Bastian Baker at Pfadi Folk Festival

29. August 2014 – I’m looking through my photos and realize, that I have already somehow suspersed and almost forgotten about this festival. Actually I didn’t mean to go anywhere on this evening. Of course I had the concert in my mind, but I had to save money and so it wasn’t possible. But I then won 2×2 day passes for Pfadi Folk Festival in Orpund from Kufa Lyss. Great surprise. I was looking forward to see Bastian Baker again. So I still went there spontaniously to his concert after work.

My friend picked me up at the trainstation in Biel. Thanks to her I got to know about my win at all. Kufa neither tagged me in the facebook post nor have they written to me about being the winner. The area of the festival I knew already. I was only one week earlier I had been there for Orpundart. First impression was – does anyone pay for admission at all? There was a huge queue at the VIP desk, and no one at the pay desk. So I wasn’t surprised reading that the festival had a deficit, because there haven’t been many paying visitors. Oops! With my wristband I even got a bag with t-shirt, drinking cup and several accesoires. From my very first step on the festival area I was sceptical towards the event.

There weren’t many standing yet in front of the stage. I only recognized a few known Bastian Baker fans. Except of this also half an hour before the concert started only little audience was there. Good for us. So it was easy to get a good spot in the front, more exactly in second row. Yes, the concert started, and honestly it was after the BBC Open concert 2012 probably the worst concert. Like back then I couldn’t exactly tell, what it was about. An atmosphere was there, even extremely, but it was rather strange. I didn’t know it like that from Bastian Baker concerts and from the last festival shows. There was just a crowd of drunken teens, who proably were away on their own for the first time. That was our thought. Only hooting, screaming and there were no cups and ice flying on stage like back then in Gossau, but other things were thrown on stage. Only few parents were standing on the side with their small children. They shoved and pushed, you got hit and some French Swiss girls tried with full force to get into the front. You had t o be careful not to be soused with beer all the time. Around the middle of the concert that was getting too bad. So I went into the back, from where I finished watching the concert. That was more pleasant, but the overview from the back didn’t make it much better. I think you could have put anyone in front of them, main thing was party, freaking out and what do I know… Just similar as at BBC Open back then. Concerning the concert, I liked the setlist a lot. At the end they even played a new song “Let me Breathe”, that I didn’t know yet and I liked a lot. Though the sound has been better before too. Also got the impression, it wasn’t the best concert for the band either…

As soon as the show was finished, Bastian and the rest of the band had disappeared backstage, the festival ended for us. Before arriving in Orpund I was thinking about coming back again for Kensington the next day instad of going to Burgdorf for “Rock The Bridge”. But it wasn’t an option anymore. Even with a won ticket. Only very little was right at this festival, so I wouldn’t go back. No more scouting events in future.