I've experienced new ways of attending concerts. Laying down outside and just enjoying audibly for example. I've had my first full concert experience at the Cosmopol stage as well, and for the first time ever, I haven't entered the pits at neither Orange nor Arena for a single gig.So, let me do a run-through of my concerts this year:
THE WARM UP DAYS didn't offer much I bothered to check out, although I did manage two whole concerts and two halves. I gave retro-disco'ers Vinnie Who a chance Monday, recommended by my friend Johan. They were very conventional, and after a few songs i really had heard enough of them. They definitely knew their trade, but it just wasn't really intriguing live.
Ginger Ninja had my expectations up, so much that I made my way to the stage at 13.30 (what a time of day put on the only proper dance-punk outfit at PJ!). They were more guitar'ey than I had remembered from my previous concert with them, but still a very inspiring and appreciative young outfit. They made me remember how it's just great to watch musicians doing their thing and loving it too, and had it not been for a somewhat imbalanced set, which clearly showcased a band still on the rise, they'd have garnered better reviews than they did.
I caught Norwegians The Megaphonic Thrift on a short notice Wednesday afternoon, based on an tempting booklet review and a fit of boredom. They were really unimpressive and dull, and I left about half way through.
Critically acclaimed Danish balkan-klezmer outfit Tako Lako closed down Pavilion Junior Wednesday night, and I decided to give them a chance, based on them being compared to Analogik, who put on a memorably fresh and danceable show at the same stage two years ago. The comparison to Analogik was pretty accurate, just leave out the traces of sailor and add some extra pace. Tako Lako really made Pavilion Junior jump around, and there was quite an impressive attendance. One also got the impression that this was a band who clearly improved by having an astir and dynamic audience. Critics point out that it was more of a jumping party than a musical tour de force, and that might be true, however no one can deny that Tako Lako finished off the warm-up days on a high note.
THURSDAY brought basically two and a half shows, spanning very diverse genres. I went with a few guys to check out Hot 8 Brass Band from New Orleans. They were, of course, very authentic, but although they were very inspiring, 20 minutes really had me having enough. They brought on the biggest tuba I've ever seen, though!
Thursday night was dedicated to Orange stage, with me and my posse leaving early for Kanye West, mostly to get a decent spot for Trentemøller. Even though hiphop is probably one of the genres furthest from my musical radar, I really had anticipated Kanye's performance, as he got rather rave reviews when he last visited the Animal Showgrounds in 2006. I actually anticipated it to the point that I was slightly disappointed by his rather dull performance. The first half of the concert was really uninspiring, and low in volume too, but after a dreadfully long, boring and very melodramatically American Jacko tribute song, which was really more of a speech, the dark rose over Roskilde and Kanye brought on the hits that everyone had waited for. That turned the entire experience slightly upwards, but in my opinion, Kanye was way too dependent on his hits to make the crowd go crazy. A real good live artist doesn't need hits to do magic. It seemed as if the audience were exactly that - in audience with king Kanye.
We succeeded however in getting prime spots for Trentemøller, right behind the pits, with a clear view of the stage, the lights and the screens. This was one of my most highly anticipated shows of the year, and I think this was true for a major part of the audience. Even so, I think Trentemøller exceeded everyone's expectations. By far. By light-years to be frank. I have never seen such an impressive and astonishing show anywhere before, even exceeding The Chemical Brothers' dazzling show last year. Everything was trembling and in awe of Trentemøller, who from his purposedly erected podium inbetween the front pits put on a show of intergalactical standards. From moments of pure rave-outs, through pure beauty, teasing mix-in's of artists as diverse as Britney Spears, Bjørn Svin and Battles, and flashbacks to The Last Resort, Trentemøller put on a show that will be remembered for many, many years. I found my self incontrollably screaming from joy throughout the concert, and I was dancing, jumping and shouting all the way back to camp. Defining the essence of indescribability, Trentemøller made my festival. If having to put a finger on the concert, it would be on the fact that I had expected some slightly more remarkable special guests than Trentemøller brought with him. But for what reason? This was perhaps my best concert experience ever!
FRIDAY was to be a long and busy day, with four whole concerts and a snippet of a fifth. I started up in the afternoon with Japanese post-rockers Mono at the Pavilion stage. I had acquainted them on a friend's iPod the day before, and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Frankly, I find post-rock one of the sillier definitions of music, as I don't believe a genre can draw constant influences and trends from a vibrant and active genre, and in turn being considered its successor. People told me I was off when comparing Mono to Sigur Rós, but I don't really think so. At least, it was the same tranquility that settled upon the Pavilion area, broken up by escapades of noise, outlets of energy. It was really pleasurable watching the passersby and having a blunder in the sun, with Mono putting everything in a slightly pensiver and more decelerate gear.
The early evening brought Friendly Fires, and another of my most highly anticipated concerts of the year. We had left for Odeon early to get prime spots, and we got the most exquisite spots, right at the front and in the middle. I don't think it'd have mattered much though, because from what I heard, Friendly Fires really set Odeon on, well, fire, with their vigorous show. I am not a big fan of playback, which was used quite frequently, and the band could really use a live keyboardist, but that was pretty much the only low of this concert. They didn't suffer from the one-album syndrome of not having enough quality stuff to fill out their set (as MGMT were troubled by last y
ear). The other way around, I think all of their tracks, even weaker ones like 'Strobe' and 'Photobooth', transferred well from recording to live performance, and the band did a good job of making their live experience unique and different to their recorded tracks. Both live intros, outros and interludes were used, giving the show a twist of unpredictability even to those already familiar with the music. I definitely think the young Brits obtained at least a few new fans that dusty evening.After a much needed break that made room for a bit of beer consumption, I and my posse headed for Cosmopol stage for Cosmopol stage for 2ManyDJs. Anticipation had built amongst us for the Belgian DJs, and there was an intense atmosphere within the rapidly filling tent, with the crowd chanting 'FUCK OASIS', as a reference to the britpop giants, on whose expense the audience had chosen to spend a few hours with the Belgians. And what a wise choice! I have never been so sweaty in my entire life, and for the first time since Klaxons in 2007, at moments I really felt uncomfortable in the crowd. I don't think one can expect much more from a mash-up DJ-set - a diverse selection of remixes accompanied by anticipatory visuals made the crowd go non-stop crazy, crazy, crazy for almost two hours.
On top of that, highly anticipated Röyksopp were presented with a mission impossible in attempting to triumph me and my feet's sheer fatigue. As a jade horse, I defied my weariness and made my way to Arena for one of my most anticipated concerts, however I was just too tired to get the most out of it. The Norwegians did a good show, nothing unexpected or brilliant, but I couldn't put a finger on just where they could have improved. Perhaps the shortness of their set, giving that they have now released three albums, however most of their masterpiece Melody A.M. doesn't really fit their newer stuff style-wise, thus they kept it to the three inevitables from then - 'Remind Me', 'Eple' and ofcourse 'Poor Leno' to finish off the show. A perfectly decent show, however 2ManyDJs had bittersweetly worn me out. Although not too much to check out a chunk of Analogik's late-nighter at Astoria, however I only stayed for three songs while consuming my köttbullar. I love Analogik, but my tent was yearning for me.
SATURDAY had me jumping around catching a lot of half shows, something I don't really enjoy. The best of the day came already in the early afternoon, with Tim Christensen taking Arena for a swing. It was really a well-played concert, and a great set, encompassing both his newer gems, such as the beautiful 'Wonder of Wonders' and the schizophrenic 'Whispering At The Top Of My Lungs', and a few songs from his Dizzy Mizz Lizzy-days, including 'Silverflame', which was a definite highlight. I caught most of the concert from outside the tent, lying down in the mid-day sun, which was very enjoyable, although I regret not being in the pits. Actually this was my first concert with Christensen ever, and I must say he's 34 and still going strong. Very impressive, even if it got unfairly dull reviews.
I chose to skip Håkan Hellström and head straight to Odeon to watch Oh No Ono. This was my fouth time seeing them, and it was really an interesting experience. They have matured in many ways, and put on a brave and confident show. They didn't pander to the crowd by any means, omitting hits like 'Practical Money Skills For Life' and 'The Shock Of The Real' from the set list, in stead focusing on their recently released sophomore effort, with only 'Keeping Warm In Cold Country', 'Am I Right?' and the beautiful 'Sunshine And Rain At Once' carried over from the first album. Furthermore, the band did a very courageous cover of Radiohead's 'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi'. All in all, it was a gritty and precocious performance by a very professional bunch of gifted musicians, and even though some of their stuff doesn't really intrigue me, it was enjoyable watching talent at work.
Quite drunk, a few hours later I went to watch Cut Off Your Hands. They turned out to be slightly drab, however they do have a talent for writing accessible pop songs, and that might come to their advantage in the future. This time around, they were however visibly still a young and insecure outfit.
I watched the most part of Fever Ray, which was sadly hampered by bad sound. It was an artistically brave show, owing to the opaque character of Karin Dreijer, but it wasn't as powerful as it could have been.
Having to deal with a tough choice, I opted for Pet Shop Boys at the expense of Black Dice and Deadmau5, and I was pleasantly surprised. Their music is slightly flat for my taste, and there were remarkably few people present at the Orange stage, but they put on a pleasant and earnest show, which rewarded the few who had defied Malk de Koijn's reunion at Arena, which took place almost simultaneously. I went to catch a glimpse of Malk afterwards, mostly to have a taste of the immense crowd the three rappers had gathered. There was a sense of uniqueness to the show, and I'm happy I catched a bit of it, even though I couldn't see a thing.
SUNDAY I had only three shows on my agenda. I started off with White Lies at Odeon, which was pretty unimpressive. They were remarkably boring on stage, and even though one must consider the fact that they are only 21 years old, the concert did grow quite irksome. They definitely have a lot of potential, but I don't think they won a lot of new fans with their performance this time around. More energy next time please!
Next up, I caught about 20 minutes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Arena, which was really, really good. It was a pity I had to leave, because Karen O. was really on fire, and I think it could have been a top five concert. However, I chose to leave prematurely, in order to get decent spots for Coldplay's closing of Orange stage. Expectations were high for this one, and Coldplay lived up to them, giving a perfect example on how to entertain and interact with 65000 people simultaneously. Starting off with a number of hit songs like 'Violet Hill', 'In My Place' and 'Yellow', the band were on an ever-upwards curve of spectacular gimmicks. Starting with an electronic remix of 'God Put A Smile Upon Your Face' and 'Talk', the band suddenly disappeared from stage, ascending in the middle of the crowd to play an acoustic threesome including a cover of 'Billie Jean', fittingly honoring Michael Jackson, without exaggerating it (you listening, Kanye?). Doing the magic involve-the-audience move, Chris Martin made everyone do a mexican wave with their cellphones back and forth through the audience. A helicopter flew across Orange stage too, and while that might not have been on purp
ose, it sure was a moment to remember. Coldplay did the full monty with crowd-pleasing antics combined with a hit-packed and well compound set, and while I could have wished for a few more of their beautiful ballads like 'Amsterdam' or 'Swallowed in the Sea', closing my eyes and sensing 65000 people singing along to 'The Scientist' was just beautiful. A very impressive effort by one of the world's most original and courageous live bands, who might be mainstream, but they are so with style.Overall, my top five would be:
1) Trentemøller
2) Coldplay
3) 2ManyDJs
4) Friendly Fires
5) Tim Christensen
That was it for Roskilde '09. Roll on '10!
