Artmania, 26-27 July 2019, Large Square Sibiu

Another Artmania has ended. I’ve said it before, I simply can’t get enough of this festival and I have a lot of respect for the way the organisers handle it year after year. Yes, there were bigger lines than usual this time. Yes, at some point it took 30 minutes to buy a beer and we completely abandoned the idea of food once we realised the time it required. But at the same time there was plenty of space inside the square (no cramming people like cattle to oversell tickets), the sound was impeccable, there were toilet paper and huge sanitiser bottles at the toilet and they made an impromptu token line in a corner because the waiting time was too big.  

Godsmack, Arenele Romane, 01.04.2019

What a crazy night! We've been dying to see this guys for ages, and it seemed like the stars had aligned against us (or them?). First in 2012, the band cancelled the tour that included Romania because Sully got sick. Then in 2015, we had to leave the show early, right before Godsmack got on stage, because my husband got sick. Then in 2018, again they cancelled the tour because Tony, their guitarist, suffered a tragedy and lost his child. Finally, FINALLY, the other night, we had the pleasure of seeing these awesome guys live. 

Desteptarea primaverii, Teatrul Mic, 30.10.2018

I was a bit on the fence about doing this review, because it relates to a theatre play and not an actual concert. But after giving it further thought, I realised that I mostly treated it like a Firma concert and it was a wonderful experience that had a deep impact over me, so in it goes. 

Haggard, Club Quantic, 26.10.2018

I don't even remember how many times I've seen this amazing band live, I've lost count. But every single time, no exception, it was a magical night and what I do remember is the feeling of absolute happiness at witnessing something so awesome. But first, a few words about the opening bands. 

Nightwish, Romexpo, 17.08.2018

So freaking tired! Everything hurts, which by now you must know is the trademark of a great live show for me. I think I was even bouncier than usual, and I already am crazily bouncy to begin with. I've been waiting for this for months now, fretting with anticipation, avoiding "spoilers" regarding the setlist and generally being highly excited. And last night it paid off, in a really awesome evening, with a really awesome band. 

Artmania, 27-28.07.2018, Large Square, Sibiu

Even though I've been to almost half of its editions, Artmania continues to amaze me. After hitting a rough spot because of the Town Hall's decision to ban paid concerts in the Large Square (which threatened to put the festival to death, since Artmania is synonim with Sibiu and there was no good alternative in the city to the square) and still resiliently trying to make a good event despite of the obstacles, they were allowed to go back to the regular paid concerts in the Large Square since last year and started to get their mojo back. It would've been a huge shame to lose the longest-living festival in Romania, and in my opinion, the best festival in Romania to bureaucracy. Especially since I cannot get enough of it and I'm so impressed by how it's possible to leave enough space for everyone in a sold out show (instead of cramming as many people together like all the other organisers do), to never have lines for the tokens and drinks, to have clean toilets with running water for washing, separated trash cans for each type of material and generally a feeling of respect and relaxation that infects everyone. Yes, Artmania is the only event where I haven't seen a single empty cup on the ground, it's like everyone starts transforming once they get there. And then there's the random artist going through the crowd while other bands are playing, sometimes talking to the people and taking pictures, but mostly being left undisturbed to enjoy the show. 

Judas Priest, Romexpo, 22.07.18

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a large stadium-like concert (or in our case, parking lot concert, because apparently that’s the only place where we can host shows over 2000 people) and I now remember why I prefer smaller venues. There’s an undeniable energy and adrenaline that comes from a 10000+ crowd, but there’s also an undeniable waiting line that doesn’t seem to ever end. Or to be more accurate, 3 lines, one for the tokens, one for the drinks and one at the toilets. It amazes me that after so many years of organising large concerts, they still can’t reach a proper ratio of stands/people - or most likely, they just don’t care. So in 5 hours I drank one cup of water (I guess that’s appropriate for a mid-summer evening), because I refused to waste the show by standing in line and the breaks between bands simply weren’t enough to get a drink.  

Stone Sour, Arenele Romane, 26.06.18

Finally I get a chance to sit down and write about the awesomeness of Stone Sour + Nothing More! It was such a crazy experience that even now, three days later, I am still feeling it in my bones and in my throat. And it was worth every single freaking second!!

Foreigner, Sala Palatului, 07.05.2018

The evening started surprisingly with Iris, and I say surprisingly both because there was no mention of them being the opening act and because it took me a while to recognise them. And yes, I am not blind to the irony of not recognising one of the few Romanian rock bands with "legend" status, but apparently the court of law also has troubles figuring out who these guys are, judging by the fact that there are now two groups of individuals allowed to use the Iris trademark. 

Insomnium, Club Quantic, 22.03.2018

I haven't been to a concert in so long, I was starting to have withdrawal symptoms! I don't know what was going on lately, but it seemed that every time we had tickets to a band we were really excited about, something would happen at the last moment to prevent us from going. We missed Amon Amarth&Grand Magus, Arch Enemy&Jinjer, Haggard... sad days indeed. But the sad days were over the other night, when we finally managed to see Insomnium (another band with a crappy history of trying to reach a live concert of theirs).

Gojira, Arenele Romane, 04.07.17

I still have the chant of „GO-JI-RA GO-JI-RA” ringing in my ears. It was such a fun night, even though Gojira is not a particularly fun band (they’re more on the serious spectre). But more about that a bit later.

Doom over Bucharest III, Club Quantic, 29.04.2017

The third edition of Doom over Bucharest got us out of the house on a dark Saturday night and took us to our favourite concert location, Quantic pub. It was the same as always, space, air, beer, relaxed people, the female singer of Clouds sitting on our table during the previous acts and most people not realising it's her until she got up on the stage, some drunk dude from the audience getting on stage during the show and no one even batting an eyelid, just waiting for the song to end so he'll get down on his own... must be a club concert. 

Firma, Hard Rock Cafe, 10.03.2017

Oh God I love this band! When I was in high school, I used to have a giant crush on Rocca. Fast forward 15 years and I still have a giant crush on Rocca....'s voice. I always enjoyed Romanian alternative rock and I love most of the classics of this genre, but Firma always has and always will hold a special place for me. And as it is with most local bands, up until last night, I still hadn't seen them live, for some strange reason. 

Jethro Tull, Sala Palatului, 21.02.2017

Exactly how badass can a dude with a flute be? The answer was found the other night at Sala Palatului, where Ian Anderson showed how one can carry a concert with nothing but a truckload of talent. 

Doom over Bucharest II, Club Quantic, 26.11.16

After not catching on quick enough that the first doom-themed festival in Bucharest will be sold out weeks before the show, this time we decided to buy tickets so far back that we weren’t even sure who was playing. We saw A dream of Poe there and it was enough.

Warrel Dane, Hard Rock Cafe, 13.09.16

“Just let us play the fucking song!” Ah, Warrel, such a treat! When he announced that he will play the full Dead heart in a dead world album, I expected emotion, angst and a heartbreaking burden. We got that alright, but we also got a very positive and jovial Warrel Dane. For a man who sings about despair and madness, he really doesn’t take himself very seriously, and it was exactly this unexpected combination that made the show enjoyable. But let’s start with the beginning.

Stelele Rock-ului Romanesc, Arenele Romane, 16.04.2016

This Saturday was a good day to be a fan of Romanian rock and metal, as the „stars” of the genre gathered to Arenele Romane to entertain the fans and prove once again that Romanian rock is not dead (it’s cute that from time to time a group of artists and/or promoters feels the need to do that, even though we all clearly know it’s not dead, judging by concert attendance in general). Anyway, I’m not complaining, the more the better.

Bucovina, Arenele Romane, 12.12.15

Seeing Bucovina live was a very intense experience, for quite a large number of reasons. 

First of all, it’s Bucovina. It’s the Romanian band I love and respect the most, I love their music, I love their professionalism, I love their attitude, their message, their love for the country displayed through music... they’re just great.

Machine Head, Arenele Romane, 23.09.15

„Who’s opening for Machine Head? Machine Fucking Head.” That was the joke you could hear from every mouth last night after Machine (Fucking) Head gave us a recital it’s not easy to forget, even if you’re not a fan as dedicated as most of the people in the audience were.

Godsmack, Arenele Romane, 27.06.15

This is going to be a very short diary entry, as it sadly was a very short concert. After having tickets to Godsmack three years ago when they cancelled the show in Romania, this time we were most anxious to see them. But when bad luck strikes in our family, it strikes good. Two bands in, 30 minutes to the band we were waiting for, my husband started feeling horribly sick and we had to go home and wait for another chance to see Godsmack live. But at least we got to see the two opening bands, so it wasn’t a completely missed event.