ROSKILDE, Denmark — Over four days last week, the Roskilde Festival played host to nearly 200 bands from across the globe and music spectrum. There was almost always something I wanted to see, and while there were sacrifices that needed to be made, I was witness to some amazing moments on the festival’s massive grounds. Here are a few things that stood out.
Show No One Was Willing to Admit They Wanted to See
I talked to a lot of locals at the festival, always sure to ask who they were looking forward to seeing. The first two days I heard answers like The Savages, Animal Collective, and Crystal Castles. But when I started pressing, almost always their answer would change sheepishly to Rihanna. And sure enough, when the singer took the stage on Friday night, it felt like nearly everyone at the festival was there. It may not have actually been the biggest crowd of the weekend (though it was surely the second largest), but considering how hard it was to get people to say the pop star’s name, the turn out was astronomical.
Most Excited (and Possibly Dangerous) Crowd
Arena was packed during Kendrick Lamar’s Thursday performance, with thousands unable to cram under the stage’s massive tent. That didn’t stop people from trying to sing and dance along with the Los Angeles rapper, some so determined that they climbed the flimsy trees surrounding the area to get a better glimpse of their idol. People were literally dancing in trees to the “good kid m.A.A.d city” artist! Never have I felt so old as when I stared up at the handful of 16- to 20-year-olds screaming along to “Backseat Freestyle” above my head.
Most Justifiably Baffled Crowd
It wasn’t the tales of office drone life that the primarily Scandinavian crowd seemed confused by during Pissed Jeans’s Saturday night set, but the band itself. The drummer was texting (or tweeting, something with his iPhone), the lead singer was ripping off his shirt and mocking them for not being at another show, and the guitarist and bassist were standing on stage like statues. No knew how to react to it all, but for those who stayed on trying to make sense of what exactly the Philadelphia band was doing, it was one of the festival’s more compelling sets.
Best Time to Walk Around the Festival
Many locals commented on how much they liked to walk around the festival as the sun was going down, just to take everything in before the night’s biggest shows. For me, the best time I had walking the grounds was during Metallica’s jam-packed Saturday night set. I may have missed out on some classic thrash metal, but I got to take in the antic insanity of Pissed Jeans, watch the infant stages of a desert rave, and make it all the way to the other side of the festival to get caught up in the majesty of Sigur Rós. Not a bad way to spend two hours.
Strangest Sight
On Saturday night, near Apollo, U.K. DJ collective Numbers were trying to get a rave started in the area north of the Mad Max-like campgrounds. When I walked over there, after midnight, it was too early for things to have gotten fully underway, but that didn’t stop the single solitary glow stick salesman from trying to hawk his wares. Wearing neon lit bunny ears, the lonely figure lackadaisically waved around blue and green wands trying to capture the attention of the would-be ravers. He was unsuccessful but he continued his slow dance for upwards of a half hour.
Best Reason to Utilize Ear Plugs
Speaking of Metallica, no band was louder at the festival. It wasn’t even a competition. While some of the Orange Stage acts tried to take it to 11 (Queens of the Stone Age in particular), the sound, even at it’s loudest, was muddled. But Metallica was deafeningly loud and crystal clear. I never thought I’d be the person who wears earplugs at a show before turning 30, but how quickly that changed when I heard the band start tearing into their hits.
Worst Headliner
It pains me to say this, but the answer is simple: Kraftwerk. The group was able to adequately translate their music to the stage, but all that meant was that the headliner’s performance consisted of watching a handful of old men flatly play keyboard. Yes, they’re legends, but it was hard not to be left cold, especially when more visceral bands like Sigur Rós or Queens of the Stone Age would have ended the festival on a much higher note.
Best Stage
There was of course the Orange Stage, where all the headliners played, and Arena, which featured some of the festival’s more exhilarating performances, but to me, the venue of the weekend was the Pavilion stage. Nearly none of the bands playing — a group that included Metz, Pissed Jeans, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra— seemed particularly well suited for an outdoor festival, but the stage captured that dingy, club-like feel they all required. Set after set, whoever showed up, left drenched in dance-induced sweat.
Best Performance
Miguel’s Sunday evening Arena set, in which the R&B singer transformed into a rock star, blew me away. I didn’t know what to expect when the rising star and his sleazy backing band hit the stage clad in leather and suede, but after a couple songs I was hooked. I would’ve never thought that the silkiness of last year’s wonderful “Kaleidiscope Dreams” needed more crunch, but it worked and there wasn’t a more crowd-pleasing set all weekend long. From beginning to end, whenever the singer needed a break, he knew he could count on the crowd to keep the song going. Even though I was exhausted after standing through four days of concerts, I didn’t want his set to end.