In the Danish Roskilde Patti Smith, the brilliant 4-0 victory for the German World Cup team against Argentina underscored. During 3000 Rock and football fans cheered the goals from Miro Klose, Thomas Mueller and Arne Friedrich on a large screen, roared in the background music of American singer.
Four years ago, the clear majority Roskilde had kept their 3-2 – quarter-final victory for the Germans to Argentina. This time it was the kick-off reversed. At the final whistle anyway. The sun has shone on Europe’s most traditional rock festival for four days without a break. In addition to bringing big names like Smith, Gorillaz, Muse and the hard-rock trio Them Crooked Vultures as always in Roskilde also lesser-known bands with a difference of 75 000 visitors in the most beautiful summer mood, you can imagine. “Staff Benda Billi” from Zaire, for example, a rousing band with predominantly crippled by polio musicians.
At home in Kinshasa, one of the few ways a little something to earn to survive on the festival stage at the gates of Copenhagen’s such irresistible dance music that the critics of “policies” to the singers on crutches and in wheelchairs only occurred a linguistically daring image: “nose, mouth and heart flowed over one. Wild, funky and not the slightest trace of Freak Show”.
The 40th Festival was less because of the round birthday something special, but because exactly ten years ago, nine young visitors during a Pearl Jam concert had been pressed to death. A solo trumpeter in the style of “I had a comrade” and Patti Smith celebrated a little pathetic happened to be small memorial. Many wondered what has changed since the terrible accident at the festival culture: the security front of the stages is increasingly massive, the audience wild with activities such as crowd-surfing has become clear over the heads of other more cautious. Alcohol and other drugs have retained their place.
Total Roskilde worked well organized this year a little smoother and more professional. Not everyone like that fact that you can now actually rent a hotel bed with all amenities to the festival site for the equivalent of 800 €, speaks volumes. The fact remains that there are few places with so many happy, friendly faces in a crowd is like the Roskilde Festival place 30 km west of Copenhagen.