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Pics: Bobby Anwar
The grounds at Roskilde Festival resembled an apocalyptic scene out of a futuristic dystopian fairytale as The local bid a fond farewell to this year’s event. Ripped tents, bulky heaps of air mattresses and cans of mackerel and tuna lay strewn like stardust across miles on end of now derelict camping areas patrolled by a niche section of die-hards riding the wave to its very end.
The story of 8 days of pure freedom- broken norms and mended souls summarized in a seemingly unappealing pile-up of junk.
Look beyond the veneer of all things apocalyptic and anarchic epitomized by this scene and you’ll find the success story of a festival that gathered over 100’000 people together for concerts by 166 bands from 30 different nations, generating an expected profit of between 200 and 270’000 Euros that will be donated to charity.
Predominantly dry conditions that were interrupted by the odd shower every now and again made it all the more memorable, as did an astute band schedule that raked in every one from golden oldies for The Rolling Stones to tweak-obsessed kids for Major Lazo’s emblematic performance.
Where some, like Danish deejay supremeo Trentemøller, failed to create a stir, there were others, such as Deftones, Darkside, Outkast, Stevie Wonder and not least of all Manu Chao, who all conjured up performances that charmed reviewers, established fans and new aficionados alike.
Beyond music, the art scene around the Orange stage basked in the aura of its ever-increasing popularity and both Game city as well as Street city on Roskilde’s Western wing provided apt alternatives to the full-throttle party vibe.
All in all Roskilde was well-organized and co-ordinated this year and there can be few complaints of poor concerts, a fact epitomized by the cancellation of Sunday’s Orange stage star act, Drake, who was replaced by the totally different Jack White. Whilst younger fans of r & b were left disappointed, for the omnivores and rock fans, Jack’s show was a sight to behold.
Kortbæk_Travels 