Rock for People 2012 Day 2

Day 2 of the Rock for People Festival started with amazing weather conditions, blue skies, and high levels of sunshine welcomed all those gearing up for the second day at RFP. The previous night offered a number of enjoyable musical options. I managed to catch the late running show from The Prodigy. The guys came with the expected high levels of energy with both MCs punishing their vocal chords during their hit-filled performance. The big beat pioneers whipped the patient audience into frenzy dropping hits ranging from the ’97 banger “Breathe”, right back to their older gems like “Poison”& “Full Throttle”.

Their live show was well worth the wait!

Day 2 was truly packed with great names. 23 year old singer/songwriter Selah Sue took to the Staropramen Cool Lemon stage around 5pm. A show filled with upbeat, sing-along hits from her self-titled debut album. The mid-afternoon audience danced to the rhythms. Her reggae-inspired show even featured a Lauryn Hill cover which saw the Belgian rhyming the quick-fire lyrics! A very soulful performance from such a young artist.

The seven-piece Celtic punk group Flogging Molly played a boisterous set on the Staropramen Cool Lemon stage, much to the delight of their adoring audience.

The band looked great during their powerful show. Their early evening performance captivated the audience, who sang-along obediently to the band’s live renditions. Brighton’s brit-pop outfit The Kooks played a blinding set on the T-Mobile stage, drawing the crowds with their catchy pop sound, with the audience reaching fever pitch as the band played their UK smash hit “She Moves in Her Own Way”. Early evening storms put a grey cloud-shaped downer on things for about an hour but not enough to dampen the RFP spirit. The heavy rain hammered Festival Park leaving large pond-like puddles across areas that were arrid and dry.

The brief storm was so heavy that power was knocked out across Festival Park for the next 2+ hours, sidelining the rest of the evening’s performances, including those by headliners Faith No More and Skrillex, and leaving festivalgoers in the dark. A number of tents were damaged, and some minor injuries reported as 300 firefighters, rescue workers, and security guards attempted to deal with the weather-induced situation. No word yet at press time (midnight Thursday) about possible rescheduling for the missed acts.

The last day of the Rock Fest should be a good one. I’m looking forward to catching one of the many shows on offer. Praha’s Monkey Business always put on a lively performance. On a practical note, trains travellers taking advantage of the discounted return ticket offer must make sure they get their ticket stamped at either the 24 hour zone at the main entrance or alternatively at the Expats.cz tent.

So after a wet start, the sun eventually shone over Rock for People 2012 before drenching us one more time. See you all next year!

Images: Paul Pacey