Finally! It's the 22nd of June! I'm flying to Spain today where Gluecifer will play at the Azkena Rock Festival. I decided to travel one day earlier because the flight connections were better on Friday and so I would have more time to do some sightseeing. I arrived in Bilbao at 1 pm and stayed there for the rest of the day. The Guggenheim museum is pretty impressive, and the old town is quite nice. In the evening I took the bus to Vitoria where the Azkena Festival is taking place.

 

The next day I get up early and have the chance to walk around in Vitoria while the rest of the city is still asleep. Right after sunrise is the best time to go sightseeing! Vitoria is a very nice city, especially the old town. Afterwards I go back to my hotel and try to get some more sleep because I won't have a bed for the next two nights. Of course, that doesn't work out well, but I stay in bed for the rest of the day. It's a looong day because Gluecifer will play at 2 am in the night. At about 10 pm I check out and walk to the festival area where Gluecifer will play on the big "God" Stage. When I arrive, Joan Jett is starting her show. She's not my favourite artist, but it is getting cold and so I go a little bit closer to the stage where it is more crowded and therefore warmer. At about 0.30 am her show is over and the big waiting begins. Unfortunately, I’m freezing like hell... Even in Spain it can get cold during the night and so I am waiting and freezing together with a couple of other people who also want to be in the first row. It's no question that it will be worth it! One and a half hour can be very long when you're just waiting. And did I say that I am freezing?? But I’ve been waiting for this day for seven months. One and a half hour should be nothing! I never thought that Gluecifer will ever be back on stage and now it is coming true! They will be on this stage in less than 90 minutes. It still seems unreal.

 

Finally, it's 2 am! Danny is the first on stage and starts to play "I got a war". Shortly after the rest of the band appear. Raldo Useless, Captain Poon and Biff Malibu are back! Accompanied by the new bass player Peter Larsson. The crowd is freaking out when Biff starts singing "I got a war baby..." It's still unreal, but cool as hell. It's Gluecifer!!! They really are back on stage and I'm very thankful that I'm in the crowd. They are as good and powerful as they have always been. The setlist is fantastic. They play a lot of songs from "Automatic Thrill": the title track, “Take it”, “A car full of stash”, “A call from the other side”, “Here come the pigs” and “Shaking so bad”. Of course, they play the last song they wrote as a band; "Desolate City" as well as “Rockthrone”, “Evil Matcher”, “Ducktail Heat”, “The year of manly living”, “Go away man”, “Bossheaded”, “Reversed”, “Black book lodge” and “Easy Living”. Biff, who is wearing a white jacket, is doing a great job. Unbelievable that he hasn’t done this for almost 13 years! He has such a powerful voice and is such a present on stage. It's great to see that the band is having as much fun as the audience. It's an unforgettable night. The Kings of Rock are back!

They play almost one and a half hour and I enjoy every second of it! It's almost half past three when they leave the stage. After the show I meet Frode who travelled to the festival from Norway. Unfortunately, there is not much time left for small talk because I have to walk straight to the bus station.

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Setlist Azkena Rock Festival:

1. I got a war
2. Automatic Thrill
3. Take it
4. Go away man
5. A call from the other side
6. Car full of stash
7. Reversed

8. Shotgun Seat
9. The year of manly living
10. Shaking so bad
11. Evil matcher
12. Get the horn

13. Ducktail Heat
14. Here come the pigs

15. Bossheaded
16. Desolate city

17. Black book lodge

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18. Easy living

19. Rockthrone

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24.06.2018 Hellfest