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. 

Van Canto - Trust in rust

I'm always enthusiastic when I hear about a new Van Canto album, I know many consider them only a gimmicky band, but I like them a lot. They have a good vibe, put a smile on my face and some of their collaborations are really really awesome (Hansi for the win). But this album I'm not feeling it. It sounds like they're just going through the works and have zero interest towards their music and zero joy of singing, which to me is probably the most off-putting thing when it comes to music. Even mediocre music can be made better by the artist's enthusiasm and not even Opeth- like level of compositions can be saved by a lack of honesty and of caring. Maybe Sly leaving affected them in terms of songwriting or general mood (since he did seem like the most cheerful and carefree guy in the band, maybe he was the motor behind their attitude). But I have to say that as far as vocal skills go, I dig the new guy, Hagen. He has a raspy deep voice and he seems rather versatile. 

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.