Having just opened for Papa Roach in Opatija a few days earlier, we were well-prepared to try to recreate that energy in Benkovac. There was no time for a rehearsal before this gig, so we hoped to avoid any mid-song trainwrecks, especially given the fact that there were some (minor) changes to the set.
There was some serious route planning involved in the days leading up to the gig, as the traffic was expected to be even worse for this one. Since nine people were traveling in the same van – and we were scattered around the country like mismatched socks after laundry day – we had to make two stops along the way to pick up people who are kind of important to the show. Like our singer, Karlo.
Ante and Eugen made sure the atmosphere in the van was bearable, even though we were stuck in traffic for hours. Thankfully, we arrived early for soundcheck, with just enough time to grab a delicious lunch the event organisers had provided. With our bellies full, we hopped onto the sunset-lit stage to check if all our cables were in order.
Peter (the main dude responsible for Kryn’s live sound) couldn’t be bothered to join us for Vlajternativa, as he was on a tour that didn’t include us lot, but he very kindly provided help in the shape of his buddy Blaž, who did the job brilliantly. As a result, soundcheck was done quickly, and we relaxed backstage pretty much until showtime.
The show itself went pretty smoothly from our perspective – it was nice seeing a big crowd singing along. We had a cool moment during the “When Heroes Fall” intro, when the crowd joined in to sing the melody. Even though our in-ear monitors make everyone look like they’re opening their mouths in silent mode, we felt the energy, which made that particular song a little bit more special. Everyone seemed to have a great time – well… except for the fence in the front row, which was abused pretty heavily during the blast beats.
The show ended, and we gathered around the merch table, hoping that “interacting with fans” was a good excuse to delay packing up the gear for a few more minutes. Soon, though, it was getting pretty late, so one of us finally decided we could no longer hide behind the merch desk, and packing Tetris took place around 1am.
Since we had skipped the dinner the festival provided earlier – because we forgot about eating – this was the perfect time to eat all the hotdogs the nearby petrol station had ready. We were all tired by this point, so we decided to drive to our overnight stop, where we found out that there wasn’t enough room for all of us. That almost meant driving back home, but luckily, one of the event organizers (thank you, Dunja!) soon found some more accommodation for us, despite the fact that it was 3am by then.
After a few hours of sleep, we hit the road back home. Even though the genre of our music slightly differs from the festival’s focus, we felt accepted by the crowd and gave it our all.
Vlajternativa left a positive impression on us, and we hope to be back someday! A big thank you to the event organizers and to our friends and crew who supported us and made this show happen!