Radio Ramblings: Cross the pond for Euro festival fun

By Park Warden on June 20, 2019.

parkwardenvoice@gmail.com

Summer solstice is tomorrow, which means if you haven’t made any epic plans for the next three months, you might wanna call your travel buddies and start looking at what’s up, because summer officially starts tomorrow!

If you’re a fan of 1980s-style hair-metal, or at least a somewhat reasonably modern take on it, with a foolish, comedic, (slightly) misogynistic twist, then you should probably head out to Cypress Centre on the Medicine Hat Stampede grounds tomorrow night. 105.3 Rock is gonna “rip the lid off of it” with a concert that should set the bar almost impossibly high when it comes to over-the-top, in-your-face, tongue-in-cheek, (add any other appropriate cliche here) foolishness with some actual serious jaw-dropping, show-stopping, fist-pumping metal musicianship, as Steel Panther kickstarts summer with their Sunset Strip Live tour.

Even if you’re not necessarily a fan of ’80s hair metal, but you do actually enjoy a kick-ass live rock show, you should probably check it out anyway. The guys from Steel Panther are serious showmen, who have a knack for writing ridiculously foolish lyrics, and combining their schoolboy songcraft with a concert performance that can seriously rival any band that’s ever hit the stage. Think of Spinal Tap or Tenacious D, but drunk, horny and “up to 11,” for real. Warning: If you’re easily offended, please stay away from Cypress Centre tomorrow, ha ha! Get your tickets at the door, or buy them online at 105.5rock.ca, and get your daily dose of ’80s spandex and hairspray during our “5 o’clock hair appointment” every Monday to Friday with our afternoon host Trapper John.

That’s just one idea to start your summer sizzle here and now. But if you’re going to be a little more adventurous, and possibly partying in Europe over the next little while, here are some world famous festivals you should consider hitting up.

Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark, June 29-July 6 features Bob Dylan, The Cure, Robert Plant, Tears for Fears, Cypress Hill, Travis Scott, Cardi B, Chance the Rapper and many more. This festival has successfully meshed activism and music every year since 1971, and has raised millions of dollars for excellent causes in the process. Plus they also have the annual “naked run,” so yeah. Anytime streaking is involved, you know you’re at a top-notch, world-class event. Trust me, I’ve streaked in at least five different countries, and if my foggy memory serves me correctly, it’s never let me down. Here’s the official festival website: http://www.roskilde-festival.dk/en

Mad Cool Festival, Madrid, Spain, July 11-13 features Greta Van Fleet, Vampire Weekend, Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, Wolfmother, Prophets of Rage, The Chemical Brothers, Eric Prydz and the list goes on and on and on. Plus, it’s in Spain; I’ve been to Europe a few times (not to Spain) but I’ve heard it’s amazing, so why not, right? Info at https://madcoolfestival.es/en/index.php

Sziget Festival, Budapest, Hungary, August 7-13 has more than 500,000 visitors annually, and on stage this year are Foo Fighters, Coheed and Cambria, Ed Sheeran, Twenty One Pilots, Florence + the Machine, Richard Ashcroft, Franz Ferdinand and more. All of this and it’s on the bank of the beautiful, world famous Danube River for a truly unique, Euro-fest experience! Get all the details at https://szigetfestival.com/en/programs#!/plist

That’s just a small sample of a literal sensory overload of parties across the pond this festival season. Remember that there’s always lots of fun in Alberta too, with the Calgary Stampede, K-Days up in Edmonton, our own Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede and Whoop Up Days in Lethbridge.

No matter where your compass points over the next few months, have a blast, party responsibly, drink lots of water, and have fun! If you have any crazy adventures planned, I’d love hear about them, send me an email anytime, about anything: parkwardenvoice@gmail.com

Cheers, and keep rockin’.

Park Warden is the Jack of all trades/utility player at 105.3 Rock. You’ll hear him weekends 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday-Friday evenings and filling in all over.

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