Blogging from Roadburn 2011: Still in Orbit by Walter Roadburn (A Massive Thanks!!!)

I’m spent and I’m numb! My brain is going nowhere. I’m no longer on Planet Roadburn but I’m not entirely here, either. I’m still in orbit. I can’t seem to adjust to daily life.

What just happened during the last few days? Was there magic in the air? Did someone spike my water, or was there a collective state of bliss among bands, fans and the 013 staff? Did the lines between all of us blur? Did the 2011 edition of Roadburn thrive on a unique social vibe like never before? Or was it a figment of my imagination?

I kid you not: my head is buzzing from Roadburn 2011!

The festival ran extremely smoothly from the outset thanks to 013 venue / Roadburn head of production Herbert van Sloun and production manager Rianne van Gestel. These two put in months of intense preparation and assembled a top-notch team of stage managers, sound and light engineers, gofers, haulers, runners, merch manager, etc. and last but not least backline techs! Thanks to their combined efforts, the bands immediately felt at ease and the lack of hassles set the stage (pun intended) for glorious performances.

There was an undeniable fire flowing through the various sets, with bands spurring one another to do great things, turning Roadburn 2011 into an outstanding festival both musically and artistically. Whether it was Swans, Sunn O))), Candlemass, Voivod or Wovenhand on the main stage or Quest for Fire, Mamiffer or Ludicra in the Bat Cave, the audience’s response was equally intense and definitely part of what made Roadburn 2011 so amazing.

Forget about my earlier speculation; there *was* magic in the air, and it could be felt throughout the entire festival. Roadburn 2011 was a convergence of the caravans upon Tilburg for left field sonic pleasures by artists and fans alike from all over the world.

It was fantastic to see Michel Gira down front during Caspar Brotzman Massaker‘s performance, alongside other artists like Sunn O))). It was brilliant to witness several members of Black Mountain at both Voivod shows. Sabbath Assembly‘s Jex Thoth could hardly believe she got to meet Bobby Liebling in person. Not to mention Sunn O)))‘s epic performance Friday night. Apparently, Keiji Haino was originally planning on joining the band for five or 10 minutes at most, only to end up on stage for the entire set, turning it into one of the best Sunn O))) gigs ever, as Greg Anderson told us later.

The same undeniable fire was flowing through the audience, too. It was incredible meeting people from 33 different countries  at this year’s Roadburn. Just like the featured artists and staff, you are the very lifeblood of this festival. The unique social vibe turned Roadburn 2011 into a festival way beyond our imagination!

A HUGE thanks to all of you! Roadburn is our festival! It’s a home away from home, in some cases very far away. Or as one of the artists told me, “I’m no outsider here.!” The same goes for me personally. It’s great to mingle with all of you. It’s inspiring to be part of this collective experience!

Now I need to call the Netherlands Society for Aerospace (NVR) and see about getting some kind of space shuttle arranged or I might never get back to my daily routine. I am thinking this might be a little bit more complicated than figuring out the Jungalow bus schedule.

“Hello, NVR? I was wondering if you could help. I seem to be caught between Planet Roadburn and Planet Earth.”

Walter on behalf of Jurgen, the 013 venue and Roadburn

Tags: 013 Popcentrum, Candlemass, greg anderson, Keiji Haino, Ludicra, Mamiffer, Quest For Fire, Roadburn, Roadburn 2011, Roadburn Festival, Roadburn Festival 2011, Stephen O'Malley, sunn o))), swans, voivod, Walter Roadburn

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 21st, 2011 at 6:02 pm and is filed under 2011, Festival News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.