Rock for People: Day 3

Day 3: Rock fest slams on

On Sunday evening I was pleased to catch most of the UK representatives shows. First up was Skunk Anansie. The hypnotic lead singer Skin gave the frantic audience exactly what they came to see, a mixture of the bands classic tracks with new numbers thrown in from their forthcoming album. Their new songs sound like a return to the bands original sound, hard & unrelenting guitars combined with Skins angelic vocals.

A short breather and enough time to make the short walk over to the Česká Spořitelna stage to check The Prodigy’s musical & visual offering for the humid Sunday evening. Arriving on stage a little later than planned, the UK dance overlords hammered out classic after classic from their extensive vault of dance hits. Poison, Fire Starter and Breathe boomed through the PA system. The whole show felt like one of their many early underground raves that gave The Prodigy their reputation in the early 90s. Energy, stabbing synths and bass whipped the crowd into a wild frenzy – cementing the fact that The Prodigy is still one of the UK’s best dance music exports. An uncharacteristically muted Liam ‘danced’ and weaved around the stage like a man possessed by the electronic rhythms, occasionally grabbing a microphone to give sparse vocals over the band’s most popular tracks. Their encore was the cherry on the dance-cake: Outer Space with vocal assistance from the 30 thousand strong crowd during the chorus.

Monday morning came around quick after a long and late Sunday night of music thanks to the Cool Stage DJ’s (the stage courtesy of the good folks at Chapeau Rouge in Prague 1). Once inside you’re more likely to find the DJ’s playing house rather than rock, but after a few drinks from the conveniently located bar inside, no one seemed to care – in fact they seemed to love it! Monday’s bands started early; My Music kicking things off at the Rock & Pop stage at 12:00, followed by Prohrala Kartach.

On a side note, there was a delicious variety of food available for all in attendance – a plethora of grub from around the world to satisfy and titillate the taste buds. Amongst the selection were Chinese noodles, Mexican burritos, authentic Indian curry, and traditional Czech snacks and meals, all at reasonable prices. Walking around the many food stalls at the festival, I witnessed many satisfied faces being stuffed with culinary delights. I myself went the Indian route: hot & spicy potato curry with rice – and all for 70 CZK – a delicious and filling bargain.

Back to the music. At the outset of Jacksonville-based Evergreen Terrace’s performance in the late afternoon the mighty rock festival experienced a slight glitch in the form of a torrential rainfall, but even Mother Nature couldn’t dampen the spirits of a raging audience at the Česká Spořitelna stage.

One more day ahead with plenty to see and hear. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Craig Monts