Venue: Gospodarsko razstavišče, Ljubljana
Concert date: 15.05.2008
Attendance: 0
Ticket price: 0 €
Like every year so far, Big foot mama played this year’s party after the graduation parade, which went down on Friday, May 16. At noon sharp, 26,924 final-year students from all of Slovenia’s vocational schools, secondary schools and gymnasiums spun to the rhythm of the quadrille in all the major towns (Kranj, Škofja loka, Postojna, Ilirska Bistrica, Ajdovščina, Nova Gorica, Tolmin and Ljubljana). That smashed the Guinness record yet again. After the quadrille, the party at Ljubljana’s Gospodarsko razstavišče kept going until the evening. The stage was shaken by the beats of Dee Jay Tim, Brazilian dancers, Kingston and just one and only – Big Foot Mama. They hit the stage at 3 p.m. sharp and hit us right back with primal rock ‘n’ roll.
As we’ve gotten used to since the release of their latest studio album “Važno, da zadane” (October 2007), they opened by “hitting” everyone with the title track. In the front rows, among the graduates in orange tees (girls) and black tees (guys), I spotted a few who passed their final exams a long, long time ago. There aren’t many chances to see Big Foot Mama for free. Whatever, what matters is taking part. Next up was the song about the most beautiful and blackest flower in the world. That’s right, it’s “Črn tulipan”. A song that’s become a national anthem of sorts, one everybody knows and sings along to with the band, even non-fans. “Oklep” was their next track. The whistling of hundreds of whistles nearly drowned out Grega. Of course, by the end of the song he asked the crowd to join in without the whistles. Then came a newer one, “Men se trga”. On Friday everybody was tearing loose, because graduating is that turning point in life that sends us on our way, and of course you’ve got to let off steam on a day like this. Beer and plenty of other stuff flowed in rivers. But that’s just how it is at every graduation parade. Mine was no exception. Grega started the intro to the next song like this: “She said she can’t, because we’re …” and the crowd bellowed in unison: ” … Sam prjatla”. A provocative song that sets everything on fire. Time for something newer again, and that was “Ona je samo za mene”. The crowd’s response was a notch calmer and quieter than for the older songs. After a long, long time we all got the chance to hear “Dolg nazaj” again. Yep, “dolg nazaj” is exactly what the Big foot mama graduation parade is. When the riffs of “Male nimfomanke” rang out, some people went completely off the rails. And how could they not, when it’s one of their most legendary songs. A song that, after fifteen years, still – cuts! Then came another jump to something newer. “Razjeda” was eating away at us, after all. With a long improvised intro, the guys also played “Garbage”. After that we let our imaginations run free and sang “Neki sladkega” along with the guys. Spring is the time when hormones go wild and new loves begin, and to keep everything in style, the song of the same name followed. “Moja mama” was already burning up the place twenty-six years ago, when Videosex played it, and it’s no different today, with Big foot mama giving it a fresh makeover. Sounds great! “Vrn se k men”. Who’s coming back to whom? Big foot mama to the crowd or the crowd to them? The simplest answer would be: both ways. With every new gig the guys come to us and the crowd goes to them. Every time I hear the next song, I get goosebumps, because it’s one of my personal favorites – “Nisem več s tabo”! Memories of my primary school years, when Big foot mama burst onto the Slovenian music scene with their debut “Nova pravila” (1995). And left an indelible mark.
After a short encore break the guys played “Led s severa”. The crowd was going at it all through the set, even though at free mass parties like this it’s hard to tell who’s actually there for the band and who’s there just to party. The guys closed the show with “Rola se”. All I can say is – may it keep on rolling for you! Until next time …
Text and photos: Lea Lesar
Setlist
1. Važn da zadane
2. Črn tulipan
3. Oklep
4. Men se trga
5. Sam prjatla
6. Ona je samo za mene
7. Dolg nazaj
8. Mala nimfomanka
9. Razjeda
10. Garbage
11. Neki sladkega
12. Pomlad
13. Moja mama
14. Vrn se k men
15. Nisem več s tabo
—– encore —–
16. Led s severa
17. Rola se
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