The habitants from the village Dobroslavtsi have been trained to endure noise from planes, cause it is a small airport, but on the 22th, 23th and 24th of June you can’t hear the planes – only the three massive stages and the singing crowd for the second edition of Elevation Festival Bulgaria.
The first “warm up day” of the event passed relatively peacefully and with great attendance on Sunday June 23, and thousands of people gathered from all over Bulgaria, who nearly filled the capacity of the location.
The scorching sun and high temperature did not stop the hundreds of people hungry for music and festival experience to roam the airbase from early afternoon on the second day of the Elevation. Around 17 pm, when was the first popular foreign appearance – Chambao, the crowd has noticeably increasing at a slow but steady pace. The band played some of its most famous songs and dances, little by little began to gather force.
On one of the smaller stages the group Kottarashky also brought many of its fans. ”We will fight the sound of the big stage, because we are better than them,” said the Bulgarian musicians.
And the fans of the electronic music was enjoying it at the third stage of the festival.
For Kosheen, who many may remember from their participation in the first edition of Spirit of Burgas years ago, the audience was great, although many of their songs they were already slightly forgotten hits of the past. However, the vocalist of the british group Xi’an Evans was in her good old form and showed what she really can do with her voice, when she’s up on the stage.
Undoubtedly, the strongest performance of the evening was that of Parov Stelar Band. The band of the Austrian DJ and producer Marcus Fyureder standed firm to their their last year’s performance at Elevation, when they made the audience forget the painful absence of Jamiroquie
On Saturday night, against the setting sun behind their stage, five musicians with vocalist with the stage name Clio Panthers (Daniela Hrenek) raised the thousands of people with their brand of electro swing. In a seductive pin-up clothes and a fine lady with cigarette for a saxophonist and the trumpeter at the front line heated the atmosphere, perhaps, to the most emotional point of the evening. Among the most famous songs of Parov Stelar, and there were several from Coco’s penult album from 2009, and several of this year’s – The Princess.
For the fans of Groove Armada and Fatboy Slim might have had a certain amount of disappointment as both of the DJ’s sets didn’t had much to do with the music that they make and their fans enjoy. For those who may not have been prepared for this, heavier rhythms of the first house DJ set still had its supporters in the front lines of the stage.
Around midnight on the main stage screen appeared huge black person in Baptist chant announced the coming out of Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim. The set was rather heavy, and remixing some of his most famous pieces, powerful foreign hits with big beat style, all mixed with typical vision, including outlines of Bulgaria with a huge smiling face in them.
In addition to the music program, one of the things that made the biggest impression was the rigorous organization of the festival, which last year, when happened for the first time, left bitter memories to many – not only because of the failure of headliners and absence of Jamiroquie on the second day. Commendable, to clear the bad impression, organizers have tried a lot, and with very good results.
Parking for cars, though not paved in advance as it was said, was comfortably lined with bars. The entry was smooth and there was no waiting at the entrance, or anywhere in the festival area. There were six places, where people could’ve exchange money for the ”tokens” (festival currency), so at any time and from any position one could obtain a festival currency. Bars and places to eat consistently welcomed the people, without creating unnecessary tension to wait or for slow service, from which many people have bad memories from past festivals in the country.
In addition to the musical entertainment everyone could’ve found and other entertainments such as a skate park ramp, climbing wall, ropes stretched for walking and one of the biggest attractions was a great free platform hovercraft with about 5 m above her, which was constant stream of jumping of the big and small, eager for more adrenaline.
For children there were separate areas for activities. For adults as well. As long as it wants, one could’ve made all kinds of tattoos, to play football on small doors, to dip into a huge pool with foam, to participate in the cake fights, to make the outer cap or homebrew badge of their choice, to rest in the one of the aircraft hangars or simply stretch of a hammock or on the lawn.
On the third day, the program continues, starting from noon. The festival began to put more people at 12 pm. Among the big names who got on primetime this night were Nneka, and favorite of many – lovely Erykah Badu and hip-hop classics Cypress Hill.
With such a wide range of styles on three stages at the same time, two people can attend Elevation and tell completely different stories in the morning to their friends. But, however, something in the experience is the same – positive impressions emanating from every corner of the the little Bulgarian village.
