In her second straight year of attendance at the Sweden Rock Festival, Krysti “Kryfar” Farham remarks on her top five band performances of the event.
Def Leppard
What can I say here? Def Leppard always brings it! It was fun to see them in a different country. They drew a huge crowd so “seeing” was a bit difficult but they sounded great.
Crowne
Ahhh the supergroup I never even dreamed of seeing live! Sweden Rock was their debut performance, so I consider myself very lucky to have seen it. They had dynamic stage presence and played all my favorites off of Operation Phoenix and Kings in the North.
Skid Row
Another must-see for me. Rachel wasn’t able to make the show due to a family emergency but his very talented guitar tech stepped in for him. It was a fun show and funny to see Erik tease the band for not knowing Swedish. Dave did a great job trying though.
H.E.A.T
This was my 7th time seeing them since 2020. They are a must-see for me. Their performance at SRF was fantastic even though I read later that Kenny had a throat infection, I couldn’t tell. They still kicked ass and the pyrotechnics were cool, although was I the only one worried Kenny would set his hair on fire?
Europe
Absolutely incredible show. I can’t believe I got to see them for my first time and in Sweden at Sweden Rock. How perfect! The set list was perfect and the energy of the show was amazing. I hope to see them again sometime.
A few things about this year in general. I guess you could call them complaints… I was expecting an out-of-this-world lineup for the 30th anniversary but in my opinion, what we got was underwhelming. Could just be because I recently saw many of these acts in the US so maybe for Sweden these bands were a draw.
Also, I’d love to be writing a review about a fantastic band I discovered in the Cylinda/Elon acoustic tent like I did last year. But I’m not, because they took away that tent! It was one of my favorite places last year.
Also, the “move it along lady” at the signing booth is mean. That’s all I’ll say about that.
AND lastly, oh boy do I sound whiny here, the 30th Anniversary book for the VIPs is gorgeous but so heavy. It was a cumbersome gift for a Festival, especially for us who had a hike to the parking lot and who had limited room in our suitcases for flights home. Mine made it home but I know a few people who had to leave theirs behind.
However, I had a blast despite these “complaints” and I’m ready to see what year 31 has in store!
OFFICIAL FESTIVAL WEBSITE / FACEBOOK
All of the continuing CGCM coverage of SRF 2023: LINK
