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Benicassim 2007 Review
For four days every July, the small town of Benicassim and Costa del Azahar plays host to the Benicassim Music Festival. This weekend festival draws in tens of thousands from throughout Europe, including a sizable number of Britons continuing their summer concert circuit.
The major criticism of veteran concert goers in past editions of Benicassim was the level of services provided, as well as accommodations available within a reasonable distance of the venue. It seems that the organizers of Benicassim heard these criticisms loud and clear, because most music lovers considered the 2007 festival a smashing success.
The diversity of the Benicassim audience remained heavily in favor of British music fans and tourists looking for a suntan with their favorite band. Ticket sales to British attendees made up 65 percent of total sales, which demonstrates the overall quality of this event. While a fair number of Spanish residents attended the festival, a growing contingent of Eastern European fans made the trek across continent to hear fresh new music. Ticket numbers for these groups are still inconclusive, but the number of fresh faces and new languages in the crowd was noticeable to event organizers.
The underlying reason for Benicassim’s successful festival in 2007 was their increased services throughout the concert venue. The FIB Shop was expanded due to the higher number of musical acts from past years, as well as the high level of sales for band T-shirts. First aid stations were spread throughout the park to deal with heat exhaustion, scrapes, and other injuries accrued during raucous shows. Increased security personnel and customer service representatives throughout the Benicassim festival grounds ensured everyone stayed calm and on their way to their concert of choice.
Many festival goers lauded the impeccable campgrounds and accommodations set up by Benicassim organizers. The Cam FIB camp was stationed a short walk away from the festival’s main stage to accommodate diehard fans who arrived in town well in advance. Leisure travelers and first time concert goers could still find a good place to rest their head in the Bonet camp ground located just outside the city. Free buses rotated between the festival entrance and the camp entrance on a regular basis to make this option feasible for concert goers.
These accommodations would have been uncomfortable in many European locations due to temperamental summer weather. Coastal rains held off for the entirety of the festival, ensuring plenty of sun and ocean breezes for ticket holders. The baking heat of July in Spain beat down on music fans despite the afternoon and evening schedule. Music fans often stepped away from prime space in front of the stage to get shade during the first round of concerts, which were held around 3:00 pm. Most festival attendees were prepared for the summer heat and endured a little sunburn to enjoy the music of the world’s best acts.
The schedule of musical acts began after lunch and ended at sunup each day of the festival. Attendees could enjoy mellow singers and guitarists like Rufus Wainwright early in the day to save up energy. As interest built during the early evening, heavier acts and DJs with high paced electronic music were employed to get the party started. By the final day of the festival, most concert goers were sad to leave the beauty of Benicassim, but happy to get back to a normal sleep schedule.
One of the highly anticipated acts on the main stage at Benicassim was Iggy and the Stooges. Iggy Pop was able to ignite the impatient crowd with his energetic stage presence and blaring lyrical performance. Most fans appreciated this show for the bands place in rock history, while recognizing that they are exceptional performers in the twilight of their career.
Conor Oberst’s performance with Bright Eyes in the first day of the concert was considered uneven by most attendees. This band has a strong following in Europe and disappointment came mostly from a high expectation for their performance. The wispy musical tones and sensitive vocals of Oberst would have worked better in a concert venue rather than outdoor musical festival. The excitement of the crowd for such a high profile band helped carry fans through the end of the performance.
The events of Saturday demonstrated why music fans throughout the world love Benicassim. Strokes lead man Albert Hammond Jr. provided some shredding guitar music and high-powered vocals to start out the day’s events. Just as bands like the Arctic Monkeys were getting ready to perform, the sound system broke down throughout the park. The park’s maintenance staff was quick to repair the electrical issue that initiated the breakdown. The Arctic Monkeys and the B52’s were able to get past the temporary setback to perform outstanding songs from their catalog.
The final day of Benicassim was filled with surprises and a bittersweet realization that a great festival was coming to an end. The trio of Peter, Bjorn and John performed some well-crafted rock songs that drew audience participation with each song. While the band’s efforts at interludes and patter in Spanish fell short, the audience was excited to see a band with personality trying to please the crowd. One of the pleasant surprises of the festival’s ending was the arrival of Amy Winehouse, despite rumors that she would miss her scheduled performance. Winehouse played tracks from her new album, “Back in Black,” including the song “Rehab” that has hit the radio hard throughout the world.
Concert goers have given laudatory reviews of the Benicassim International Festival in the following weeks. Dozens of great individual performances and an efficiently run festival matched the beauty of the Costa del Azahar. Every concert attendee was able to enjoy at least one performance, while they delighted in Spanish meals and caught a few sunrays. Based on the diversity of musical acts and the enthusiastic audience, it is safe to say that the Benicassim International Festival earned a perfect 10 out of 10.
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