Hello readers, followers, friends and fans, my name is Rich “The Meister” Dillon from CGCM Rock Radio and Website. To fill you in on a little backstory here, I spent a good portion of years not listening to music. TBH, I became disillusioned with the musical landscape and anything I heard on radio or tv, just wasn’t really to my liking. I stayed listening to my beloved 80s albums, happy in my oblivion. Then one day I discovered that the internet could be used for more than searching porn and that many of “my” bands were still releasing albums and music. Much of this was in Europe where the grungey stuff never really grabbed hold like it did over here. I spent a lot of money ordering CDs!
Then I found the Monsters of Rock Cruise in 2012 and traveled to Florida to voyage on that inaugural cruise. Hey, if I could go to Florida from Toronto, why can’t I go to Europe? I can finally see some of these bands that had eluded me in my younger days! I began to scour festival bills and rosters. It was a clear choice once I found Sweden Rock. The lineup was pure gold for me. Some of my all-time favourite bands, many I’d never seen before! And so many newer bands that fit right into my listening wheelhouse that I’d just newly discovered! To Sweden, I will go!
2023 Makes Nine
2023 was my ninth straight Sweden Rock appearance. It should have been more but everyone’s pal COVID had other ideas! Over the years I have brought many North American friends along for the ride. Many folks reach out to me constantly asking questions about possibly attending an SRF! Perhaps I’m even the North American authority on Sweden Rock, who knows? I have also met and made a veritable shitload of new friends through my SRF adventures and I’m proud to wave the SRF flag.
Through the years, I have stayed in different locales for the festival, but this year was the absolute best accommodation yet! Super special thanks to the person who took in not only me but three other weirdo 🇨🇦🤣. Some other changes to Sweden Rock over my visitations is the sheer immensity of the event. It has grown a lot, especially with the partnership of Live Nation back in 2017. No matter how big it gets, Sweden Rock is still home to me and I’m already missing being there and can’t wait to return in 2024.
I Gotta Eat Man!
Even with the larger grounds and increased attendance, I was still able to find my friends around the area. Except for my lovely trio of USA ladies (sorry, Krysti, Ashlyn, and Judy). Another pleasant surprise this year, and maybe I’d just not noticed last year, was the food. It seemed to me that there were more food options and variety than ever before at SRF! And everything I had was delicious as well. Of course, nothing beats my absolute favourite food stall, Casey’s Fish & Chips! How the hell is it possible to get better fish & chips from a truck in a field in Sweden than in Canada, or even the UK🤷🏻♂️. Thanks so much to the Casey‘s team for looking after me all weekend long!
In general, I find the Swedish people to be so very welcoming and accommodating. Everyone I’ve ever met there is so lovely. And they often dress up in costumes at the festival as well. Anything goes and it’s so much fun! Although I didn’t see as much of that in 2023 as in past years.
The 2023 Bands
For the 2023 lineup, there were not as many bands that I wanted to see this year. Many, to me, I had already seen or can see on other festival bills and/or even in North America. I was missing some of “the special bands” this year. Some of the mid-range and lower-tier bands. But it was actually ok at the same time. I found I had more time to socialize and have a drink with friends than in past years. I didn’t have to run from stage to stage as much, always on the go with no time for Fish & Chips! And to top it off even more so, almost every band that I did want to see had a direct conflict with another band from my list! As a result, I saw a lot of half-shows this year. I made some new discoveries and first time seeing live bands so in the end all was cool and I had a great time.
Sponsor Tents
One cool thing that I witnessed this year took place in the Indian Motorcycle tent. You see many companies and sponsors have tents set up as well on the SRF grounds. In this case, the tent filled with display model motorcycles, the band Roulette had a special listening premiere. Hansi Fellbrink, the bassist for Roulette, was on hand with tour manager Micke Ek to talk about a new upcoming Roulette song soon to be released. Of course, it was all in Swedish and so I had to guess at what was happening 🤣. But it all became clear once they pushed play and we were treated to “Summer Day” the upcoming single release! Very cool little thing to have happen and to be a part of.
This is why these sponsor tents should be kept in your mind as this is not unusual. Bravida Water also had a small stage area, though I never caught anything happening in there. One tent that I (and many) sorely missed this year was the Cylinda/Elon tent. Naturally, we had no intention of buying any appliances, but this tent was known for having acoustic shows. Bands such as Radio Sun, Captain Blackbeard, Paul Laine, Velveteen Queen and more have played here. But it was absent in 2023😢
Headliners
The headliners are never really a draw for me as I can see them almost anywhere. But I’ll always watch them. This year, I caught them all at least in part. Def Leppard, while I don’t prefer their setlist choices and wish they’d do more from High N’ Dry, sounded great and it was a fun show. Given all of the Motley Crue troubles that have been well publicized, I hung more to the back chatting with friends. But what do I detect? Vince Neil actually sounds good….very good…. too good TBH. He hasn’t sounded like that in years and years. Was it a tape is my question 🤷🏻♂️? Deep Purple I struggled with TBH. I understand Ian Gillan is getting old and kudos to him for still performing, however, I thought he sounded terrible and I’m also not a massive Deep Purple fan either.
Iron Maiden sounded fantastic as they usually do. It seemed to me, however, that Bruce was a little subdued, scaled back maybe. And while I loved hearing the Somewhere In Time album cuts, the Senjutsu material just doesn’t resonate with me so much. And I wasn’t the only one. Watching from further back on the hill it was easy to witness a steady stream of folks in a mass exodus throughout the set. They should have thrown in a couple more of the “hits” in a festival setting IMO. Ghost was a new one for me. I’m not super into them, though I do love what I’ve heard and was looking forward to the show. However, they conflicted with a band I’ll probably never get to see again in Swedish classic metal band Mindless Sinner. So I caught a little of each band…..had I seen all of Mindless Sinner they’d for sure have been in my top 5 of the fest! You can see my choices here: Meister’s Top 5 Bands.
Wrap It Up
Overall, all said and done Sweden Rock Festival 2023 was another awesome time. Was it my favourite year there? Absolutely not, but the magic was still evident and my heart was full as I departed the grounds on that final day. I highly recommend you take a look at Sweden Rock for your festival travels in 2024! And please do hit me up (or any of the team here at CGCM) and we’ll be happy to advise, co-ordinate and meet up on site!
SWEDEN ROCK OFFICIAL FESTIVAL WEBSITE / FACEBOOK
All of the continuing CGCM coverage of SRF 2023: LINK
Cheers,
The Meister
Meister Music Live To Air Radio/Video Shows on Mixcloud / CGCM Podcast
Find more of my album reviews and blogs here: Meister Music
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