Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Nickelsdorf / Pannonia Fields / Austria
Concert date: 14.06.2008
Attendance: 1506
Ticket price: 120.000
After a heavy morning downpour, when we were all still cowering in our tents, trembling and wondering whether the tent would stay put, we woke up to a sunny Sunday morning. The last day had a whole pile of seriously good bands in store for us, starting with Vanilla Sky on the blue stage and .sPOUT on the red.
Words: Lea Lesar
RED STAGE
SPOUT: 12.00-12.25
The last day of this year’s Nova Rock festival kicked off on the red stage once again. The local boys sPout quickly turned a lazy morning into a hot noon. These modern lads, decked out in Fred Durst gear and a smeared-out riff-based form with a screaming vocal diktat blazing over the top, dished out a little more skate punk substance. In short, a simple midday stretch. To open the show they naturally went with Warm Up Your Neck, as ordered. The guys are hugely popular on home turf: they’ve released four albums and sold 20,000 copies in Europe. A solid crowd was waiting for them below the stage, around 4000 people, and it reacted noisily. In terms of expression, though, sPout come across as pretty hollow, chewed-over and uninteresting.
sPout setlist:
1. Warm up Your Neck
2. Some Kind of Zombie
3. Nothing in Common
4. Drift
5. Sick Song
Words: Aleš Podbrežnik
RUSSKAJA: 12.45-13.15
What do you get when you mix Russian brass music with a solid kazachok beat and a breeze of rock? Polka rock. And when our Slavic brothers the Russians are around, the adjective “vodka polka rock” fits just fine. Madness. People went wild. Russkaja approached the audience with the healthiest possible dose of the cynicism and mockery that, let’s say, rock demands. There’s a gorgeous girl with gorgeous hands coaxing gorgeous sounds out of her violin, a sorrowful beauty blowing across the wide Siberian plains. A septet that will make your head spin! The lyrics are entirely in Russian. If you like kazachok, you were in exactly the right place that day. The Red Stage turned completely red, and with their excellent playing, directness and authenticity Russkaja outplayed most of the acts of the day. What a vibe! Dawai, backed by rock guitar, was the best summary of Russkaja. These guys and girl aren’t joking around and have big potential to break through. This year they released the album “Kasatchok Superstar”. Slava! Za rodinu!
Words: Aleš Podbrežnik
BLACK TIDE: 13.35-14.15
Next came another very pleasant surprise. Kids from Miami, Florida (USA) carrying the Black Tide flag. They cultivate true-believer metal, leaning heavily on Metallica’s thrash riffs. Metallica up to the “black” album, of course. So, proper old-school Metallica. What keeps Black Tide from being just another young clone is the Iron Maiden harmonies they run over those boldly chopped-off riffs. Some might be reminded of early Iced Earth, but next to them Black Tide are still innocent little critters. Vocally especially they’re still very raw and finding their feet. The guitarist has a sharp, stiff voice, and once he grows into a man he might one day pull out the best of what James Hetfield has, but the bassist, with his whining clean melodic vocal, just adds too much sugar to the band’s sound. So his vocals should be cut from Black Tide’s music in the future, because the guys come across as downright pathetic at times thanks to all that whimpering. Maybe they do it on purpose, which wouldn’t be surprising in this hyperplasia of everything. But it’s not healthy. The song Warriors of Time was an interesting hybrid of everything listed above and showed directly that the band is still searching for its direction. Otherwise Black Tide are a frighteningly tight band, and they delighted people with an Iron Maiden cover, Prowler, in a “thrash” metal version. That witty little prank worked great. To thrash metallers and fans of the genre, I recommend checking out Black Tide. These kids have dynamite in their heads, hands and feet. They play with undeniable balls!
Words: Aleš Podbrežnik
SKINDRED: 14.40-15.30
After we caught the English alternative reggae-punkers Skindred on April 11 this year at Cvetličarna Mediapark in Ljubljana, where their show was rather dismal because of too small a crowd, a completely different story played out on the red stage at Nova Rock. A nice crowd of several thousand gathered below the stage. Skindred opened with “Nobody”, released in 2002 on their debut album “Babylon”. The German-speaking youth proved that Skindred are far more popular outside Slovenia’s borders. Vocalist Benji Webbe then carried on with his “ragga metal” and the track “Bruises”. It was almost funny listening to such rhythms at three in the afternoon, since they fit the evening so much better. The crowd didn’t mind the daylight, though. They were dancing from the first riffs on. Then “Babylon” and “Trouble”. Benji was in a totally different mood than a few months ago in Ljubljana, where you could see a clear lack of drive. “Ratrace” is another scorcher, released on their latest studio album “Roots Rock Riot” (October 2007). And Benji was on fire too. Bouncy as ever. Next came the title track of that latest album and “Rudeboy”. The guys burn it up nicely. But above all, they throw a great party. In the end, that’s what matters most, right? Then “Selector” and “Destroy The Dancefloor”. This time too there was no escaping circle pits and bruises. Skindred closed with “Pressure”, which ended with Benji hysterically pounding a mini keyboard, and then they handed the stage over to the English merrymakers Enter Shikari.
Skindred setlist:
1. Nobody
2. Bruises
3. Babylon
4. Trouble
5. Ratrace
6. Roots Rock Riot
7. Rudeboy
8. Selector
9. Destroy The Dancefloor
10. Pressure
Words: Lea Lesar
ENTER SHIKARI: 16.00-16.55
The British “happy hardcore” foursome Enter Shikari have brought their own distinctive style to music with electronic elements. Formed in 2003, the band released their debut “Take To The Skies” in March 2007. The album reached number four on the UK official chart.
The guys came racing onto the stage to the beat of “Enter Shikari”. The moment he stepped in front of the crowd, vocalist and keyboardist Roughton “Rou” Reynolds started leaping from one side of the stage to the other, banging on the keys, singing … and proving right away that he’s full of energy. They continued with “The Feast” and “Return To Energiser”. While Rob was chained to the drums, Rou, Chris and Rory jumped around the stage and urged the crowd to go nuts. The crowd obeyed without a word. “Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour” served up the first circle pit. There were guys everywhere across the stage. And they didn’t care one bit about their instruments and microphones. During “Labyrinth”, one mic flew across the entire stage several times. During a song with no drums, Rob got up and joined the others up front, then “fell into” the shenanigans so deeply that Chris had to remind him: “I believe it`s your part!”. Boys, boys … It was no different during “No Sssweat”, when Rob left the drums again and danced in a style similar to the cancan. Hilarious! And as if that weren’t enough, he got carried away and climbed up the rigging to the top of the stage. He was present, sure, but was he all there? Next came “Jonny Sniper”, during which Rory spun his guitar around himself several times, while Rob, for a change, stayed behind his drums. To finish, three more, in my opinion their best songs. “Mothership” first. The crowd, a notch louder than usual, proved that it’s one of their best. Rob being Rob left his usual spot again and clowned around up front. Rory and Chris joined him, while Rou played the keyboards. The second best song followed: “Sorry You Are Not A Winner”. The crowd went wild. So did Enter Shikari. These guys are bursting with energy. Commendable! Shikari wrapped up their part of the show with “OK, Time For Plan B”. Once again there were guys all over the stage.
After the show the band gathered in the tent for autographs, where Rob brought a radio and danced around. The guy truly has way too much energy. And since guitarist Rory was celebrating his birthday that day, some of us got to treat ourselves to cake too. Delicious! Happy birthday, Rory!
Enter Shikari setlist:
1. Enter Shikari
2. The Feast
3. Return To Energiser
4. Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour
5. Labyrinth
6. No Sssweat
7. Jonny Sniper
8. Mothership
9. Sorry You Are Not A Winner
10. OK, Time For Plan B
Words: Lea Lesar
ALTER BRIDGE: 17.30-18.35
The post-grunge crew Alter Bridge, from Orlando (USA), don’t bring anything special to the scene. They come across as an extension of the Nickelback story, even Staind (the performance of Brand New Start). A fair dose of pathos, especially in the calmer parts. Of course the guys hit directly when needed, starting with Come To Life, and they can unleash dangerously emphasized distorted riffs in songs like Buried Alive. The vocal is sweet, clean, melodic, instantly accessible to any average ear. Alter Bridge were the first on the red stage on day three to warn us about an increased dose of decibels, even though the dust from Enter Shikari’s set hadn’t quite settled yet. The front rows surprised with how well they knew some of the songs, singing along with the band in unison. The band was promoting its latest studio record, “Blackbird” (2007), and from it they whipped the crowd into a frenzy right away with Come To Life, which set off a nice amount of mosh pits below the stage, then upped the heat with the sped-up Ties That Bind, building on the initial rock hardness and adding a pinch of metal. An extremely tight show, and the incredibly fired-up crowd did its part too, carrying the guys on its wings.
Alter Bridge setlist:
1. Come To Life
2. Ties That Bind
3. Open Your Eyes
4. Blackbird
5. Rise Today
6. Buried Alive
7. Metalingus
8. Find the Real
9. Brand New Start
10. White Knuckles
Words: Aleš Podbrežnik
DISTURBED: 19.05-20.15
Disturbed are a band that already drives its songs on riffs that belong in heavy metal. On top of that comes a hellish team of drums, while the vocals stay very pretty at times, almost open to singing pop rock or post-grunge. But he can also bark venomously (10,000 Fists, or the closing detonation of Down With The Sickness). Disturbed have developed an enterprising groove that carried the band on wings to dizzying heights. The band has just released its new studio album, “Indestructible”, so we listened to the opening of the Disturbed party proper, because the guys drove the whip-hungry crowd into unimaginable delirium right with the first song, Perfect Insanity. In the opening bars they wheeled singer David Draiman onto the stage on a trolley in a straitjacket and mask, which reminded me of the film “The Silence of the Lambs”, and when the “disturbed” David Draiman broke free of his restraints, he naturally exploded all over the stage. The quartet came across as flawless and brilliantly tight, and Draiman impressed with his excellent leadership and communication with the crowd below the stage. The song Liberate, from the album of the same name, with a hook that’s irresistible to the ear in the chorus, confirmed in the best possible way that the band brings singable, melodic choruses into its sound that fly straight into your ears. Disturbed boldly built up the atmosphere of a complete “calvary” from song to song, which peaked in a general terror of decibels with Down with the Sickness. A very successful and convincing show!
Distrubed setlist:
1. Perfect Insanity
2. Liberate
3. Just Stop
4. Remember
5. Indestructible
6. Prayer
7. Voices
8. Deify
9. Stupify
10. Land of Confusion
11. 10,000 Fists
12. The Game
13. Inside the Fire
15. Stricken
16. Down with the Sickness
Words: Aleš Podbrežnik
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE: 20.45-22.00
Unlike the occasionally groovy Disturbed, Bullet For My Valentine were already shaking the red stage in a properly metal way. Although this isn’t pure heavy metal. The screaming vocal brings in a core element, combined in the choruses with a melodic vocal, and? What can we conclude from the melodic whining and the singer/guitarist Matt’s flat, combed-down, black-dyed hairdo? Emo-metalcore. The band hit straight away with Scream Aim Fire, the title track of the new album “Scream Aim Fire”. Extremely fast beat, double Maiden-style harmonies, a pinch of Machine Head thrashy flavor and, of course, a vocal that winds from screaming to pure sobbing. On stage, Bullet For My Valentine truly took the crown from the loudest act so far, Disturbed. Their “flawed” metal came across as intense, extremely convincing, and thanks to the perfect tightness and flawlessness of the performance, almost impossible to top. The guys are technically superbly equipped, but the flimsy vocals strip metal of the real mockery and touch of obscure blackness that has to be present in metal music. How can you title a song Hand Of Blood, use a whiny vocal, and call it metal? Puzzling to the core! Bullet For My Valentine are an extremely popular band in Austria. Below the stage, crazed fans in the ecstasy of all ecstasies were literally suffocating, while the security guards did grueling work catching the overheated noggins that were crowd-surfing in shipments across the front-row barrier. There’s nothing to add. Bullet Form My Valentine are in great form and literally fly on stage, the chemistry between the guys works that well. After Eye Of The Storm, singer Matt told the crowd that a concert of legends was approaching: “We have two songs to go, before Judas fuckin’ Priest heat the stage!” In Take It On Me, their colleague from Skindred, Benji Webbe, joined the band on stage.
Bullet For My Valentine setlist:
1. Scream Aim Fire
2. Disappear
3. Four Words (to Choke Upon)
4. Tears Don’t Fall
5. Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do?)
6. Say Goodnight
7. Take It On Me
8. Eye Of The Storm
9. Hand Of Blood
10. Waking The Demon
Words: Aleš Podbrežnik
JUDAS PRIEST: 22.30-23.50
The moment I’d been waiting for with the greatest impatience through all three days of Nova Rock had finally arrived. Judas Priest in the classic “Painkiller” lineup. It doesn’t get better than that, does it? The show at Nova Rock took place exactly one day before the official release of the band’s new studio album “Nostradamus”, and so the show began that way too. The stage setup is standard. Scott Travis sits raised on his drums above the rest of the crew, with stairs running up on either side of the drums, where Halford climbs to the top tier of the stage. And so it began. At the opening Halford was draped in a silver cloak, holding a ceremonial staff topped, of course, with the classic Judas Priest cross. The band tackled Prophecy from the new album, which worked very encouragingly on stage. We didn’t wait long for the first classic. Metal Gods: Halford throws off the cloak and starts his devilish march. K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton remain the standard highlight of the band’s shows. Their work is still one of the finest and most polished guitar conversations, especially when you consider such guitar duos in other metal bands.
The crowd below the stage got thoroughly reshuffled, and it was interesting to watch how passive the audience was during the Judas Priest show. The young ones were up front but didn’t know how to open their mouths, even though K.K., Glenn and Rob communicated constantly and tried to rouse the passive Austrian youth. The band put some real first-class surprises into the setlist, songs Judas Priest hadn’t played on stage in a very long time. We got the first of these delights with Eat Me Alive, then onward “between the hammer and the anvil”, Devil’s Child, Hell Patrol, Dissident Aggressor, Rock Hard Ride Free, Sinner. The band kept only one “Angel Of Retribution” (2005) song in the repertoire, the excellent ballad Angel.
If you add the obligatory Breaking The Law, the even more obligatory Painkiller, and, as an encore, a lap around the stage on a motorbike and Hell Bent For Leather, the whole thing seems downright perfect, but with one very important caveat that may affect the good mood of everyone planning to see the band in Zagreb at the start of this July.
Ready? Buckle your seat belts, because Rob Halford can no longer sing the higher registers. Instead of the singing that still sounded flawless in 2003 and that makes the name Judas Priest so special and magnificent among all others, we heard improvised detours into the lower ranges and the unmelodic croaking of a crow with a cold, even in the low ranges. What a shame, though the only consolation is that one finally got to see Judas Priest with Rob Halford in the lineup. Over the course of the show Rob Halford tried on various pieces of his rich leather-clad metal wardrobe, and at the end, before Hell Bent For Leather, he even revved up his Harley, pulled his standard commander’s cap onto his head, and sang the last song of the show sitting on the Harley. A pity about Halford’s voice, because the rest of the team sounds flawless, determined, and hungry for blood and new victories.
Judas Priest setlist:
1. Intro: Dawn Of Creation
2. Prophecy
3. Metal Gods
4. Eat Me Alive
5. Between The Hammer And The Anvil
6. Devil’s Child
7. Breaking The Law
8. Hell Patrol
9. Death
10. Dissident Aggressor
11. Angel
12. The Hellion/Electric Eye
13. Rock Hard, Ride Free
14. Sinner
15. Painkiller
—– encore —–
16. Hell Bent For Leather
Words: Aleš Podbrežnik
BLUE STAGE
VANILLA SKY: 13.00-13.25
“Hello, Nova people”. With those words the Italians Vanilla Sky greeted a crowd of nearly a thousand that gathered below the Blue stage at the start of a sunny Sunday afternoon. Besides their big show last year at the Austrian festival Frequency in Salzburg, we also had a chance to see the guys in Ljubljana and Maribor less than two months ago. As part of the European tour called “Changes” (named after their latest studio album of the same name, released last year), they played Nova Rock too.
Brian, Luca, Cisco and Vinx kicked off with “Nightmare”, and the crowd greeted them with enthusiasm. The loudest, of course, were the members of the fairer sex. With four such good-looking young men, you can’t stay impartial. They continued with their latest single, “Cut Away”. A track with real substance that I recommend listening to. Worth some thought! At the end of the song Brian offered a taste of his German with “Danke schön”, and Vinx introduced the next track, which exists in both an Italian and an English version, though the guys went with the latter. “Are you guys having fun?” and since the response was lukewarm, Vinx went on: “Guys c`mon, this is Nova Rock!!!”, and Brian added: “Let me see your hands!” and all the hands in the crowd went up. After “Goodbye” came one of their oldest songs, for everyone who has followed Vanilla Sky since their start in 2002. “Distance” is a very good track, if only the opening riffs didn’t remind me of the overplayed Scotty (for those who don’t know what I mean: Scotty Doesn`t Know is a song that appears at the start of the film Eurotrip, performed by Lustra).
Vinx dedicated the next track to everyone addicted to modern tech gadgets and internet services like Myspace. That was “Letargo”. Then came “Break It Out”, which got the vast majority moving. To finish, the guys played Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, which everyone knows and which earns its reputation as the silliest lyrics of last year. And even though it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, a few girls in the crowd pulled out umbrellas and opened them. Gotta do it in style, if it has to be done.
Vanilla Sky setlist:
1. Nightmare
2. Cut Away
3. Goodbye
4. Distance
5. Letargo
6. Break It Out
7. Umbrella
Words: Lea Lesar
JAGUAR LOVE: 13.45-14.15
The up-and-coming artsy pop-punk trio calling themselves Jaguar Love were probably one of the greenest bands at this year’s Nova Rock, since the guys are still waiting for their debut album, titled “Take Me To The Sea”, to come out. It’s due on Matador Records, presumably in August. Their lack of name recognition also showed in the noticeably smaller crowd gathered below the stage than there had been for Vanilla Sky.
Listening to Jaguar Love, many people will think of the French duo Justice, whom we’ll be able to see in a good two months at the Austrian festival Frequency. Jaguar Love make quality artsy punk, but Johnny Whitney’s overly distorted vocal can be truly annoying at times. If not with the vocals, at least the female part of the audience can console itself with his sky-blue eyes.
In their modest twenty-five minutes the guys mostly played tracks from the upcoming record, among which “Bats Over The Pacific Ocean”, “My Organ Sounds Like” and “Highways Of Gold” are especially worth mentioning.
Words: Lea Lesar
GUADALAJARA: 14.40-15.15
Guadalajara have lately become one of the most breakthrough Austrian ska/pop-punk/rock bands. Their tracks from the latest record, released this March, are ruling the tops of many German and Austrian charts, and according to available data they’ve reportedly sold over fifteen hundred copies in just the first few months of “Weapons Of Mass Seduction”. If they disappointed with their show at the “Punk Is Dead” concert on April 22 at Štuk in Maribor, they more than made up for the impression at Nova Rock. Several thousand fans came to see the rising stars, the most of any local band that played the festival, with the exception of Die Ärzte, who are a chapter of their own.
The eight good-looking young men took us through a repertoire that included “I`ll Be Alright”, “Dreamcatcher”, “Short Time Romance”, “Trampled Pathways”, “Turn Up” and “No Matter”, and schooled us on the “weapons of seduction”. Guitarist Gregor Műnch spiced everything up further by going crowd surfing on his guitar case. The stunt was a success. The crowd carried Gregor on his guitar case in its hands for quite a while, while he pulled all sorts of tricks and even did a headstand on the case. Astonishing!
The guys proved once again that they know how to throw an unrivaled party. I hope the Maribor crowd on July 4, when Guadalajara play Lent in Maribor, will show up the way the Nova Rock crowd did and fix April’s impression.
Words: Lea Lesar
THE WEAKERTHANS: 15.45 – 15.15
The Canadians The Weakerthans are interesting, they’re special, they’re indie rockers who clamp folk tricks onto a totally simple rock template, even touching on country, but the vocal is the real rebel kind, and can even be very warm and “Beatles-like”. The band presented its new album “Reunion Tour”. For a full fifty minutes the crowd below the blue stage swayed along, relaxed, to The Weakerthans’ pop rock, which is simple and therefore very accessible. With occasional bursts of greater dilettantism and rock opposition (“Aside”), as well as subtle quiet moments (“Ilustratred Bible Stories”). A very refined band, with a polished sound and material, delivered an extremely high-quality show in front of a small audience below the stage. Everyone was, of course, crammed under the red stage at that time for the British village idiots Enter Shikari.
Words: Aleš Podbrežnik
ANTI-FLAG: 17.05-18.05
The American political punk band Anti-flag is one of the more interesting bands on the music scene, as they’re committed supporters of the animal rights struggle and of the organization PETA, and three of the four members are either vegan or vegetarian. Formed in 1988, the band fell apart after a year. The guys reunited in 1993 and, with a few lineup changes, are still successfully shaking concert stages around the world today. They began their Nova Rock set with “Spit In The Face”, their newest song, found on the latest studio album, released in March, titled “Bright Lights Of America” (RCA Records). The crowd went crazy, and although crowd surfing was strictly forbidden, it couldn’t be avoided. There was even a kind of coexistence between the crowd and the security guards, who diligently helped the surfers land nicely on solid ground. Commendable! It was no different with “I`d Tell You But …”. Singer and guitarist Justin (in)Sane introduced the next song, “War Sux, Let`s Party”, with words that went something like this: “It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, it doesn’t matter if you’re straight or gay, because today we make no exceptions. We just party!” The crowd saw the statement off with a roar of applause. Next came the title track of the latest album, “Bright Lights Of America”. Anti-Flag evidently weren’t satisfied with the crowd’s moving, so Justin egged them on: “Let`s make a fuckin` circlepit!!!”. The crowd responded instantly. His wish, its command. “Underground Network” (Mobilize, 2002) is another slightly older track that had the folks going wild. Same with “Press Corpse” and “Turncoat”. Anti-Flag throw a party the way it should be done. “Good And Ready” and “Smartest Bomb” are newer songs, but they were no less well received. On the contrary, the crowd was a notch louder. Like many other bands that played Nova Rock these days, Anti-Flag oppose the war in Iraq and disagree with the policies of US president George W. Bush. For the guys the war is “bullshit”, as Justin put it. With that he introduced “One Trillion Dollars” and “Death Of A Nation”. “The Modern Rome Burning” is another one of the newest tracks, and the fourth on the record “Bright Lights Of America”. The guys are like wine, which they say gets better with age. That record is, after all, another excellent piece of work. Bravo, guys!
The hour of their show was inexorably coming to an end. Anti-Flag of course couldn’t skip one of their best songs, “Die For Your Government”. If the next track, “This Is The End (For You My Friend)”, faintly recalls the legendary The Doors and the iconic Jim Morrison, the lyrics have nothing to do with them. It is, though, the song that served up the last big circle pit. To finish, the guys played and sang “Cities Burn”, released on the album “For Blood And Empire” (2006). So we witnessed one last straining of vocal cords and crowd surfing. Until next time …
Anti-Flag setlist:
1. Intro
2. Spit In The Face
3. I`d Tell You But …
4. War Sux, Let`s Party
5. Bright Lights Of America
6. Underground Network
7. Press Corpse
8. Turncoat
9. Good And Ready
10. Smartest Bomb
11. One Trillion Dollars
12. Death Of A Nation
13. The Modern Rome Burning
14. Die For Your Government
15. This Is The End (For You My Friend)
16. Cities Burn
Words: Lea Lesar
RISE AGAINST: 18.35-19.40
Next up on stage were more fighters for animal rights and PETA supporters: the American melodic hardcore band Rise Against. The band, which started its journey on the world music scene in 1999 and two years later hit with its first studio album “The Unraveling”, opened its Nova Rock set with “Drones”. The crowd of several thousand gathered below the blue stage greeted them with enthusiasm. And why wouldn’t they, since they were one of the most anticipated bands of the day. “Give It All” is probably the song with the most colorful history. Besides an interesting video in which they say everything about the lives of animals in captivity in one line (“I`ve spent my entire life trapped in a cage”), and about globalization and fast-food chains like Mc`Donalds (“42 grams of heart attack”), the song was also used in video games. The next song played, “State Of The Union”, was from the same album, “Siren Song Of The Counter Culture” (2004). The crowd danced, sang along … In the rush of excitement it all gives you goosebumps. Vocalist Tim McIlrath then dedicated “Ready To Fall” to everyone who can’t speak for themselves, another nice gesture in support of PETA. The guys continued with “Injection”. The crowd formed more than ten circle pits, and Tim was so thrilled that he declared he’d never seen so many at any Rise Against show. Bravo, crowd! “Like The Angel” (Revolutions Per Minute, 2003) is a song Tim wrote when he went on tour with the band and had to leave his daughter behind for the duration. It’s also a song that was used in a video game, the famous skater adventure Tony Hawk`s Underground. Then came “Blood To Bleed”, which again drew a wave of enthusiasm, and “Heaven Knows”, the first single from the aforementioned record “Revolutions Per Minute”. Of course Rise Against didn’t skip their most recognizable songs either, like “Chamber The Cartridge”, “Last Chance Blueprint” and “Bricks”. The energy in the air is indescribable, you have to experience it. No, with “Dancing For Rain” we didn’t dance a rain dance in the Native American tradition, because after a whole Friday of wind the sun did us a world of good. True, it was no longer high above us, but besides the good music we also got to enjoy a gorgeous sunset. Then “Behind Closed Doors”, “The Good Left Undone”, “Survive”. From song to song, a smile spread across Tim’s face that spoke for itself. He truly enjoyed the crowd’s reactions. To finish, the guys fired off “Under The Knife” and “Prayer Of The Refugee”. A perfect ending to a perfect show!
Half an hour after the show Rise Against gathered in the tent for autographs. In a short chat the guys proved to be excellent conversation partners. They also let slip that we can expect their new studio album toward the end of this year, most likely in October.
Rise Against setlist:
1. Drones
2. Give It All
3. State Of The Union
4. Ready To Fall
5. Injection
6. Like The Angel
7. Blood To Bleed
8. Heaven Knows
9. Chamber The Cartridge
10. Last Chance Blueprint
11. Bricks
12. Dancing For Rain
13. Behind Closed Doors
14. The Good Left Undone
15. Survive
16. Under The Knife
17. Prayer Of The Refugee
Words: Lea Lesar
KID ROCK: 20.10 – 21.25
Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Richie, hit the scene in 1990 with his debut album “Grits Sandwiches Fot Breakfast”. Over his career he has sold more than twenty-three million albums, but only his latest, ninth album, “Rock`n`Roll Jesus”, which sold over 175,000 copies in its first week alone, sits at the top of numerous charts around the world. On the world tour “R`n`R Revival Tour”, Kid Rock is accompanied by an eleven-piece lineup of musicians united under the name “Twisted Brown Trucker Band” and the “So Hott Sisters”.
“They call me cowboy, I’m the singer in black, So throw a finger in the air and let me see where you’re at, Say hey hey …”. And indeed, dressed in black pants and a black jacket with shiny silver trim, Kid Rock hit the blue stage at Nova Rock. A real feast for the eyes. In “American Badass” style to start, then the infamous “Lowlife” with its controversial line “I think racist jokes are funny”. The crowd swayed along with Kid to the rhythms of eastern country-rock. A welcome bit of variety in an evening dressed in sawing guitars. From the newest album, “Rock`n`Roll Jesus”, came the title track, which earned a loud round of applause. Even the very start of the song was more country-tinged than usual. An interesting addition, no doubt. “Devil Without A Cause” is one more track that proved Kid Rock shakes stages in the style of an American “bad boy”, rarely seen without a cigar in his mouth. Listening closely to that song, a good music connoisseur would notice that the lyrics hide lines Kid borrowed from the hip-hoppers Whodini (the song The Freaks Come Out At Night) and the American rapper Too Short, real name Todd Anthony Shaw (the song Don`t Fight The Feeling). Kid has clearly moved away from the tried-and-true heavy+metal+country+rock formula and successfully worked street phrases into his lyrics. Apparently that’s the new formula for success.
Once Kid had proved again that he’s a true “Cowboy”, the most anticipated song of his repertoire followed, judging by the crowd’s reaction: the latest and most celebrated single, “All Summer Long”. That song is Kid Rock’s second-best single in his discography to make the American Billboard Top 100, and it’s doing well on many other charts too, mainly American ones. The lyrics, about the first love of 18-year-old R. J. Richie from northern Michigan, contain the well-known lines of “Sweet Home Alabama” by the legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd and lines from “Werewolves Of London” by Warren Zevon. The crowd, which sang as one with Kid Rock and the Twisted Brown Trucker Band, proved it’s one of the best songs from the latest record. Wild!
During “Three Sheets To The Wind” Kid tried himself in various roles. First as a singer, then he grabbed a guitar, and in the end the drum took a beating too. What a versatile musician this Kid Rock is. The song ended with one more hit: “My Name Is Rock”.
The slightly-over-an-hour show flew by in the blink of an eye. To finish, “So Hott” and “Bawitdaba”. The crowd moved with Kid Rock one last time. It doesn’t matter what interpretation of a song the cowboy brings to the stage, he always lights it up with his mere presence. The guy just has the voice and the stature.
Kid Rock setlist:
1. American Badass
2. Lowlife
3. Rock`n`Roll Jesus
4. Devil Without A Cause
5. Cowboy
6. All Summer Long
7. Three Sheets To The Wind / My Name Is Rock
8. So Hott
9. Bawitdaba
Words: Lea Lesar
INCUBUS: 21.55-23.15
Nova Rock returnees, the alternative rockers Incubus, found themselves on the blue stage again. And once again they played ahead of the headliners. The band, formed in the early nineties, shot into the musical firmament with six studio albums, and their biggest success came mainly with the latest, “Light Granades”, released in 2006.
Brandon Boyd and the crew carried us into a somewhat calmer stretch of the evening with “Just A Phase”. Excellent stage lighting, with not-too-strong lights, wove a real little romantic kingdom around the stage, brightened up by music for the soul. “Nice To Know You” confirmed it. Incubus glowed in all their glory. The crowd also proved to be more than excellent. It sang along gently with Brandon and swayed softly. Incubus’s fourth studio album “Morning View” (October 2001) also contains “Wish You Were Here”, which has nothing to do with the legendary Pink Floyd. Maybe that makes the song a touch more special. MTV declared the original video for the song inappropriate because of September 11, so Incubus were forced to reshoot it. Boyd sharply condemned MTV’s move.
From their latest album came “Anna Molly”. The song, originally called “Anamoly”, was for unknown reasons soon renamed to the existing version, but the pronunciation still stayed the same as the song’s original title. The song has been surprisingly well received since the album came out, and the Nova Rock crowd proved it too. Incubus continued with their most beautiful ballad, “Love Hurts”. The singing of the several-thousand-strong crowd kept building and followed Brandon, whose face showed that he puts a piece of his soul into every song. Then “Circles”, “A Kiss To Send Us Off” and “Drive”. With Incubus you can easily daydream far away from the real world. Like “Wish You Were Here”, “Megalomaniac” also met serious accusations on release that the song was about the politics of US president George W. Bush. Boyd denied this accusation too, explaining that it’s about megalomaniacs in general. Which has nothing to do with the song’s catchiness, which is excellent. “Megalomaniac” is yet another entry in the string of hits by the Americans Incubus. After “Look Alive” and “Are You In?” came an approximately twelve-minute version of “Pistola”, during which Brandon also picked up a guitar. For the cherry on top we heard “Stellar” and “A Crow Left Of The Murder”, which drew an avalanche of approval.
Incubus once again showed themselves in all their glory. And Brandon … As if he lives in his own world. In a simple grunge outfit, no communication with the audience, wrapped in mystique. All he said was “Thank you, boys and girls!” a few times. Thank you, Incubus.
Incubus setlist:
1. Just A Phase
2. Nice To Know You
3. Wish You Were Here
4. Anna Molly
5. Love Hurts
6. Circles
7. A Kiss To Send Us Off
8. Drive
9. Megalomaniac
10. Look Alive
11. Are You In?
12. Pistola
13. Stellar
14. A Crow Left Of The Murder
Words: Lea Lesar
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE: 23.45-01.05
The undisputed stars of all three days of Nova Rock were certainly last year’s returnees to the music scene, the American alternative band Rage Against The Machine. They came onto the stage, with a giant five-pointed red star as the backdrop, to the sound of wailing sirens, and singer Zack de la Rocha greeted the crowd of more than a hundred thousand with: “Good evening, we are Rage Against The Machine from Los Angeles, California”. They opened with “Testify” and the crowd right below the stage created a huge circle pit. RATM are as celebrated as they were before breaking up in 2000. They continued with “Bulls On Parade”. While Zack angrily sang “Weapons not food, not homes, not shoes, not need, just feed tha war canibal animal”, the crowd went wild and diligently collected bruises. “People Of The Sun” and “Bombtrack” followed. Although Zack is a little older and maybe a notch calmer, his voice is still, if not even more, full of rage. “Know Your Enemy” drew the biggest applause so far. A slightly out-of-breath Zack rested and caught his breath during the solo spots by Tom Morello, his DJ (as he called him himself). Are the years finally catching up with him? Then “Bullet In The Head” and “Born Of A Broken Man”. The crowd was already very out of breath but still kept moving, and from song to song Rage Against The Machine justified their reputation as legends. Of course there was no skipping “Vietnow” and one of my favorites, “Guerilla Radio”. True, the crowd sang along between every song, but during the verse “It has to start somewhere, It has to start sometime, What better place than here, What better time than now, All hell cant stop us now, All hell cant stop us now, All hell cant stop us now, All hell cant stop us now, All hell cant stop us now, All hell cant stop us now …” it seemed a notch louder, and RATM sounded even harsher and angrier. Bassist Tim Commerford, who with his tattoos looks like he’s wearing armor or an action hero’s outfit, truly seemed that mighty for a moment. Well, after all, he is. During “Ashes In The Fall”, Zack set about smashing the mic stand, which was really something to see. He just had to release his anger somehow. “Calm Like A Bomb” and “Sleep Now In The Fire” served up new and newer circle pits. At the end of the first part, with “War Within A Breath”, Zack spoke the first and only words of the show. The crowd calmed down for a moment, and he urged it on with: “Check! One… Two. Are you still with us?”. In the closing part of their show we heard “Freedom”, spiced up with “Township Rebellion”. Then, to finish, the crowd sang “Killing In The Name” with Rage Against The Machine. The last circle pits of the year followed, we witnessed a magnificent fireworks display and … See you next year!
Rage Against The Machine setlist:
1. Testify
2. Bulls On Parade
3. People Of The Sun
4. Bombtrack
5. Know Your Enemy
6. Bullet In The Head
7. Born Of A Broken Man
8. Vietnow
9. Guerilla Radio
10. Ashes In The Fall
11. Calm Like A Bomb
12. Sleep Now In The Fire
13. War Within A Breath
—– encore —–
14. Freedom
15. Killing In The Name
Words: Lea Lesar
Three days of partying and performances by the best and most legendary bands are behind us, and it’s time to say goodbye. Rage Against The Machine closed the concert part of Nova Rock, while the whole festival action, which had moved on to the “Party” tent, was capped off by a huge, beautiful fireworks display, a real feast for the eyes. Around a hundred and fifty thousand visitors honored this year’s festival with their presence. And the organization was, unlike last year, noticeably improved. Bravo, Haubi & CO. With lovely memories … See you at Nova Rock 2009!
Words: Lea Lesar
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik, Matic Zorman
Setlist
RED STAGE: s.POUT RUSSKAJA BLACK TIDE SKINDRED ENTER SHIKARI ALTER BRIDGE DISTURBED BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE JUDAS PRIEST BLUE STAGE: VANILLA SKY JAGUAR LOVE GUADALAJARA THE WEAKERTHANS ANTI-FLAG RISE AGAINST KID ROCK INCUBUS RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
Photo gallery
