On the evening of 5 October 2007, Toše Proeski sang to a crowd of more than 25,000 people at the city stadium in Skopje. It was a charity concert, co-organised by USAID and the Ministry of Education, and the money raised went to the reconstruction of schools. Nobody in the stadium could know it would be his last major concert.
The setting
The concert came two months after the release of his final album, Igra bez granica, so the programme mixed new songs with the hits of the previous decade. US and Macedonian officials joined him on stage during the evening, a reminder that this was a public cause as much as a show.
The stadium itself has changed since then. It was rebuilt and expanded between 2008 and 2013, was called the Philip II Arena for a decade, and on 9 April 2019 the government renamed it the National Arena Toše Proeski. Fans who visit for a match or a concert today are, in a sense, returning to the place of that last big night. Our venue page has visitor notes.
Eleven days later
On 16 October 2007 Toše died in a car accident in Croatia. The concert footage and photographs from 5 October became, almost overnight, the images people shared to remember him.
The anniversary concert
One year later, on 5 October 2008, a tribute concert was held in Skopje, with more than twenty singers from across the Balkans performing his songs. For many fans, 5 October has since become a second date in the calendar alongside 16 October and his birthday on 25 January.
What fans can do
- Remember the purpose: the concert raised money for schools. Supporting education in his name is very much in keeping with the night.
- When you share photos from 2007, credit the photographer if you know who it was.
- Do not circulate recordings that were not officially released.
Continue with October 2007 and the days of mourning.