Resurrection Fest

Hordes of people almost all in black t-shirts in the coastal town of Viveiro can only mean one thing: Resurrection Fest. From Wednesday to Sunday, the town (population: 15,000) swelled to accommodate over 100,000 fans of rock and metal music. And in my first time there, what stuck out to me was the atmosphere that engulfed Viveiro before even getting into the concert grounds. Because metalheads had come from around the world to see their favorite big-name bands, such as Alice Cooper, the Offspring, and Avenged Sevenfold in this edition.

Resurrection Fest is almost a way of life for some people. Tons come year after year, proudly displaying wristbands or t-shirts from past editions. Some folks show up days before and stay the whole week, turning it into their vacation. And who could blame them, with a nearby beach, great gastronomy, plus big-name concerts-- sounds like an ideal vacation. There is also the option to get married at Resurrection Fest's little chapel. Apparently this year over 1,000 couples applied, so there was a drawing. And just because you have kids doesn't mean your festival-going days are over. Aside from many families bringing their kids along, they have recently started offering Resukids where you can sign your kids up to be with babysitters, even to sleep over. We saw a group of these kid ¨campers¨ at one concert, when they came out on stage for the last song (decked out in protective ear gear, of course), most of them doe-eyed, but one girl was really into it and helping the guitarist.

Because we were only going one night, we opted to skip the tent and just sleep in the car. I'm sure we missed half of the fun by not staying at the festival campground. Anyways, after a stroke of luck finding a parking spot in public parking, we went to lunch. The three bars surrounding the parking lot were all full of festivalgoers drinking and dining. Some started conversation with other fans, as it was quite clear who was around for the festival (80% of the customers, approximately).

Not too many people for Wednesday's opening act

 

Once on the festival grounds, we walked down what they have set up like Main Street from the Wild West. It contains t-shirt shops and the aforementioned chapel. There were also plenty of food choices. At the festival there are 4 separate stages, with two concerts going on simultaneously. This was really useful, because if you weren't interested in the two options, you could stake out a spot to see the following concert.

Resu Main Street and Chapel

 

Alice Cooper for Prez

We saw the festival openers --a Japanese all-female band dressed in very frilly clothes, with the singer alternating between a high-pitched ¨girly¨ voice and deep bellows. Throughout the afternoon/evening we saw three other concerts, culminating in the headliner for the day, Alice Cooper. For that we were relatively close, perhaps six heads back. Since it was a Wednesday, the place was not packed. Pictures I've seen online from Friday and Saturday show the field overflowing with attendees. Alice Cooper put on a great show with numerous costume changes and tons of guitar picks flying to the crowd. Sum 41 played past midnight, but we just didn't have the energy to wait. 

Next year will be Resurrection Fest's 20th anniversary, and surely they'll book some great bands to celebrate. Maybe the lineup will be enticing enough for me to go back. And next time, camp out to experience the convivial atmosphere.