Entries Tagged as 'my Sziget'
This is for the one I loved
I don’t feel like writing much. Not after I have touched Stipe (no, he didn’t touch me back!). Great day yesterday, with Roisin Murphy and the Swedish Royal Ballet. Pretty amazing dance selection at this festival. So what can top eight well built perfect smooth-movers? Nine, of course. If you didn’t get it, I am talking about the Belgian and Swedish dancers.
I was just getting the hang of this, and here we are at the end of it. Maybe I get to tell you how this last day unfolds. Cheers!
1001 ways to lay
Lay, linger, and lie down. This is what I have been doing for most part yesterday. In various positions, in various locations.
The day started to pick up on the tempo once I went to the Tarot Labyrinth. Long line, worth the while. The only concert we have planned for was Jambalaya. But for lack of anything better to do, we had to listen to Olveti BB. It would not end. Plus the guy did not have a voice. It was painful like an orgasm that does not come. The kind of band who enjoys playing, but should do it at home, for friends. Jambalaya, instead, was everything and more. They are Hungarian, but I suspect they were from New Orleans in previous life. Very very good. Then it was Mory Kante, with his Yeke Yeke anniversary tour, and the Roma tent with French Roma craziness, the good kind. Unfortunately we could not attend to the very end to either, because we had other plans. And these eight wonders of the world are from Belgium: Compagnie Thor d’Orient. A dance I am glad I have not missed. Manly, erotic, and homosexual. Beautifully choreographed, extraordinary lit, well staged, it was a joy to the senses. When it was over I felt I can go to bed without regrets. I have seen a true performance.
Again my minutes are up, I have not checked my messages, and, you guessed it, I am at a Hungarian keyboard. See you tomorrow. Roisin Murphy, Serj Tankian, Enzo Avitabile and Bottari, and REM are waiting.
Nuances
It’s “so far, so good”, instead of “sooo good, so far”. There are a lot of reasons for that. Like the fact the one of the guard monkeys grabbed my arm. I say learn English, learn some manners, then get paid to be a bodyguard. Anyways, nothing serious. Some of the festival staff is really good and effective. Like the guy who apologized for the guard.
So that would explain why I have started drinking beer as early as ten something in the morning. Or wouldn’t it?
Can I complain about the dust. About the little motorinoes? They are everywhere, inserting themselves in every little space available. I am talking both about the dust and the little motor bikes. Since there is nothing much I can do about the dust, I thought of just pushing the riders as they pass me by. Criminal instinct, huh?
So yesterday was the first busy day. Kaiser Chiefs made my day. “That’s a nice one, BUCHAREST”. The Romanian crowd was ecstatic. The Hungarians were like “What was that? Neah”. So that was the highlight of a day that included, dozing in the ambient tent, excellent music and sound, a indie-underground American movie and a discussion with it’s director in the Magic Mirror, The graffiti artist - don’t bother unless you don’t have anything else better, the quite electric Fanfara Tirana, and the funny Finish unpronounceable Alamaailman Vasarat, a bit hard to digest in terms of music, but very humorous intros to their pieces, Kaiser Chiefs as you know them, Jamiroquai impaired by their own live sound, so we moved next door to Bob Marley’s son. You remember the cute little Ky-Mani? He is all grown up now.
The cherry on the pie was Szivkov Aleksszandr 6 minute dance. Great, entertaining, well-done, perfect moves and his body is a bonus. On the same occasion we watched another performance, that made us want to leave the room and move forward. Some tunisian guy, speaking French, of course, using a wheel chair. The dancing was good, but the piece was all together too long and “artistic”. We ended the night in a jazz note. Rhoda Scott is an American artist that plays an instrument that’s a cross between a piano and an organ and she does it with all her soul. Plus she had help from this incredible drum player. Makes me wanna be like that when I am older.
My twenty minutes are almost up. See you soon.
LATER EDIT: Thanks to Hotnews for linking me.
So far
So good. The first night somebody peed on our tent. The second night somebody slept on our tent, passed out completely. It is full of weirdos, nice display of tattoos so far. MGMT performance was nice, I think they are going to do great, although the voice needs growing. Internet is free in batches of 20 minutes, but the line can be somewhat of a discouragement. I cannot find all the signs on the Hungarian keyboard. Hence I write it is, not its shorter version. The coffee people have constantly taken me for a fool, charging me extra. Their loss. See you soon.
Going to, leaving, left
This blogger is going to sleep first, then to Sziget.
See you all later. I so deserve a vacation.
My Sziget, missing in action
Some say it was a sore throat, but the official announcement was just “
Chris Cornell is sick”.
To tell you the truth, I was ignorant of the guy until Foolea has opened my eyes and made me open the Sziget brochure. From where I quote “…he was the singer-guitarist-leader of the Seattle-based Soundgarden…”. Well, you have to give me that, most of the times this happens, how many of you can tell me names of the actual band members? It all gets left behind the good song, if there is one to start with. So, anyways, this is the guy melting the Barbie doll on the barbecue, I thought “Cool!”
You dig I was bound to buy the CD. Which I did. And which points me to his Billie Jean cover. Can you imagine Michael Jackson on repeat on my playlist? It happened with this one, maybe because it has a somewhat darker sound. Also, you might wanna check She’ll Never Be Your Man, and No Such Thing. Now I have to ask the Rock Chick again what song in particular reminded her of the Soundgarden sound.
My Sziget, Razolight, breakthrough, recall and awareness
Razorlight had one of those breakthrough performances at the festival: I remember liking it, but, since I don’t have them on my playlist, I cannot hum any of their tunes if you prompted me. Luckily, they resonate to my friends
daily life, and hence to mine.
The guy also has a killer body, at least for my taste, and shows it on stage. Now that in communication terms is recall, in capital letters 
As a consumer, I recall something else, something I didn’t like. In fact I was really bothered at the time. Photo reporters allowed in front of the stage were evacuated before the white shirt came off. That is OK. But photo reporters front row in the crowd were asked, and no so kindly, by guy in the Razorlight staff not to take pictures later on, during the performance. At some point with some insistence closely resembling anger and threat. That I didn’t like. For the Razorlight PR and staff, read the rules about on festival taking picture, and let the guys know before getting on stage and deploying you to horrid tasks amid the unsuspecting fans. And that brings me to awareness. We are all aware we look sometimes look our best, and we don’t necessarily look our best when we do our best. That is why many artist restrict and control the time reporters can take pictures during concerts. But that is during their own concerts, not necessarily festivals, where different rules apply . Are you aware of that? Anyway, I don’t think the right to one’s own image can justify violence of any kind. There are other options to consider, especially during artistic performances.
I hope that doesn’t sound like a big fuss. Looking back, I am certainly more relaxed about the whole thing.
I think my next post will be poll-like: “Should hot stars wax their armpits?”. Although I think hot guys and body hair sometimes go very well together.
My Sziget, the French story
OK, I bet you thought I forgot all about this Sziget thing I had promised.
Today’s story is about the French connection. Yes, the French have been the most irritating island nation. With the notable exceptions, mostly visible on stage. I am talking about the theater stage and the dance stage. I have already mentioned the brilliant performances by Transe Express/Les rois faignants and Accrorap/Les corps etrangers. Today I am going to focus on Emilie Simon, and her Vegetal concert. Hardly any greenery on stage, but it was so refreshing nevertheless. I mean check her videos on youtube, in particular this one, brought to my attention by T sometime ago.
Emilie is this “little girl with a big personality”. She kept the audience on the hill for her one hour and a half, plus two real encores, very rare for the festival, where everything has to fit the time table. Not only that the people weren’t going anywhere in spite of the drizzle, but I could hear numerous love declarations and marriage proposals being shouted from the fan cohorts in between the songs. To which Emilie shyly replied only “I love you too”, thus provoking emotional havoc.
She was joined on stage by Mr Magic Man and Mr Give Me Anything I’ll Give You Rhythm (yes, even water!). Their real names are Markus Dravst and Simon Edwards , but much to my annoyance, I have no clue as to who is who. Help needed and appreciated.
Waiting for Gogol Bordello
Yeap, finally, I had to go to Budapest to see Gogol Bordello! To think I had tickets for their concert in Bucharest several months ago… and missed it. But that is another story. The Gogol Bordello was so worth seeing! The guy is crazy, running all over the place, sitting on the cameraman, playing his guitar left with only one string. He just wouldn’t stop. Plus the chicks: dancing girls slash backing vocals slash playing strange instruments. One word: wow!
In the picture, a fan wearing a funny cap in the scorcher, eager to grab a place near the stage, half an hour well before the actual scheduled time for the show.
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