365 Days of Rain: see you next year at Planet Roadburn

Crowd and Vibe Roadburn, photo Paul Verhagen

The more data-savvy readers might have already noticed a fatal flaw in the title, because it is, obviously slightly less. Still, doesn’t it hurt a bit when you see everything wind down at Roadburn? Slowly the circus is packing up.

Editor: Guido Segers

The circus is leaving town
Oh ruby, roll your stockings down
Circus is leaving town
Oh Ruby, dry your eyes.
– Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell – The Circus is Leaving Town

For me, and maybe for you too, nothing is as sad as seeing the stage crew take down their gear, the merch sellers putting their stuff back into boxes and the artists packing up their work. Every year we repeat this painful sequence again and it never stops hurting. I know that in 3/4 hours time I’ll be on a train, gazing out of the window and thinking of all the faces I met and enjoyed meeting. You might be too, but perhaps you can stick around as at Roadburn time seems to lose all it’s meaning.

Our team here has done its utmost to capture the festival, in word, photo, and video, but mostly in soul. Never really do we manage fully, but we try because it feels like the most important thing in the world. This is the pivot, the turnkey and crossroads. We’re all at that Robert Johnson point and we’ve taken the wrong turn (or the right one? I mean, we’re having all the fun).

For 4 days we either embrace whatever happens, or we bitch and moan and whatever in between, but somehow it all grows silent on Sunday. We know it is about to end and it makes us sad. No matter if we felt the cups were too small, the bands were booked badly or we just got too lost in our own meanderings to see the bands we love. We’re all grieving for a moment.

So let’s make a deal. We all go home, to wherever home may be. Let us all carry a bit of that spirit with us and make the world just a little bit more like Roadburn. Because if we do, everything gets a bit better. And honestly, stay in touch. Find your friends on Facebook and don’t let go. Another year is ahead of us, but not just one of the obstacles. There are tons of opportunities. Take each one of them.

Godspeed, bless and save travels from team Never Mind The Hype.