Mladen Grdović marked 45 years of career at Lisinski in Zagreb: a sold-out night and a new date on 7 April

Mladen Grdović marked 45 years of career at Lisinski: a sold-out night that confirmed his status as the “king of the Dalmatian party”

In the Grand Hall of the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, on Sunday, 8 February 2026, Mladen Grdović celebrated 45 years of his music career with a grand gala concert titled Here I am, my people. It was the final Zagreb highlight of the celebratory tour during which the popular singer from Zadar toured halls across Croatia in recent months, and the audience interest in the capital confirmed the impression that has followed him for decades: Grdović’s repertoire still functions as a common language across generations.

The evening at Lisinski was sold out already about two months before the date, which prompted the organizers to open an additional date in the same venue. That very fact, along with the visible euphoria in the hall, best describes how firmly Grdović is rooted in domestic pop entertainment and Dalmatian music, and how the audience in Zagreb, regardless of musical trends, still gladly returns to songs that carry the recognizable emotion of the south.

For visitors from outside Zagreb, a concert night at Lisinski is often also a practical logistics question, especially when it comes to sold-out events and coming to the city on a weekend. That is why, ahead of similar concerts, people most often look for accommodation offers in Zagreb, and options for accommodation near the venue are especially sought after for easier arrival and return after a multi-hour program.

“Welcome, my people”: Grdović returned to the stage where he says he has performed hundreds of times

The very beginning of the concert was marked by direct communication with the audience. Grdović greeted the hall with words that were experienced as a personal thank-you to loyal listeners, emphasizing that he has been returning to the Lisinski stage since the early eighties and that in that hall, by his account, he has performed more than 200 times. Such a statement, made in a celebratory mood, also served as a reminder of career continuity: from the time when domestic pop entertainment had a different media framework, to today’s concerts that rely on the strength of catalog hits and the experience of a performer accustomed to a live audience.

Precisely that “live” element was one of the key points of the evening. During the concert, Grdović repeatedly went down among the visitors and sang with the audience, turning part of the program into an interaction that is rarer in a hall like Lisinski than in sports arenas. However, it proved that a more formal venue does not necessarily mean a more formal atmosphere: at its best moments the hall resembled a big party, with an audience singing along and often staying on their feet.

Repertoire as a cross-section of a career: from Dalmatian evergreens to the biggest hits

The concert was conceived as a cross-section of the career, so songs associated by the audience with different stages of Grdović’s work alternated throughout the program. The evening opened with It’s not all about money, after which a string of hits built the tempo and emotion. According to impressions from the hall, the program lasted almost three hours, and the audience spent most of the time in an euphoric mood, especially on choruses that have long become part of collective memory.

After that came songs that marked Grdović’s status on the domestic scene, with an emphasis on titles that connect motifs of Dalmatia, love stories, and typical “party” energy. The repertoire included, among others:

• Here I am, my people
• Everything for love
• Mama Maria
• This is my home
• Holy land, Dalmatia
• I am a Dalmatian
• Minister
• Red Ferrari
• Lavender-colored eyes
• Where I was born
• Only you, Dalmatia
• The shirt was

Such a selection of songs was not merely a “best of” list, but also a dramaturgical framework: from brighter, more rhythmic numbers that move the audience to more emotional moments that emphasize motifs of homeland and personal story. An audience of different generations reacted to different segments of the repertoire, but the common denominator remained the same: the songs were sung in unison, without much prompting from the stage, which in anniversary concerts like this is often the most precise indicator of how present the performer is in listeners’ everyday lives.

Guests and host: collaborations that last, and names the audience recognizes

Anniversary concerts are often also an opportunity for the performer to publicly show a network of collaborations and friendships. During the evening, Grdović was joined on stage by guests with whom he has a long-standing collaboration: Antonija Šola, Davor Borno and Duško Lokin, and part of the program was marked by a performance with the klapa More. The concert was hosted by Branko Uvodić, which gave the event an additional television, “revue” note that fit the ceremonial character of the celebration.

Such guests were not merely a formal “insertion” of names, but functioned as a reminder of different phases of Grdović’s career and the fact that, besides as an interpreter, he is often present as an author as well, and as a performer who has shared the stage in the same genre with a number of well-known names.

Why Lisinski carries special weight: a “more intimate and more ceremonial atmosphere” compared to sports halls

Lisinski is, in the domestic concert landscape, a symbol of prestige and tradition, and at the same time a venue that requires a different dynamic from performers than sports halls. In official concert announcements it was emphasized that Lisinski is precisely the “crown” of the celebratory tour and an opportunity to celebrate 45 years of career in a more intimate and more ceremonial atmosphere. In practice, such wording meant a combination of a long program, numerous recognizable hits, and emphasized communication with the audience, with Grdović showing that a “party” can be brought into a venue that is traditionally perceived as more serious.

For part of the audience, especially those who came to Zagreb from other parts of the country, the concert was also a повод for a weekend trip. In such situations it is common to plan arrival in parallel and look for accommodation offers in Zagreb or accommodation for visitors who want to be close to the hall and the city center, without the need for a late return over long distances.

Additional concert on 7 April: a new date, the same hall setting, and expected strong interest

Due to great interest, Grdović will perform at Lisinski once more on Tuesday, 7 April 2026, starting at 20:00, again in the Grand Hall. According to official information, tickets for that additional date were put on sale at prices from 29 to 49 euros, depending on the category, and the event organizer is listed as Zvjezdica Petra d.o.o. In practice, this means that part of the audience that failed to secure tickets for the sold-out February date will get a new opportunity, but also that, given the sales dynamics so far, the April date could quickly approach “sold out” status.

For concerts like these, the operational part is also important: official sales channels and box offices are often the only safe option, especially when it comes to events with high demand. As the April concert approaches, it is realistic to expect additional pressure on ticket sales, but also an increase in interest in organizing the trip to Zagreb, including accommodation near the venue for visitors who want to avoid crowds and ensure simpler logistics.

A career spanning almost half a century: hits that survived changes in the scene

Forty-five years of career in domestic pop entertainment can rarely be reduced to a single formula. In the case of Mladen Grdović, recognizability was built on a combination of Dalmatian identity, emotionally direct lyrics, and a stage approach that relies on immediacy. Official announcements for the concerts at Lisinski also highlighted the breadth of his discography, with the information that he is a performer with more than 30 released studio albums and a large number of hits sung across the region and the diaspora. Within such a framework, the anniversary concert in Zagreb was not just another performance, but also a public confirmation of longevity: the audience changed, the media changed, but the songs remained strong enough to fill halls.

At Lisinski, that longevity also gained a symbolic framework: a hall where a wide variety of domestic and world performers have performed became the stage for celebrating a career that grew together with its audience. And when at the end of the evening you add up almost three hours of program, guests, communal singing, and the fact that demand opened up a new date, the impression remains that Grdović’s “recipe” is still simple: songs the audience knows, performed with energy that is not faked.

Sources:
- Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall – official event page for 8 February 2026 (sold out), basic information about the date and organizers (link)
- Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall – official page for the additional concert on 7 April 2026 (time, hall, ticket price range, organizer) (link)
- Glazba.hr – event announcement “Mladen Grdović: Here I am, my people” at Lisinski (date and time) (link)
- Slobodna Dalmacija (Zadarski.hr) – concert announcement and context of 45 years of career (date held, start of ticket sales) (link)