TOPFEST - 01.-02.7.2011 - Zelená voda Nové mesto n/Váhom, Slovakia

... or how we get to leap out of the frying pan into the fire

Rain every day, constantly overcast and occasional storm. Topfest weather looked exactly like that which was obvious in the whole area of the festival. The arrival was a bit chaotic  because the organizers have lost several hundred (maybe thousand) parking spaces in the tons of mud and tent city turned into a mud bath. But it seemed people ignored these facts very successfully and they swarmed into the area of the festival by the thousands. Tents were spread away from the area in the places where it was at least a few centimetres less mud. That was a cruel reality. While we have arrived at the entrance, the shoes were indistinguishable which one is left or right (which was fully revealed the next morning) and we were surprised but we passed by the security service people without any control. We have somehow moved in front of the main double stage while a Slovak band Gladiator was just performing their set. In the end of their performance, they prepared time-proved hits as well as their own hockey anthem that we could hear throughout Slovakia only some time ago and the crowd was singing with them like the hockey craziness would still cotinue. Then I understood and also regretted the originality of the two main stages. Right after the show of one band was finished, the whole crowd could moved to the second stage where a typical fun with Horkýže Slíže has just started with a new song “Mám p*či na lehátku“. Show was how it should be and fuzzy rockers did their best with all we know about them. That´s the way it should be and that´s what is expected from the band like that. It means that everybody was completely satisfied...

To me, the biggest curiosity was definitely The Locos from Spain, who brought a lot of joy to Zelená voda. And the fans was leaping, rolling around in the mud and...It looked like the mud was the element that caused the good mood. The performance of the Spanish band was full of energy. It was really cheerful and lively – that´s the best description of this show. In contrast with the band, under the stage stood security guards who waited only when at least one of the fans would provoke them so that they can strike. I noticed at least three people who served as a boxing bag for the security guards. Ambulance was admitted to the people after the gentlemen got tired. But let´s go back to music...

...thus if we could call music what the Finnish band Korpiklaani presented because of sound engineers. Korpiklaani was one of the headliners and I expected a great sound but what we could hear from the speakers, that was like a nightmare. The speakers were quiet and the only sound you could hear was from the monitors of the band. That´s why they contentedly went on. Otherwise, they noticed that something is not how it should be but in that right moment they couldn´t do anything than just try to have fun with their fans. On the other hand, Tublatanka sounded amazing. They delighted and pleased each Slovak or Czech rock´n´roll fan. The crowd forgave Maťo Ďurinda, the vocalist of the band, for the mistakes in his way of singing. Everyone enjoyed the show. People were singing and the atmosphere was just amazing. Wanastowi Vjeci started their show in the a quite boring way. And the crowd was just like that but this confusedness turned into madness when they started to play older songs like “Bedna od whisky“ or “Tak mi to teda nandej“.  During the second mentioned song, Robert Kodym asked the crowd: „Who wants a guitar?“ Strangely enough, the first one who raised a hand got the guitar. The band finished their set with a song called “Dotknu se ohně“ from Lucie. I have to admit that it was a really perfect performance with the flames on the stage. The only band thing was a light absence of a good sound. 

The headliner of this evening was a British heavy metal legend SAXON with the same scenario, not really good sound. We could hardly understand what the vocalist wanted to say. But the most important thing was their setlist and songs like “Chasing the Bullet“, “Denim and Leather“ or the one “Coat of Arms“ that people were obviously enjoying. Metal fans finally came into own. Saxon was followed by a Slovak band, Polemic, and their relaxed setlist. Crowd really enjoyed this cheerful band. In the end of this evening, finally with a perfect sound, IMT Smile, a Slovak band which was part of this festival for the first time ever, stirred up the audience with the song called “Opri sa o mňa“ and many other famous songs. 

On Saturday, the weather decided to embarrass the life of all people trying to enjoy this festival. Lingering storm caused more mud as well as wrinkles on our faces. With the sorrow in our souls, we needed to go back home. That implies a single advice - if there´s something really important to have on Topfest, so it's waterproof clothing, boots, mental preparedness and toughness. Unfortunately, we didn´t have most of that...

In conclusion

Topfest and its reputation increases year by year. Unfortunately, the area of the festival is very sensitive concerning the weather conditions. It becomes a tradition that weather is the element that works againts the festival very often. On the other hand, the atmosphere is very unique and people are able to enjoy even the tons of mud. That´s what rules this year again. Sometimes it seems that this was the only source of fun. Sound engineers would deserve punishment for what they showed during the first day on the main stage and bands compliments how they could manage it. The idea of two stages was great on one hand, but according to me, as a fan that loves to enjoy the gigs from the first row, that wasn´t very good. The problem with security people was already mentioned but it wasn´t the fault of the organizers, although they apologied for the inconvenience.