The morning was foreboding. There were visible fissures in the gray sky that promised to break open, pouring forth the torrents of rain that had been ever so familiar during the first two days of the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival. We pushed up our rubber boots, packed our electronics in plastic, and took a bus to Incheon ready to greet the festival goers and the rain full throttle.
In the hour it took by bus from Seoul to Incheon the sky began to wipe the clouds from its brows, and we were greeted with a mottled blue sky―a shade the sky had not deigned to take for the past week. We arrived at the unimposing grounds around 1:30 in the afternoon, the heat and the humidity were formidable, but the sun was such a welcome sight that the heat seemed almost delicious.Pentaport is one of Seoul's biggest music festivals, but the venue itself is very easy to navigate. The Big Top Stage, aka the circus-inspired moniker for the main stage, was located at the far end of the festival grounds. The Pentaport stage was located at the opposite end, closest to the gates―which was just s short hike from the main stage. Spiced in between the Big Top Stage and the Pentaport stage were various vending and promotional stalls and the Adidas stage which catered to smaller acts in a more intimate setting. 
The sun was high in the sky by the time we made it to the Adidas stage, which was near the food court. The bartenders were already busy making various alcoholic concoctions in neat hermetically sealed pouches, and attendees were coming out of the woodwork like so many small animals: climbing out of their holes, stretching in the sun and getting their bearings. The mood was one of awakening―blinking in the bright sunlight and shaking off the previous night's debaucheries. Everyone was in high spirits, kicking around the mud and taking off layers.For our first dose of live music of the day, the Oh! Brothers served vintage style punk pop up cold. The Seoul-based five piece was modishly dressed in matching suits topped off with the swagger of the 1960's. They got the crowd primed to the swinging set as lead singer, Choi Seung Su, swaggered on stage with all the panache of Elvis Costello. The crowd was very receptive, grooving to the retro-spiked beats with self-abandoned glee. Lee Seong-mun (bass guitar) , Kim Jeong-wung (guitar), and Lee Seong-bae (saxophone) moved with calculated grace as the music bobbed and swang as the audience twisted and shouted. 
After getting good and sweaty we took a break next to the more relaxing atmosphere of the Adidas stage. There were no acts playing but we kicked back our muddy boots to an impromtu capoeira performance. Everyone seemed relaxed and happy to be getting their daily allowance of vitamin D.Our next big performance was showcased on the Pentaport stage: Tricky. The showstarted with the slow pulsing of drum beats as the man himself, Tricky, sauntered on stage feeding the crescendos and baiting the bass line before he grabbed a mic and dived down into a crawling redention of The Cure's "Lovecats." He sang like a man possessed in total shamanistic abandonment as the music curled and swayed before licking its tongue around the crowd. The audience, for it's part, rode the music like a wave―riding each rest and depression as Tricky and is merry band of minstrels whispered and cooed over the wall of noise. It was a fitting end to the beckonning of the twilight hours. The night crescendoed with the arrival of Underworld on the Big top Stage for their headlining gig. The sun had fully set. Crowd gathered. Bass lines pumping. Karl Hyde walks on stage, flanked by Rick Smith, wearing a sequined coat that Liberace would be proud of. The electronic duo started off with the beat-heavy "Crocodile" a song whose serpentine beats weaved in and out of the crowd effortlessly. As the show went on Underworld fused together cuts with nary a pause and they wove labyrinthine threads around the sprawling mass uniting them in true festival spirit. The jungled heap throbbed and the band played on. |
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--> The day 1 report by Danielle Netzer and photos by Deborah Park |
 mag files : Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival Here Comes The Sun : (08/04/25-27 @ Songo Daewoo Motors Field, Incheon City, Korea) : review by Danielle Netzer, photos by Deborah ParkNO CARE NO LOVE : (08/04/25-27 @ Songo Daewoo Motors Field, Incheon City, Korea) : review by J Muzacz, photos by Park Won Mi |
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The official site Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival http://www.pentaportrock.com/ |
check the albums? |
previous contributions
 2008Here Comes The Sun : Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival 2008 (25th to 27th Jul. '08 @ インチョン・ソンド・デウ・モーター・フィールド)NO CARE NO LOVE : Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival 2008 (25th to 27th Jul. '08 @ インチョン・ソンド・デウ・モーター・フィールド)Prince Reigns In The Desert : Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (25th to 27th Apr. '08 in インディオ、カリフォルニア)フォト・レポート : mudy on the 昨晩 (11th Feb. '08 @ 名古屋アップセット)2007日本中を歌とギターでとろけさせたエイモス・ギャレット : エイモス・ギャレット (25th May. '07 @ 大阪フィフス・ストリート)ANA Party! patrol(パトロール)〜東・阪・福・札 警ら Vol.2〜 : ANA (17th Feb. '07 @ 札幌コロニー)2006何だ、ばかやろう : スパルタローカルズ (1st Nov. '06@ 札幌ベッシーホール)review with no title : ホーカス・ポーカス (7th to 8th Oct '06@ 朝霧アリーナ)review with no title : ミラー・システム (7th to 8th Oct '06@ 朝霧アリーナ)review with no title : ハンズ・オヴ・クリエイション (7th to 8th Oct '06@ 朝霧アリーナ)「体験する」コンサートはいかが？ : ハイドパーク・ミュージック・フェスティヴァル (9th & 10th Sept. '06 @ 稲荷山公園) : review by 川村恭子ジェニー・ルイス初来日！ : ジェニー・ルイス (1st Aug. '06 @ 渋谷クラブクアトロ) : review by kemjiFM 802 ミート・ザ・ワールド・ビートより : ザ・クロマニヨンズ (23rd Jul. '06 @ 万国博記念公園もみじ川芝生広場) : review by 坂本唯ロックンロール骨伝導 : 日本脳炎、怒髪天 & ギター・ウルフ (5th Jun '06 @ 新宿ロフト) : review by JET-GIRLand photos by saya3813年目の余裕 : ベン・ハーパー & ジ・イノセント・クリミナルズ (3rd Jun '06 @ ゼップ東京) : review by 竹井晶子 and photos by hanasan情熱のR&Rエンジンは紅く吠えた : ディーゼル・アン (28th May '06 @ 新宿レッドクロス) : review and photos by 棚橋憲治no title : ナイロン (6th May '06 @ 東高円寺UFOクラブ) : review and photos by 棚橋憲治365歩の先で「無」が燃え上がる : イースタン・ユース (22nd Feb '06 @ 渋谷クラブクアトロ) : review by JET−GIRL, photos by keco365歩の先で「無」が燃え上がる : イースタン・ユース (22nd Feb '06 @ 渋谷クラブクアトロ) : review by JET−GIRL, photos by kecophoto report : ビヨンズ (17th Feb '06 @ 代官山ユニット) : photos by wacchyフロアを燃やせ！ : フランツ・フェルディナンド (10th Feb '06 @ 日本武道館) : review by sumire |