Ieri am ajuns destul de devreme, pe la 4:30. M-am intalnit cu un prieten si am intrat, fara coada sau alte probleme. Am luat jetoane (3 RON / bucata) si ne-am dus sa vedem ce putem face cu ele. Puteam "face" bere (Heineken la 0,33, de fapt mai degraba 0,25 fara spuma), sucuri (Coca cola si restul), mancare de la mici la chinezesc si cam atat. Am luat o banca in fund si am stat la cateva beri sa ne punem in atmosfera de festival. Pe una din scene au cantat fara mare succes rapperii de la Vertia Saga, apoi cu mai mare succes EMIL. Astia din urma au strans toata pustimea din zona si au avut parte de agitatie maxima, dar au cantat putin si de unde stateam eu nu se auzea bine. Am dat o raita prin zona, am facut o proba la netul gratis de la Romtelecom si nu m-am intalnit cu niciun blogger. In schimb cu fel de fel de prieteni, colegi de servici m-am intersectat. Dar parca ma asteptam sa fie mai multa lume cunoscuta. In fine, poate or fi venit numai pentru "main performance" si seara era greu sa recunosti pe cineva. Am aruncat o ureche la olandezii de la Kraak and Smaak, am zis ca ar merita sa iau un album sa vedem cum suna, dar nu se gasea la taraba oficiala asa ca o sa-l iau de pe net. Pe urma am ascultat sfarsitul de la Stereophonics si un pic din Sunrise Avenue. Stereophonics hai, si-au facut treaba OK, au fost mai hard decat ii stiam. Dar Sunrise... au fost cam penibili, mai ales ca aveau vreo suta-doua de spectatori si aia plictisiti de viata. Asa ca am plecat si ne-am dus la Silent Disco. Asta e un cort special unde lumea danseaza in liniste, la muzica de la castile wireless primite de fiecare. Si ai de ales intre doi DJ diferiti, asa ca era funny cum unii dansau intr-un ritm iar altii in altul. Pacat ca se auzea incet si cam prost. Am transpirat ingrozitor de la casti.

Se facea seara, asa ca am mai luat niste beri si ne-am pregatit de Manu Chao. Era de fapt motivul principal pentru care venisem. Din pacate s-a suprapus cu Nelly Furtado, care crezusem initial ca va fi un bonus, dar n-a fost sa fie. Nelly, imi cer scuze, data viitoare nu mai lipsesc :) . Manu Chao a sunat super, mai in forta decat ma asteptam (prietenei mele nu i-a placut chestia asta), au facut si bis-uri, a fost beton. Publicul m-a surprins pozitiv: entuziasm, scandari, cantat, la sfarsit lumea a strigat si a aplaudat vreo 5-10 minute pentru inca o piesa. Care a venit. Cand s-a terminat eram complet ragusit, cu tricoul rasucit deasupra capului si cu urechile infundate. Desi Nelly Furtado nu se terminase am plecat spre casa. Evident ca nu am gasit taxi decat dupa ce am mers pe jos pana la Piata Domenii, asa ca am facut un ocol pana la Plazza Romania ca sa lasam pe cineva, iar abia apoi am ajuns acasa in Iancului. Am mancat ceva rapid si ne-am bagat la pat, ca urma o zi de munca.

Acum pe scurt, cu liniute, ce-a fost nine si ce a fost rau:

Bine:

- au fost suficiente case de schimbat jetoane, doar la un moment dat spre seara cand se adunase lumea am stat 5 minute la coada.

- au fost suficiente dozatoare de suc si bere, seara asteptai doarpret de una - doua persoane sa fii servit.

- a fost internet gratis de la Clicknet pe niste laptopuri ale lor, si banuiesc si wireless; mai nasol a fost ca dupa ce am scris primul post am revenit si am vrut sa mai comentez ceva, dar calculatoarele erau ocupate de gagici de la organizare care stateau cu prietenele pe messenger. A trebuit sa renunt.

Rele:

- cred ca erau prea putine locuri de stat jos, o singura zona cu banci si scaune.

- publicul de zi a fost foarte putin si amorf.

- la un moment dat as fi dat muzica mai tare (tot ziua)

- mi se pare mie sau anul trecut lineup-ul a fost mai tare? Cred ca erau suficiente 3 zile, a patra nu cred ca o sa mai aiba mare succes.

- faza cu taxiurile de la sfarsit, dar asta nu tine de organizare. Taximetristul cu care am mers spunea ca e stiut ca nu sunt suficiente taxiuri in Bucuresti si ca in curand se va scumpi substantial.

- staff-ul de la paza era cam "colorat". In rest a fost lume pestrita, multa pustime si multi corporatisti. Partea buna e ca n-au fost totusi cocalari.

Cam asta a fost B'estfestul de anul asta pentru mine. Am ajuns acasa si am consatat ca aveam tricoul pus pe dos, deci asta spune mult despre cum m-am simtit la concertul Manu Chao. La anul sper sa reuseasca sa aduca trupe cel putin de nivelul de anul asta. Poate ar fi misto sa  caute alta locatie, mai verde, pentru ca daca ar fi fost cald rau cred ca se lasa cu lesinuri. A, si sa nu uit: daca vrei sa mergi la ziua 4 Aftershock da-mi un semn si iti dau 7 jetoane care mi-au ramas.

Siden Quarten fikk trøkken(og en ny Head Candy-inspirert, klein hjemmeside) var det dagspass på Hovefestivalen som var mitt eneste alternativ for sørlandsfestival. Noen vil kanskje også nevne skjærgårds-gospel, men jeg hadde dessverre ikke penger til slikt i år. I utgangspunktet gledet jeg meg ca 70 % til Jay-Z og 30 % til Animal Collective, men jeg skjønte etter hvert at prosentregningen min ikke var helt optimal etter ett år med Knausgårding og at det strengt tatt heller burde vært 90 % Animal Collective og 10 % Jay-Z. Før du sier noe, Håvard: Her er begrunnelsen min.

Posisjoneringen min på Jay-Z var temmelig dårlig. Rævva, faktisk. Selv om jeg kunne se scenen perfekt, var lyden helt grusom, og jeg ble stående som en pretensiøs idiot og være sur på det store deler av konserten. Det at han avsluttet med Encore ft. Linkin Park hjalp heller ikke noe særlig på situasjonen. Selv om H to the Izzo dro mange klassiske låter og lagde sjåvv, endte jeg opp med en følelse av en kul- konsert. Kanskje jeg bare er litt lei av hiphop-konserter.

Animal Collective var noe helt annet. På samme måte som plata deres med navn "Spirits they've vanquished, spirits they've gone" gjør, greip bandet fatt i meg, sparket meg i magen og kløyp meg i skrittet...på en bra måte. Det er også ganske imponerende med tanke på at det ikke var en eneste standard trommebeat på hele konserten. Det de hadde var derimot helt fantastiske synther og et episk lysshow som paralyserte meg helt. Da Peacebone kravlet seg ut av synthene til Panda Bear, var det ingen tvil: Dette var en av de beste konsertene jeg hadde vært på på lenge.

For dere som ikke har hørt Animal Collective, væsjego' :

Peacebone

Fireworks

Og det var det jeg fikk med meg på Hove i år. Jeg kunne også snakket om da jeg stod i kø i over en time for å få satt på bånd, rett bak to brisne bergensere som prøvde å sjekke opp damer som sikkert 10 år yngre enn dem, den elendige logistikken på området og bilturen hjem med Daniel "Verdens Kaldeste Bil" Karlsen, men det gjør jeg ikke. He-he.

Sunfest is Canada's Largest World Music Festival and it takes place in London, Ontario. 

I love world music, and any festival that has world music is a great spot for sampling "world food."

I had a Columbian areppa (I hope I'm spelling it right), a gyro, and a Mexican churro. I was awefully tempted by the jerk chicken and pad thai, but I was too full and too hot to eat any more. My wife stuck to mainly Vietnamese food, but had an elephant ear for dessert.

We got to do a lot of walking. There are more than 225 vendors and more than 35 professional musicians from all over the world. 

My daughter surprised us by dancing up a storm (she's 3 months old). She Loves Reggae. I liked the Japanese Taiko Drumming. You could hear it clear across the park.

http://www.sunfest.on.ca/

Overall: 80/35 2008 is kind of like a Tootsie Roll--meant to please everyone, but somehow not really pleasing anyone. The bands were too broad for anybody to really enjoy the festival, except perhaps hippies since I've never met a hippie that didn't say, "No." to a festival where at least one jam band was on the bill. I think festival-goers of Ozzfest, Warpred Tour, etc probably were/are a lot more pleased since there is an obvious focus. But to be fair to 80/35, I'm not sure if I could put together a better line-up...for a crowd that seems to have little interest in music to begin with...

I only saw a few (four) bands perform...

Andrew Bird: I think this was my favorite performance of the the entire festival. I have been wanting to give him a listen for awhile and his performance was a good reminder to do so. I think, with the exception of indie kids and some out-of-towners, nobody knew he existed before Friday evening.

Flaming Lips: Fuck Bush. Fuck this war. Am I the only one getting tired of hearing this everywhere from MTV to the anarchist's hat at the bus stop? It is the general consensus that America does say, "Fuck Bush and Fuck this War," so can't we go beyond spreading the word that has already been spread and focus on the next election? Anyway....the Flaming Lips are known for their crazy, over-the-top, party-style performances. Is it just me of did it seem like we got a slightly abbreviated performance? With the naked painted ladies, skull costume and psychdelic colors, I was mostly reminded of a Beavis and Butt-head dream sequence, which isn't bad, but who wants a dog when you can have a puppy? Maybe I would have enjoyed this more had a pair of giants not been standing right in front of me.

Black Francis: I went to see Black Francis hoping for the Pixes, or even Frank Black. :( It still was thrilling to see a member of one of my favorite bands perform though.

Poison Control Center: This was the most fun performance. Their loyal fans love them, so the energy is great!

Food: I ordered chicken nachos and there were six-inch pieces of chicken on them, which made them impossible to eat without sitting at a table with a fork and knife. Also, they put shredded cheese on top of pump cheese, ew! I wish I could have found the regular nachos you get at ballparks or movie theaters. OH well, I had some delicious Thai Food afterwards.

Drink: The beer was cheap and the one with the one with the horse was decent. The water was cheap too, but the vendor was overly aggressive when it came to tipping!

Conclusion: I definitely have to commend the committee/people that made this happen because it was quite the feat. Good luck next year!

Queen's Park, festa africana, parco pieno di persone di ogni colore, sia sulla pelle che nei vestiti, banchini con cibo tradizionale e non, oggettistica di tutto il continente, famiglie, giovani, vecchi e bambini occupavano, il parco, sdraiati, giocandoa freesbie, calcio, correndo, quattro palchi con centinaia di persone ad ascoltare e ballare, una meraviglia.

Africa batte Italia 19 a 0.

Le foto

Aggiornare il blog con questo ritmo inizia ad essere faticoso..

nota: prossimamente ci sara' un altro festival, Just for laughs, l'indirizzo e' questo, gia' il dominio e' uno spasso.

É deste tipo de iniciativas que braga estava a precisar :)

Dia 13 é por lá que me encontram.

This year I am working for my friend Kathy, the owner of a Cherry Store called Benjamin Twiggs.  Along with running a brick and morter full time, she is also responsible for her little space at the festival. 

Here's a visual:

This will be a week of long, tiring days!  My feet hurt already!

En resumen, para mí lo mejor del Rock in Rio fue el concierto de The Cabriolets (en el que además estaba en primera fila, porque aun había muy poca gente) y el de The Police, al que asistieron 70.000 personas, según dijo Sting.

Salí de la Ciudad del Rock en torno a las 03:15, aunque la fiesta aun continuaba en la zona de música electrónica, con una discoteca al aire libre con gogós incluídas. No podía con mi alma después de toda la tarde a pleno sol, y cargando con todos los regalitos que fui recopilando y que podéis ver en el vídeo (aunque al final me hice con alguno más). Las colas para coger los autobuses eran inmensas. Había varias para Madrid, y todas ellas como de un kilómetro. Así que me tocó esperar... Y de camino, atascos. Menos mal que los autobuses eran cómodos, así que la mayoría de los viajeros aprovechamos para dormir. Y una vez de vuelta en el Bernabeu (de donde salen y llegan los autobuses de Rock in Rio), una media hora para intentar conseguir un taxi que me trajese al hotel, porque el metro estaba ya cerrado y localizar un taxi libre era una misión casi imposible.

Y para que no os aburráis os dejo con mis vídeos del Rock in Rio de ayer.

VÍDEOS ROCK IN RIO MADRID

JSOG y los efectos del Rock

Concierto The Cabriolets

Concierto Zucchero

Concierto The Police

Fin conciertos Rock in Rio: fuegos artificiales y canción Rock in Rio

>>> Lire la suite de l'article

Ich finde es ja gelinde gesagt, nun ja... interessant, dass die Aftershowparty zur Bonner R(h)einkultur in Köln stattfindet. Noch dazu, während die R(h)einkultur noch läuft...

» Lire la suite de l'article

>>> Lire la suite de l'article

Hier also für alle Festival-Hungrigen schon mal das Spirit of Woodstock Festival 2008 Plakat!! Noch habt ihr Zeit euer Zimmer vorzubestellen (im Omnidiet Hotel natürlich, ihr Schwerenöter - unter www.Omnidiet-Hotel.com ), Flüge zu buchen, Freundinnen, Freunden und Bekannten Bescheid zu sagen .. es sind noch 18 Tage bis Festivalbeginn ... Don't you dare miss it!!!

Spirit of Woodstock Festival: www.SpiritOfWoodstockFest.com

Am gestrigen Samstag stieg in der Bonner Rheinaue die Rheinkultur, Deutschlands größtes "für umsonst"-Festival. Und da ich im Gegensatz zu den letzten Jahren mal nicht im Klausurstress war, war ich diesmal auch dabei.

Mehr wird folgen!

Patrick Picotin taking picture with Sumo wrestlers in Japanese festival in Tokyo Japan

In questi giorni (da sabato 5 luglio a lunedì 7) è in svolgimento a Marina di Pietrasanta (Lucca) il "Joe D'Amato Horror Festival", importante manifestazione nazionale dedicata all'horror giunta alla settima edizione.

Il festival, oltre 6.000 presenze nel 2007 e illustri ospiti tra cui citiamo Dario Argento, prevede una vasta sezione dedicata ai cortometraggi di genere.

Come avevamo già annunciato qualche settimana fa il nostro corto-spot Preda è stato selezionato per la proiezione e parteciperà all'assegnazione dei premi previsti. E' un'ottima soddisfazione per noi dato che Preda non è propriamente un corto e non appartiene nemmeno al 100% al genere horror (a parte la presenza del mostro..)! Quindi una selezione che vale doppio!

Ricordiamo che Preda era stato originariamente realizzato per partecipare ad un progetto LAV che prevedeva la realizzazione di spot contro la caccia. La prima proiezione pubblica è avvenuta il 15 aprile, a Roma, nell'ambito del festival "L'invasione degli ultracorti", dove si è classificato al terzo posto nella propria serata, secondo il voto del pubblico.

Prossimamente sarà inviato ad altri festival, privilegiando le manifestazioni dedicate agli spot, ai filmati di genere comico, horror e a tematiche ambientali.

Invitiamo chi fosse interessato a fare un salto a Marina di Pietrasanta e partecipare al festival, per tutti i dettagli il sito della manifestazione è http://www.nidodelcuculo.tv/jdhf/

So instead, this weekend we were on the search for other fun stuff to do.  Between the rain, we went to the pool and swam away.  Alex is doing really good swimming.  His goal is to swim underwater without his goggles.  He is making progress.  Lily is trying to walk in the water.  She crawls and has put her face in (not on purpose) a few times.  She handles it really well. 

We also made it out to the batting cages.  Alex and RC are really into baseball.  Alex has a pretty good swing and can throw a mean ball.  RC practically injured himself hitting the ball.  He actually bend the bat with one hit.  Now that is a serious hit! 

At last we also went miniature golfing.  Our first time with Alex.  He seemed to enjoy it.  Lily just sat on the green and watched the balls fly by. 

This coming week is a big one.  We have Lily's first birthday and Aunt Sagina is coming to visit.  Lots of fun.  I'll have more pics by the end of the week.

foi um dia muito cansativo pra mim pois trabalhei no café das 8 às 3 da tarde e saí e fui direto pro Hyde Park pra ver o show (pensei que como estava anunciado pras 2, eu ia acabar perdendo muita coisa, mas que nada, o melhor começou lá pelas 6). eu estava tão cansada, mas tão cansada que ao chegar me joguei numa graminha e dormi um pouco. já estavam rolando alguns shows mas nada que eu me lembre de já ter ouvido falar.

tocou um povo muito bom, que eu adorei, mas vou ter que recorrer ao felipe depois pra ele tentar me dizer quem são. aí, logo depois uma banda de Liverpool chamada the wombats, muito legal tb. aí veio o beck. maravilhoso, com um cabelão loiro, chapéu preto e óculos idem, nem parecia um ex skatista. mas o som dele é mesmo muito bom e ao vivo então, nem se fala. nessa altura dos acontecimentos eu já tinha ido lá pra frente e dava pra ver bem os caras, mas eu tava que já não me aguentava mais de pé, e ainda faltava o morrisey e o the national.

o morrisey é foda! sem outra palavra pra descrever o cara. ele tem um carisma, um humor irônico, rasgante, e vou dizer que está em plena forma, viu? trocou de camiseta umas vezes e foi super aplaudido. primeiro ele entrou com uma camiseta da playboy e antes de qualquer coisa foi logo dizendo que sim, era uma camiseta da playboy para quem estava tentando ler. depois, trocou de camiseta e colocou uma escrita american idol. todo mundo riu e ele disse que na noite anterior quase tinha morrido de decepção quando viu que quem tinha ganho o prêmio do vma tinha sido a killie minogue e que com certeza nós a merecíamos! falou que sentia cheiro de animais mortos na platéia e que a gente colocava carne podre pra dentro de nossos corpos quando comíamos hamburgueres e tal. muito doido esse cara. mas ele tem um carimsa impressionante. uma postura no palco e uma música que eu não preciso descrever né? e como ele mesmo diz em um canção: "love, harmony and peace, so nice, so nice, so nice but maybe in the next workd".

valeu cada centavo e toda a dor sentida nas minhas pernas ter ido a esse festival!

Underworld:

[wpvideo MHtjJnJg]

Questa è la mia versione, con lo shit-phone nokia 32 e qualcosa...

[wpvideo EgjUDWKq]

FatBoy Slim:

[wpvideo g8gqJly3]

[wpvideo jgPzSXw3]

Das schöne Wetter hat uns sehr aufgemuntert in den See zu plantschen, was wir auch nachher gemacht haben. Der See war super warm und die Sonne wollte nicht aufhören zu scheinen!

Als wir dann ein Bisschen trocken waren, liefen wir bis zum Schloss Chillon. Dies sind wir natürlich auch besichtigen gegangen. Es ist ein muss dieses Schloss zu besuchen, wenn man schon in Montreux ist! Es ist wunderschön dort und auch sehr interessant wie dieses Schloss erbaut wurde. 

Jeder Raum/Saal hat sein eigenen Charakter, man kann sie auch für Anlässe mieten.

Bei jedem grossen Saal hat es einen rissen Kamin, den sie auch immer noch verwenden.

Dies Foto (oben) sieh einfach zum gröllen aus... ^^

Die beiden Jungs auf dem Mittelalterliche Klo, auch "Plumsklo" genannt. :) :D

Jaja... unser Gefangene... Theatertalent! Man konnte von Gefängnis bis zum obersten Turm gehen.

Der Ausblick war grandios! Hier sieht man Richtung Villeneuve...

Jan!!!! :)

Lexu und ich

Nach der Besichtigung vom Schloss gingen wir wieder nach Montreux Zentrum, aber nicht zu fuss, sondern mit dem Bös! Wir sind schon fast 9 km gelaufen und wollten unsere Füssen nicht noch mehr strapazieren^^

Zuletzt waren wir noch am See, gingen aber dann noch nach Gruyère dort das Schloss besichtigen!

Das Schloss war natürlich schon geschlossen, aber wir umliefen es noch...

Guck, gluck, gluck... Ja das Feierabend Bier musste auch noch sein! So gemütlich war es doch in Gruyère :)

Turblulent verliefen die Aufbauten zur 26. Rheinkultur in der Bonner Rheinaue. Trotz Ankündigung von Regen liessen es sich 140.000 Partyfreudige aus ganz Europa nicht nehmen, nachmittags in tropischer Hitze und abends mit etwas Regen ausgelassen zu feiern. Kostenlos berühmte Band sehen kann man halt nur in Bonn, auf fünf Bühnen und mehr als 50 Acs.

Friedlicher und abwechslungsreicher hätte es kaum ablaufen können.
Dafür sorgten natürlich 2 Einsatzschaften der Polizei sowie das Deutsche-Rote-Kreuz und die Wasserwacht Bonn. Auch die SWB Bus und Bahn hatten sich gegen etliche auswärtige Störer vor allem im Bahnverkehr gewappnet. Nach Auskunft der Stadtwerke kamen Störungen nur in geringem Maße vor, u.a. zogen Kids ohne Grund die Notbremsen, Türen wurden wärend der Fahrt entriegelt. Auch der Schaden an der Oberleitung Nähe der Haltestelle Rheinaue, der in der Zeit von 17.50 bis 18.30 Uhr die Stadtbahnlinie 66 an der Fahrt über die Südbrücke hinderte, wurde aufgrund deutlich erhöhtem Personaleinsatz schnell behoben.

In der Sportsarea konnte man Neues ausprobieren. Sportarten mit Namen wie Floorball, Snakeboarding und Speedshooting waren gefragte Highlights. Und wer mutig genug war, konnte vom Bungeejumping-Kran einen herrlichen Ausblick über das Festival-Gelände erhaschen, bevor er sich in die Tiefe stürzte.

Einige Besucher traten ihre Rückreise bereits gegen 22.00 Uhr an, als leichter Regen einsetzte.

Die Rheinkultur ist längst kein Geheimptipp mehr.

Bild: Schandmaul - © All-Areas-Magazine.de

Bilder der 26. Rheinkultur in der:

• All-Areas-Gallery.de (Fotos Besucher)
• Don Bonn
• The Trashmonkeys
• Schandmaul
• The Futureheads
• Anti-Flag
• Wohnraumhelden & Freunde of Liedermaching

Offizielle Website:
http://www.rheinkultur.com

The weather was muggy, and the skies cloudy, but this was far better than the rain we were expecting for this outdoors event.

The Taste of London is in it’s 3rd year (we first visited in 2006, last year we did Taste of Bath), and is essentially a food festival run over 4 days in July in Regent's Park.  It’s an opportunity for some of the best restaurants in the London area to showcase some of their favourite dishes.  In addition, there are plenty of drinks to be sampled, and merchants representing the food and drink world.  The festival has it’s own currency – the Crown.  One crown is equivalent to 50p, and can be purchased in books of £10.

We had purchased VIP tickets at a cost of £50, which included £20 of Crown.  This enabled us to join a much shorter queue to get in, and also allowed us access to the VIP tent where we were provided with a complimentary glass of Laurent Perrier.  A glance at the drinks menu inside told us that an additional glass could be purchased for a scary 20 crowns.  When we first visited in 2006, we were treated to some tasty amuse bouche in the VIP area, so we were a little disappointed that this time the nibbles were confined to olives and nuts.
The other ‘advantage’ to access to the VIP tent was a chance to mingle with the 'stars'.  I spotted Anthony Worrel-Thompson in an early scout for a table, and beat a hasty retreat.  Later in the evening, the tent became packed with people eager to listen to a performance by Jazz performer Jamie Cullum.  We were fairly close to the stage, so I was able to take a few photographs before escaping the crowds.

There were 40 restaurants represented there, but we were only able to sample a handful.  We each tried different dishes each time, and where possible tried different restaurants.

I think one of my favourites was one of the simplest – fish & chips from Tom’s Place.  I joined the crowd of people at the stand, but it was obvious what that popular dish was.  “who wants fish and chips” was answered with a  show of hands, resulting in a quicker service than anticipated.  The portion of beer battered red gurnard was generous in comparison to most of the other dishes, the chips were deliciously chunky, and tartar sauce was served on the side.  At the next stand, my husband sampled the 'Seven hour braised lamb shoulder with balsamic onions and mash' from Tom's Kitchen.  It was worth the crowd and wait – the lamb was beautifully tender, and complemented well with the slightly tangy taste of onion and simple mash.
From the Arbutus stand, I found that the gruesome sounding 'Braised Pigs Head' was in fact delicious - moist and tender, though a little fatty.  It was accompanied by potato puree and caramalised onion (a popular combination it seems!).  Meanwhile, my husband was enjoying Canteen's 'spit roasted pork with mash & gravy'.
The only stand where we both tried a dish was Bumpkin – he had the Bumpkin Burger – a lamb burger with rosemary and olives, whilst I tried the Charter Pie.  I had no idea in advance what this pie may contain, and found that under the light pastry lid was chicken, ham and vegetables.  Later research indicates that 'Charter Pie' is the traditional name for this type of pie, and was the dish that Bumpkin manager Dariush Nejad recommended for 'starving models-'  Full story here.

Also available was wine and champagne tasting classes, cooking demonstrations and book signings.  The chefs demonstrating included Gary Rhodes, Aldo Zilli, and Marcus Wareing, but we did not attend any of these events.  At last year's Taste of Bath event we participated in a beer tasting session, and thought it was a bit of pity that there was nothing similar here.

Despite them twisting our arms (again!) into spending lots of money on wine, I really must recommend Charles Mitchell wine merchants.  Not only is Chris Pacey extremely knowledgeable, he is also friendly and happy to help you choose the perfect wine – no matter how many samples it may take!

The atmosphere was laid back, with visitors ranging from the well-heeled to the more casual, and from couples to young families.  The dishes generally are quite expensive (and small!), but if you plan carefully you can make the most of your crowns, and take the opportunity to sample dishes that you may not if faced with a larger dish.

Casi 30.000 aficionados vibraron anoche en Bilbao con la brillante actuación de REM y con un Lenny Kravitz especialmente entregado, a pesar de que la lluvia prácticamente no cesó durante la segunda jornada del festival Bilbao BBK Live 08. No obstante, resguardados de la lluvia con chubasqueros y paraguas, la gran parte de los 'fans' congregados en las campas de Kobetamendi, convertidas en un auténtico barrizal, aguantaron estoicamente para disfrutar con los éxitos de estas dos formaciones estadounidenses.

Ataviado con un traje oscuro de rayas y megáfono en mano, saltó al escenario el vocalista de REM, Michael Stipe, bajo los acordes del mítico tema 'Orange Crush' y dio así comienzo un concierto de hora y media con una puesta en escena sobresaliente gracias a un potente despliegue audiovisual.

Más de una veintena de temas, entre los que intercalaron nuevas melodías de su último trabajo 'Accelerate' con algunas de sus canciones más populares, como 'Bad day', 'Electrolite' o 'What's the frequency, Kenneth?' -durante este último tema Stipe se colocó unas gafas de sol que recordaban al característico antifaz oscuro que suele llevar en algunos directos- y que el público coreó masivamente.

Sin embargo, los considerados como 'pioneros del rock alternativo' dejaron los himnos que les han llevado a formar parte del Salón de la Fama del Rock para los 'bises'.

Stipe hizo las delicias de los presentes cuando regresó, con una camiseta del Athletic de Bilbao al cuello, para tocar 'Losing my religion', 'Imitation of life' y el primer sencillo de su último trabajo, 'Supernatural Superserious'.

Para despedir el que ha sido el primer concierto en España de la gira europea de REM -mañana tocan en el festival Doctor Loft de Girona y después del verano actuarán en Madrid y Murcia- los de Georgia optaron por el clásico 'Man on the moon', al que siguió una gran ovación del público como agradecimiento a la lección de buena música que regaló la banda.

Por su parte, Lenny Kravitz ofreció un enérgico espectáculo salpicado de toques más íntimos -como su interpretación de 'I'll be waiting' al piano- en el que, al igual que REM, el neoyorquino encadenó temas de su último trabajo 'It's time for a love revolution' con algunas de las canciones que le llevaron al estrellato.

Así, 'Always on the run', 'American Woman' o 'Fly away' hicieron vibrar a sus seguidores, quienes estallaron en el momento cumbre de la noche, cuando el cantante se bajó del escenario durante la interpretación del tema que le dio a conocer hace casi veinte años 'Let love rule'.

'Love revolution' y 'Are you gonna go my way' fueron los temas elegidos como colofón de un concierto en el que Lenny Kravitz dejó claro por qué ha ganado cuatro premios Grammy consecutivos a la mejor interpretación vocal rock masculina y vendido más de veinte millones de discos en todo el mundo.

Asimismo, las actuaciones de los toledanos 'The Sunday Drivers', quienes saltaron a la fama gracias al tema 'Do it', y de los ingleses 'The Pigeons Detectives' -ambas formaciones anunciadas recientemente debido a que 'The Wombats' y 'Hotel Persona' se cayeron del cartel en el último momento- no defraudaron y evidenciaron grandes dosis de calidad para el directo.

Y de este modo, el festival bilbaíno se encamina hacia su tercera y última jornada, en la que 'The Blues Brothers', 'Riders on the Storm', 'ZZ Top', 'Madness' y, especialmente, la reaparición de Tequila pondrán el punto final a su tercera edición.