Željko Samardžić at Arena Varaždin on 31 October - the "old lion" from Mostar in front of a Varaždin crowd for the first time

Željko Samardžić, the "old lion" of the regional pop-folk scene, performs on Saturday, 31 October, at 8 pm at Arena Varaždin. According to the organiser, it's his first concert in front of a Varaždin audience.

He was born in Mostar in 1955. As a young man in Mostar he was known as a good impersonator of Kemal Monteno and sang in kafanas and restaurants. During the war in 1992 he was wounded while sitting in his own flat, and with his family he made his way through Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary to Belgrade, where he started over in discos and cafés. The breakthrough came in 1995: an album recorded with lyricist Marina Tucaković and Aleksandar Futa Radulović, and victory at the Pjesma Mediterana festival in Budva with "Sipajte mi još jedan viski" (Pour Me One More Whisky).

Varaždin will get a cross-section of more than three decades: "Pokaži mi šta znaš", "Ljubavnik", "Nisi ti za male stvari", "Nije moje da znam", "Ne spominji ljubav", "Udala se moja crna draga", "9000", "Dajte jednu lošu" and "Bezobrazno zelene". A singer who fled the war wounded now plays arenas in the very countries he fled through back then. How many stories like this does the regional music scene hide?

Tickets start at 26.50 euros, about 1,630 denars, fees included, on eventim.hr.