Rock Fest Day 2 : Beast in Black, Children of Bodom, Judas Priest and more....

Festivals are raw and die-hard. Dust, wind,rain,scorching sun. Whatever's been sent from above you have to accept it. But festivals are about inclusion and fun and friendships. You hardly feel cast out or out of place no matter who you are outside or how you look like.
Day two of Rockfest in Hyvinka was even more crowded and cold (but no rain !) but also the feeling of oneness in the name of music had grown bigger evidently over night.

Photo credit : Rockfest 2018, Julius Konttinen

The line-up of the three stages was top-class as usual. Here I am only to point out a few of my personal favourite highlights.
On the Radio Rock Stage, soon after the amazing Twilight Force, we finally had the chance to see the BEAST IN BLACK (which by the way, will support Nightwish on their european tour in autumn !).
Their music is powerful and dark and Yannis Papadopoulos, the singer, is a real engaging front man, addressing the audience and challenging them being loud and crazy. I loved every moment of their show.

Just the time to listen to Millencolin at the Perkele stage and back we are at the Radio Rock Stage area for the show of Children Of Bodom.
As usual Children Of Bodom were fast, tight and straight in your face. The crowd bigger and crazier for the beloved sons of southern Finland. Just a few songs and excitement was at critical level. Again evry moment was priceless and worth.

Photo credit : Rockfest 2018, Niki Soukkio

Again a quick visit to the Perkele Stage for Sonata Artica and to the Kivi stage for Happoradio and it was again time to be back at the Radio Rock stage area to get the best position possible for Judas Priest. The area is filling up quickly, a flood of people, a mix of very old-school heavy-metal lover, all leather and studs and very young and imaginative fans, with incredibles dress-ups and make-ups, all together to honour one of the biggest names of hard rock. Time might have gone by changing the outer features of the amazing people on stage, but the energy, the power, the joy to perform is as high as it ever was and an endless crowd tightens-up to soak in this classic metal, letting the music do the talk. It's darker now, and the flames projected on the stage colour the area of a red nuance that matches with the red sun-setting sky. The magic is alive.

Photo credit : Rockfest 2018, Niki Soukkio

Photo credit : Rockfest 2018, Niki Soukkio

Photo credit : Rockfest 2018, Julius Konttinen