Benicassim Sunday - Chinese Lunch and A waltz to end the Festival
We were knackered. It is hard for us to admit when we are tired, but Friday knocked us for six and then Saturday we didn’t go to bed until 7am. Sunday we’d been out all day, had our traditional FIB Sunday Chinese lunch and a walk around town, and now we were seriously zombified and would like a night off. But we couldn’t, because the last night of the Fifteenth FIB awaited us. So off we went!
We got there and left straight away as had phone calls from three of our best boy pals that have been away traveling for a year and just got back, to say they were dropping friends off at the main entrance and could we come and say Hola! So off we ran to do that, and then ran to catch Friendly Fires, who had gathered quite a crowd at the FIBERFIB stage, despite the fact that not many people had heard about the rescheduling to fit in Los Planetas, another band who were supposed to have played Friday night. Running is not something we do often, and poor Anita went absolutely flying, face down, slipping on a lethal FIB plastic glass, making the surrounding crowd scream in shock and the poor love, completely mortified, got up and ran away, refusing the help of the strapping young men reaching to her aid. We caught a good half hour of Friendly Fires, loving it then realising that poor A was slightly more damaged from her spectacular fall than we had originally thought (she put on a v. brave face!), and took her to the ambulance men. Who very kindly mopped up her grazed knees and elbows, told her they wouldn’t have to amputate quite yet and sent her off to have a good time. Off we limped (well Anita!) again to catch one of Anita’s faves of 2009, Lykke Li. What a lady! Roisin Murphy may have made a big mistake not coming this year as we may have just found the new Queen of Benicassim - or at least a competitor to the throne. Dressed in the most amazing black outfit, barefoot (“Somebody stole my shoes!”), dripping in gold necklaces - is that a key? to the castle!? - she did not stop moving for the whole hour and a half. Her present to her crowd was singing Kings of Leon’s Knocked Up, as they let us all down on Friday, then getting in a huff and telling us all that she hoped we would all scream that loud when she sang her own songs! We then ran, and I mean ran, again, and crowd dipped to get to the others who had been watching The Killers from the start to catch the last 20 minutes of their epic concert. What a stage presence the old Killers have, sounding slightly knackered by the end of it, but giving it their all, they finished with a song from their latest album and had the crowd going mad during every momento. We took ourselves off the the press tent to grab a hamburger at the bar, and were slightly shocked when a very camp guy with an organisation pass turned to me to tell me that ”That’s a very small burger for a big bum”, then proceeded to giggle and walk away with his friend. Anita and I stood shellshocked for a moment. Who was this man to tell me my bum was big? Should we go after him and kick his? And then suddenly realised he had said bun!
Birdy Nam Nam at the FibClub stage were brilliant, and the crowd, worked up by the Killers, danced off their sweat and excitement under the shelter of the new tent and its ultra tall ceilings.
We then caught the whole of «rinôçérôse» who were the Green Stage closing act, danced and laughed with some random men dressed as smurfs, watched them leave the stage and ballet danced for half an hour to the most beautiful Strauss music that the fib organisation put on to say good bye to the green stage. Imagine 40,000 odd people exhausted on a barmy festival night ballet dancing and ballroom dancing with people they have never met, all in perfect euphoric harmony. Can you think of a better way to end a music festival?
We love you all. See you next year.
Anita&Lolita. xxx
©2009 Anita Darling And Lolita Devine for thisisvalencia.com
