Shining Stars and Unforgettable Performances: Smukfest Day 2

The rain disappeared and the sun came out fully on day 2 of Smukfest. Several big names are on the stages today and the expectations are quite high. Seeing how Smukfest copes with the heavy amounts of rain is quite amazing. It looks like nothing is done, but yet we don’t see mud pools as expected. But with 18,000 volunteers I guess they have a man or two running around crazy behind the scenes.

Deep Purple

The legendary Deep Purple visited Dyrehaven at Smukfest. What an honour! The guys are close to their 80s, it shows here and there. But one cannot fault the performance of these grandpas. Ian had some trouble with the high notes, but it was cleverly turned into a live twist of the song.

I did lack some life on stage. Roger Glover and Simon McBride (who obviously had quite the age advantage) were the life of the stage. Roger had such a stage presence about him, he interacted with the audience and had fun with the photographers.

The music was on point. The solos were clever and well-executed. The small stories that led up to the next song… It was clear they were veterans on the stage. They felt well at home and worked great with each other.

The audience was everything from grandparents to grandkids. Everybody sang along and had a great time together. The vibes were wonderful and the sun was shining. Lots of smiles and several women had brought flowers for the band.

The vibe was love, and it was wonderful. The feeling of actually seeing Deep Purple live at this stage in their lives was brilliant.

The Darkness

The British rock band performed at Stjernescenen at Smukfest. The first 30 seconds were the worst feeling in the world. We hinted at some rust in Justin’s voice, and the awful feeling of “Oh no, he can’t do it” revealed its ugly head. But Justin just did a re-dial to the gods and showed himself in his most spectacular form.

On point! He is of another breed than human; he never cracked, slowed down, or spared his voice. In between songs, he had some fun with the band and the audience, showed his voice off even more, and had a blast while doing so. The rest of the band was just as crazy as Justin, and it gave the feeling of being with the guys.

The only thing I noticed was that the interaction with the audience to get them clapping or dancing was never really followed up with the music. They started a clap but then faded the music out and in again. The rest of the audience was clearly just as confused about it. It did not tarnish a brilliant concert, though, and all in all, The Darkness is a brilliant live band.

Sam Smith

One of the more controversial artists, stirring the pot with his style and his music. I remember a certain Lady Gaga who did the same. But here she is, one of our most beloved artists. She never conformed, and I hope Sam never will either.

Bøgescenerne was more than full. There was no end to the crowd; they just faded out into the forest. Everyone stood on other people’s toes, but everyone was happy and excited about the upcoming concert. As expected, it wasn’t just a concert, but a full-on show. Backup dancers with red flares emerged on a totally black stage.

The music started and Sam appeared up through the massive sculpture on the stage. Sam didn’t have to do much singing the first 2 songs. The audience was so loud that we imagined that Skanderborg City could hear them.

Sam was all smiles and interacted with the audience and the photographers. And our photographer was in all the right places at all the right times. What you see here is what we got: a gentleman with style, grace, and a voice to rival all others.

Photo’s (c) Morten Holmsgaard Kristensen