It had been 14 years since my last music festival, and I had never been to Kuopiorock before. Still, Thursday's plan was clear: first soak up the atmosphere around the festival grounds, then head inside to experience the event firsthand and write a report.
So off I went toward Väinölänniemi, where festivalgoers were gradually gathering in appropriately festive attire. It was still early in the afternoon, and the atmosphere had yet to reach full swing, so I decided to skip the planned interviews and head straight for the festival grounds instead.
Well, things did not exactly go according to plan. Service Gate 1. Service Gate 2—perhaps the entrance was farther away. You can probably guess what came next. Service Gate 3. Eventually, thanks to a sharp-eyed security steward, I realized I had been wandering around entirely the wrong side of the venue.
Once I finally reached the actual festival entrance, the confusion immediately faded. People were being guided through the familiar maze of crowd-control barriers, and there were plenty of festivalgoers waiting to get in. One fast-food chain tried to tempt me with the privilege of skipping the queue—provided I downloaded their mobile app first. I declined with healthy suspicion. After surviving the lines, it was time for the customary security check to make sure I was not carrying explosives, laser pointers, or even a DSLR camera. The security staff handled everything professionally and respectfully, asking for permission before inspecting anything.
That was followed by about half an hour of wandering around trying to figure out where everything was. I quickly found the section filled with food vendors, grabbed a festival coffee, and finally started to get my bearings.
A little later I found a good spot by one of the stages, where Thursday's second performer was just beginning. Listening to Pelle Miljoona Band, I felt that familiar sensation for the first time in more than a decade—the feeling that reminds you why people keep coming back to festivals. The clouds drifted away from the sun while* Juokse Villi Lapsi* thundered through the speakers with infectious energy. At that moment, I was finally in the festival mood.
You would never believe Pelle is already over 71 years old. He danced and bounced across the stage with remarkable energy. The band's stage presence was absolutely phenomenal, even though they have undoubtedly played those beloved songs thousands of times over the years.
When the performance ended, it was time to wander over to the larger Haapaniemi Stage, where The 69 Eyes were performing. Unfortunately, I found myself reaching the same conclusion I have had after watching several live recordings. The show itself was energetic, and the songs were every bit as familiar and enjoyable as expected, but Jyrki's live vocals simply do not have quite the same grandeur as they do on the studio recordings.
After the concert I happened to drift back toward the Savonia Stage and experienced the biggest positive surprise of the entire day. Aino & Hajonneet delivered an absolutely phenomenal performance. The musicianship was astonishing, and Aino's stage presence immediately reminded me of the combined on-stage chemistry of PMMP's Paula and Mira—except somehow condensed into a single performer. I became a fan almost instantly.
Another pleasant surprise was Ellinoora. I am admittedly not quite part of her target audience, yet the performance was so spectacular and Ellinoora herself so charismatic that I found myself swept into the energy of the show almost against my own will. Her ability to connect with the audience is simply extraordinary.
One of Kuopiorock's greatest strengths was how prominently it promoted the principles of a safe and respectful environment. In short, the message was simple: don't be a jerk—respect other people. Contact information for reporting discrimination, harassment, or violence was displayed everywhere, and the organizers made a point of emphasizing these principles throughout the festival.
On the downside, however, the festival's pricing policy deserves criticism. There is a reason people have recently argued that festivals are rapidly becoming luxury products. If someone has already paid several hundred euros for a three-day festival ticket, charging roughly three times the retail price for soft drinks and as much as six times the retail price for alcoholic beverages feels excessive. Food prices, at least, remained fairly close to what you would expect from quality street food, and drinking water was available free of charge.
As for the toilets, I will spare you most of my complaints. Suffice it to say that, compared to the portable chemical toilets I encountered years ago at Oulun Jalometalli, these were somehow even slightly less inviting. To make matters worse, hardly anyone seemed able to figure out how the lock indicators worked. It was entirely possible to see a dozen people waiting outside while half the cubicles stood empty simply because nobody realized they were available.
Both my phone and I were running out of energy just before Von Hertzen Brothers took the stage, and I no longer had the stamina to keep going. I reluctantly started the walk home. Before leaving, however, I had the chance to chat with several genuinely delightful festivalgoers, and that perhaps became the most important realization of the entire event.
In the end, festivals are not always about who is performing or where the stage happens to be. They are about the experience—and above all, about the people. Without people, there would be no festivals, and without shared experiences, life would feel infinitely poorer. I was there when Dissection unleashed their monumental sound over Oulu. I stood in the Juankoski night when Asa & Jätkäjät's Pripjatin Pellot echoed into the sky. I was at Vaskiviikot when Jean S had the audience in Lieksa completely captivated. Yet in every one of those moments, the greatest part was the people I shared them with.
Now I can proudly say that I was there when Aino & Hajonneet delivered one of the finest concerts I have ever witnessed. And that all of us who were there experienced it together.