After a fantastic show in Sofia (BUL), we headed towards Bucharest, the capital of Romania. The anticipation for this performance was also high. Our last visit, in 2009, during the third edition of the Rockin' Transilvania Open Air festival at Bran Castle, world-famous as Count Dracula's Castle, was a very memorable and special experience, so for this occasion, we were truly focused and ready to rock the house!
The trip to Bucharest was rather tiring and had a few bumpy roads. We had some electrical problems that made it impossible to use our beloved GPS, and recharging our laptops was put on hold for a while. Luckily, we found a roadside gas station open at 3 am to resort to the good old map, and only the following morning, almost at the border with Romania, were we able to find a workshop that could fix the electrical problem.
The curious thing about the 350 km of paved road was precisely at the border between Bulgaria and Romania. As soon as we presented our passports to the Romanian police, they were surprised by the intention of a group of Brazilians wanting to enter their country for just one day. At first, we explained that we were on a large and important tour of Europe and that this was our destination. However, the funniest thing was that, even though we made it clear that we were a band, the police asked us if we were carrying heavy weapons! In the end, everything worked out and we continued on our way.
Due to border bureaucracy, we arrived at Arenele Romane outside the time stipulated by the production. However, to our surprise, the stage and equipment setup was also somewhat behind schedule, and we were able to have lunch without feeling rushed.
Again, everything went well during soundcheck and we were ready for another great performance. As soon as we stepped onto the stage, we recognized some faces in the front row, singing along with clenched fists, and that's extremely gratifying for us. Once again, we knew we were in for another special night on the Hellish Rock tour.
The Romanian headbangers once again showed their passion for Heavy Metal and didn't stop rocking for a single minute. With each song performed, we received more warmth and affection from the crowd, who at the end of the performance were shouting "Shadowside! Shadowside!".
This was proof that we had put on another great show and that we had fulfilled our obligation to entertain those people who gave themselves body and soul to our music.
Next stop: Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Check out the complete Shadowside travelogue in Europe here!
Buy tickets for the Shadowside and SupreMa show on May 26th at Via Marquês!