bronze original.

To inaugurate the statue, 400 bikers will parade through Fréjus, where 1,000 to 2,000 people are expected to greet the great Johnny Hallyday. The city’s mayor David Rachline will perform the inauguration at 5 p.m.

Two free concerts will conclude the evening, including two former Taulier guitarists, to light the city on fire.