Day Two
The hills are alive with the sound of music! The site is packed to the
hilt and God it's hot! Finland has gone topless. Well, the guys
anyway. The girls aren't doing badly either, it's a good chance
to show of the tattoos. And get some more from the tattoo-parlour
on site. I walked down to the gate and had a chat with the Police. Senior Constable Mika Ahvanainen from Joensuu Police told me everything so far has gone rather smoothly. He'd only just started his shift but had not heard of any major hic- ups. Nobody has been arrested yet, couple of people were taken into custody last night for being drunk and incapable. "That's when even their friends can't help them anymore", he said. Sad but true. Some people just don't know when to stop.
Mr Ahvanainen also said the weather plays a big part in keeping the peace and he was really happy the sky is blue and the sun's out. "When it's sunny the kids are out having a good time rather than stuck in their tents getting pissed and fighting", he smiled. Maybe the Weather Fairies like the Joensuu Police, and I can understand why. I get the feeling they're firm but fair. They work in co-operation with the Pop-office to make sure everything runs according to plan.
I also talked to a couple of security stewards. Timppa at Stage 3, who's working at the festival for a second year in a row said everything has gone well so far. We watched Thee Ultra Bimboos and Velcra together. He wasn't too sure about the girls but the metal-beats of Velcra were to his liking. I agree. I reckon they're going to be next Big Thing in Finnish metal both here and abroad. I bump into another steward Seppo Pakarinen from Kitee in front of the main stage. He's got friends working for the festival and got into stewarding that way. He's here for the second year as well. "Everybody's having a great time, us workers and the audience. I am quite surprised how well we're getting on actually!", he chuckles and eats his ice- cream.
No so problems there then. Later on I hear a passer-by comment to his friend how most of the people here are OK but there's the occasional idiot, drunk or not, who ruins it for everybody. But that usually lasts about five seconds. Ilosaari has got a reputation for being a friendly, down to earth festival where problems are rare and quickly sorted. The sheer amount of security stewards in their yellow vests make the message to the public very clear: messing about in any form will not be tolerated.
The one thing that surprised me today was the amount of "alternative"-looking people on site. I used to be the only one! I used to be the one that old ladies pointed at and walked to the other side of the road to get away from me. No, really! Mind you, this is twenty years ago so Finland has come a long way since. This may seem a naive observation to somebody who's lived here all these years but believe me, to me it's still strange. The Finnish society has become a lot more tolerant. I remember when my own dad wouldn't give me lift back from school when I had green hair.
After watching Thee Ultra Bimboos play I wondered down to the drinks area in front of the main stage and indulged in some people-watching. Loads people have parked their asses for the day on their favourite spots either on the sides of the hill or down on the grass in front of the main stage. There's rubbish, discarded plastic pint glasses and paper plates covered in ketchup, everywhere. I don't envy the people who have to clear this mess up. The Finns are normally quite good when it comes to keeping public places tidy and recycling things but in the true spirit of rock'n'roll they've got an unwritten licence to be messy just for few days. Nobody seems to mind.
I start checking out people's clothing. Women's skirts and tie-dye scarfs round the waist worn by guys seem to be very popular this year. And why not? If girls can wear trousers, guys can wear skirts. Also 70's retro style sunglasses seem to be in fashion. Looks like Charity shops are doing brisk business. Hat styles vary from the Finnish teenagers favourite woolly hat (yes, they wear them in +28 C - don't ask), both shop- bought and home-made, to the festival goers favourite style, Jester-hats. The other firm favourite seems to be the good old stetson. Some people have customised theirs with all sorts of stuff. The best one I spotted today was about half a metre high Karjala-beer 12-pack cardboard box. The same guy has a t-shirt that says "I'm mad but wanted". Womens headwear varies from tiaras to sunhats via the woollies. Footwear wise anything goes from bare feet to bright red furry moonboots. Frog- umbrellas, air-freshner ear-rings, Sexy Always t-shirts and a guy wearing a kilt blend into a sea of 19 000 happy campers. Don Johnson Big Band drives them wild, the water cannons cool people down and further up the field smaller water pistols make girls scream " Stop it!!!"
Oh, and talking of clothing, Sonic Youth saw the back stage security boss Erja wearing the official Ilosaari-shorts and wanted those shorts (not Erja's, copies!) from themselves. Wish granted. Sonic shorts have found a new home. May they be happy.
A well tanned chap wonders past with a sticker saying "Come Together" on his bare chest. That about sums it up. We've all come together in this thing called Rokki. Two days of music and mayhem.
So far so good. Seen some wicked bands, caught some rays and enjoyed watching people being happy. Can't wait what tomorrow brings.
Lärwi xxx
Here is my diary of the three days of Rokki. Enjoy.
Day Two, 12th July 2003
