Rock the City 2011 brings to the heart of Bucharest some of the biggest bands of the moment

Rock the City 2011 is an ambitious project, a festival that brings to Romania some of the biggest and best rock bands of all times, said Marcel Avram, the man that brought to Romania names such as Michael Jackson, Metallica. The festival has been officially launched on april 5, after a very busy press conference. The ears of all journalists presents there at the conference have been tickled when names such as The Prodigy, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Papa Roach, Mike and The Mechanics, Therapy, Hatebreed were announced as the line-up of the festival.

After the initial confirmation of the locations as Piata Constitutiei, the Rock the City Festival was moved to ROMEXPO, the same place where Sonisphere Fest took place last year.

The three days of the festival will keep the people busy with parties organised by the sponsors, and all sorts of surprised.

Some of the bands are a premiere for Romania. Papa Roach, for example, is visiting Romania for the first time.

The third edition of the festival, comes after a 1 year break. The last edition of the festival has brought to Romania bands such as Saga, Queensryche and Lipm Bizkit, and it was held at Arenele Romane. As the need for good and powerful rock music has becaome bigger and bigger, the festival has been moved to a larger arena, in order to accomodate the crowds that will flock to mingle with the stars.

The first names that were confirmed for the festival were Judas Priest – promoting their last world tour, and Whitesnake – promoting their latest album „Forevermore”.

Even if Rob Halford, the lead singer from Judas Priest, has announced that the „Epitaph World Tour” is going to end the prodigious and the prolongue carreer of the group, Glenn Tipton, the guitar player gives some hope to the millions of fans outhere and announces that definettly, Epitaph is not going to mean the end of the band and of the worlwide tours. Presently, the band works to a new material, and if the band is to play, they will play in smaller tours. Halford & Co. have chosen their bands name after a Bob Dylan`s song, „The ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest”, from the album „John Wesley Harding”. Along the ages, Judas Priest has launched 16 studio albums and sold over 40 million disks. Their newest album is „Nostradamus” (2008), and it has reached the 11th place in the Billboard Chart 200.

Also Whitesnake returns to Romania, for a concert in Bucharest. Their Bucharest performance is part of their worldwide promotional tour „Forevermore”, album that was launched in Europe on march 25th. Their first single disk from this album was „Love Will Set You Free” and it also comes with a video. This newest album was produced and arranged by David Coverdale, Doug Aldrich and Michael McIntyre in the Snakebyte and the Grumblenott Studios & Villas in Nevada and California.

Whitesnake is a british rock band that started in 1977 in North Yorkshire), with David Coverdale (ex Deep Purple) as lead singer. The guy is so good in what he is doing, that a lot of voices have said that in fact, Whitesnake is only accompanying David Coverdale and nothing else. VH1 has nominated the band to occupy the 85 position in the Best HardRock Bands of All Times Chart. The first formula of the band brought together names such as David Coverdale, Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, Neil Murray, David „Duck” Dowle and Brian Johnston, at keyboards, to be soon after misplaced by Jon Lord, from Deep Purple. Their first album was not so succesful, „Whitesnake” being launched in 1977, in a time when punk music was rulling the charts. The newest album, „Forevermore”, was described as having no boundaries, being melodic and full of passion in the same time.

This album has been recorded in a new formula, Aldrich being the only surviver from the origibal crew. In Bucharest, Coverdale will share the stage with Doug Aldrich – guitars, Reb Beach (Alice Cooper) – guitars, Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol) – drums and Michael Devin (Kenny Wayne Shepherd) – bass.

This month, in june, after the long performances in USA, Whitesnake will play in Europe, in Russia, Norway, Sweden, UK, Italyu, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, The Cech Republic, Austria, Serbia, Romania, Bulgary and Turkey.

The tickets are sold exclusively through Eventim.ro and can be bought in the following shops Germanos, Orange, Vodafone, Domo, Humanitas, Cărturești and online on www.eventim.ro.

The tens of thousands of people that will go to the festival will enter the Festival area starting with 2 p.m. in each day of the festival, and the live performances are to start at 5 p.m.

Vlad Piriu

TheBEATFucker - The Party Rocker

Am ars-o ca un RockSTar pe ritmuri de Peninsula!23-26.07.2009 Tg Mures!

All my Romanian People, All my PRODIGY People, The World is on Fire, You`re too close, too close to the wire!!! asa incepea si in acelasi timp marca sfarsitul unei nebunii care se dezlantuise ca o furtuna de vara. Inceputul a fost incert linistit, cu o serie de probleme legate de organizare si comunicare intre partenerii media, ceea ce a facut ca delegatia noastra sa ramana pe dinafara cateva ore bune.

Dar norii s-au risipit repede si Festivalul s-a declansat in forta. Si cum ii sta bine unui mare festival, ca la un mare razboi, lupta s-a dat pe mai multe fronturi publicul Peninsular fiind lovit, la figurat si la propriu, atat la nivel acustic si vizual, dar si la nivel tactil, dar si gustativ, in asa fel incat senzatiile curgeau din plin si nu mai stiai unde sa te opresti. Cele 4 scene, la care ma voi intoarce mai incolo putin, au fost incontinuu asaltate de public pe perioada celor 4 zile, la fel si tarabele cu mancare unde se putea gasi orice iti puteai imagina, de la langosii cu branza, sau cei cu cascaval cu usturoi, la nemuritoarea si intotdeauna indestulatoarea pita cu unsoare, dar si migrand catre gusturi mai fine, cum ar fi tocanita de caprioara cu mamaliga, gulashul ardelenesc, tot felul de salate si tocanite care se vanturau cu rapiditate, fiind atat de cerute incat ceaunele si tigaile in care erau gatite erau schimbate doar la cateva minute. Si berea, berea a curs din belsug, pentru toate gusturile.

Impresionat am fost ca nu am gasit aici binecunoscuta practica de a umfla preturile la un nivel nesimtit, cum se mai practica pe la alte festivaluri de gen. Astfel berea a migrat usor intre 2.5-3 lei paharul de plastic, langosii 2,5-5 lei, tocanitele 5-8 lei, iar buna dispozitie si savoarea a fost un bonus. Servirea a fost excelenta, fiecare vanzator promovandu-si cat mai bine mancarea. Si oferta era pe indestulate.

Ca si metode de entertainment pe perioada festivalului, nu au lipsit atelierele de creatie, workshopurile, standurile de prezentare a diferitelor ONG uri pentru tineret, flash-mob-urile, corturil muuvii unde au putut fi prezentate scurt metraje. Deci pana si cei mai inveterati networkeri si cei dornici de a-si manifesta creativitatea au gasit un loc unde sa se simta bine.

Doritorii de sporturi extreme, dar si cei interesati de a incerca ceva nou nu au fost lasati pe langa. Astfel daca te-ai aflat pe acolo ai avut de ales intre natatie, fotbal, wall climbing, sarituri in apa (cam prost ales locul, zic eu, caci sariturile se faceau de pe un pod situat deasupra Muresului), caiac, badminton, darts, beachvolley, backgamon. Extremele s-au batut intre ele, si asa ca daca te tineau nervii puteai sa gonesti pana nu mai puteai pe pista de carting, sau sa folosesti simulatorul de accidente (sincer sa fiu nu stiu de ce s-ar pune un om in toate facultatile mintale intr-un dispozitiv ce simuleaza o ciocnire frontala cu un obiect solid la 160 km/ora. Personal am vazut un astfel de personaj si s-a dat jos din simulator cu dureri serioase in zona pieptului si abdomenului), sau daca te simteai in putere puteai sa sari cu coarda.

Si sa ajungem la muzica, in sfarsit, caci de asta ne-am deplasat cu totii la Tragu Mures, nu??

Cele patru scene, dintre care CocaCola MainStage a fost principala atractie, au atras peste 60 de trupe dintre care cap de afis au fost The Prodigy, Nine Inch Nails si Tiesto, trupe ce au facut ca spatiul din fata CocaCola MainStage sa devina neincapator, dar au si dus nivelul de extaz al publicului la cote neimaginabile, furtuna dezlantuindu-se nimicitor in timpul concertului Prodigy, unde basii prezenti in excess au tinut loc de tunete iar explozia de lumini care caracterizeaza fiecare concert Prodigy a jucat loc de fulgere, luminand feeric intreaga zona.

Distractia s-a instaurat definitiv pe fagasul ei in a doua seara a festivalului, in momentul in care pe CocaCola MainStage a urcat Dj Tiesto, primul headliner al festivalului. Atmosfera a fost exploziva, multi dintre fani mergand atat de departe incat sa spuna ca Tiesto a fost mai cool decat Prodigy. Bineinteles, gusturile nu se discuta, cunoscatorii stiu de ce. Celebrul absolvent al scolii de DJ din Olanda a tinut publicul pe val cu melodii ca Dance 4 Life, Lethal Industry, Love Comes Again. Lumea a dansat, s-a simtit bine, fluierele nu au tacut o secunda, si astfel concertul lui Tiesto a fost primul element care a putut fi considerat ca o promisiune a succesului acestui festival. Si muzica a curs in valuri.

Al treilea headliner al Festivalului, trupa Nine Inch Nails, a venit intr-a 3a seara a festivalului, la timp pentru a mentine energia la cote inalte. Trupa rockerului nebun, Trent Reznor, cel care l-a creat si promovat pe Marilyn Manson, si care a dat o noua fata rockului industrial a facut lumea sa dea din cap, ca in vremurile bune in care heavy metal-ul era la moda si toata lumea o ardea periculos prin rockoteci. Urechile au fost gadilate de melodii ca Terrible Lie, Wish, The hand that feeds sau Somewhat Damaged.

Daca pana in momentul concertului The Prodigy, lumea a ramas intr-o stare aparent de acalmie, mai existand din cand in cand cate o mica dezlantuire in masa, in timpul concertelor trupelor Primal Scream, Nine Inch Nails, Tankcsapda, lumea a luat-o razna complet in timpul concertului britanicilor eletro-punk de la Prodigy. A fost descarcarea mult asteptata si in acelasi timp mult vanata de toti cei care au venit la acest festival. Tinand cont ca festivalul de la Targu Mures a fost inclus pe lista turneului de promovare a ultimului album, nu au lipsit piese ca Invaders Must Die, OMEN, Take Me To The Hospital, dar si hituri mai vechi care au avut darul sa scoata din public pana si ultima picatura de energie, cum ar fi Poison, Vo0ddoo People, Breathe, Firestarter.

Atat scena principala cat si celelalte scene, au gazduit nume ca Goldie, Blank and Jones, Freestylers, Primal Scream, Richard Dorfmeister, !Deladap, Observer, Booka Shade dar si trupe si dj romanesti ca Iris, Vama, OCS, Kumm, Luna Amara, Grimus, Sarmalele Reci, Marika, Ultimul Rand, Gojira etc. Lumea a avut de unde sa aleaga si cu totii au putut sa se bucure, fie ca au fost cazati la corturi fie ca au fost localnici sau au populat hotelurile si pensiunile din oras.

Acum, dupa aceste patru zile de festival, de muzica, de sunet, de culoare, de alergatura intre scene pentru a face fotografii, de mancat langosi cu branza si tocanita de legume cu carnati, de sarit odata cu toti cei adunati la the Prodigy, pot spune cu mana pe inima ca as lua-o de la inceput, m-as mai prezenta odata la poarta festivalului, sa mai stau vreo doua ore pana se rezolva cu acreditarea. Si apoi iar as lua-o de la capat cu navigarea intre scene si terasele din interiorul festivalului.