AA.VV.
Heineken Jammin' Festival - Imola, 19/06/2004

My account will not be detailed regarding the time, which I often lose track of, nor regarding the setlists performed by the groups, because I am really bad at associating titles with songs. Mine will be the story of a mega-concert experienced with enthusiasm and curiosity from 14:30 to 24:00 and one that, even today when I can hardly stand up, I am very happy to have attended!

STARSAILOR

Quite good (the singer is not bad either), but, apart from a few dance moves to "Four To The Floor," no particular excitement.

Stars: 3/5

PJ HARVEY

A "tiny whirlwind" full of energy PJ appears wrapped in a bright yellow body-con dress, with a print on the front and the writing PJ HARVEY on the back, paired with a pair of dazzling fuchsia shoes (obviously with stiletto heels). I struggle to tolerate the combination of yellow and fuchsia, but upon further reflection, I think she can pull it off... This woman has excessive energy: she never stands still on stage (a friend of mine even suspects that she "danced the bamba" before coming on stage... if you know what I mean...), singing with her whole body (and here is another friend accusing her of copying some moves from Carrà) and, of course, with her whole voice... and what a voice! In the end, even those who didn't know her or knew her little, like me, are satisfied.

Stars: 4/5

PIXIES

Every debaser present awaits them... and there they are on the stage in front of us! They start playing, and I immediately think: "Great band, they're old but still make a great impression!" They even attract my friends who were initially not interested at all; too bad they don't also captivate the three lads behind me, who keep shouting incessantly, uttering phrases like "Go away!", "Fatty of a..!", "Enough already!". I try to control myself and convince myself that I can move (even though once you get a good spot, it bothers you a lot), but I can't take it anymore and politely ask them to reduce the noise pollution, obviously without any significant results. At a certain point, however, I don't hear them anymore... the song is coming... yes yes, it's Her... DEBASER... one hand on the heart and one raised to the sky... What beautiful moments! Too bad I haven't found the other deBasers yet.

Stars: 5/5

BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS

After the Pixies, I grab my gear and dive deeper into the crowd, fighting to reach an excellent position: I'm "smashed" against the barriers and see the stage perfectly! Fantastic, I won't move from here, at least until Ben leaves the stage. And here he comes, as beautiful as the sun and ready to give us an hour and a half of emotions. I am almost moved... seeing him there in front of me (in front of literally 1000s of other people...) and listening to him play and sing just as the sun sets is truly magical.. His innocent criminals are also spectacular, most notably the bassist Julian Nelson. I'm mesmerized by songs like "Excuse Me Mr.," "Woman In You," and "Steal My Kisses," but I have to be honest: too many tracks from the new album and the acoustic part is missing (he does only one song alone)... the performance 4 years ago was better! Beautiful the finale with raised hands, moving back and forth to the rhythm of "With My Own Two Hands," proof that Ben needs the warmth of the audience and knows how to get it. I think he's one of the best and I enjoy him from start to finish without batting an eyelid, internally complaining about those people who start applauding and shouting before the song is even over... but the Heineken is a Festival and it's okay like this!

Stars: 5/5 +

THE CURE

[The following statements will cost me a lot, both because they testify to my profound ignorance about this group and because even live the Cure didn't drive me crazy, but I will tell you anyway...]
I finally meet josi_ and lukin, and together we approach the stage to see the last live of the day: lukin's girlfriend is the only one who is crazy for the Cure. Robert Smith remains consistent, black eyeliner around the eyes, red lipstick, and super teased hair; all the band members are rigorously dressed in black. The Cure are technically very good, an authentic '80s legend, and some songs, foremost among them "Picture Of You," are wonderful and timeless, but honestly, after an hour I've had enough and would be ready to go home... Is it the fault of fatigue? Did I get a sunstroke that flipped my brain? Or simply tastes are tastes, and the world is beautiful because it's varied? However, I'm not going home, because I like to live things to the fullest!

Stars: 5/5 -

Some curiosities:

• I poorly applied sunscreen, and my back got tanned in patches :-(
• Several people are made up like the Cure, and the average age is higher compared to other HJ Festivals.
• Donzaucher introduces me to rivo :-)
• The drummer of the Pixies is wearing the Italian national team jersey with the number 1 and the name David and shows it to everyone at the end of the concert :-O
• Among the audience, almost under the stage, there is also the singer of Verdena :-O
• We narrowly escaped a storm :-D
• To draft this review, I took inspiration from rivo's one from last year, it seemed like a good standard ;-)