Last weekend, June 1 and 2, 2018, was held in the 9th edition of the BluesRules Crisser Festival, a human-sized event that takes place in the parks of the castle. We discover (or we find, it is according to…) Artists inspired more or less by the Blues. A good half made the journey from the original lands of this style of music: the Mississippi, sometimes for their first trip to Europe.
I am a faithful of this festival, first because it happens a few hundred meters from home, but mainly because there is a special atmosphere: relaxed, family, intergenerational and human-sized: even if I have fun also in the Mega-festivals of type Paleo, a "small" event of this type enjoys a special ambiance.
First Spectator, I then contributed to the BluesRules as a volunteer. This year I had the pleasure of increasing my contribution by getting involved a little more in the "before" and "after festival." An extraordinary and exhausting experience!
I like the place: the park of a castle a little decrepit, but the most beautiful effect at night, with a beautiful lighting:
She-Wolf Jones & the Wolfpack @ Blues rules Crisser Festival, Crisser (VD), Switzerland, 02.06.2018. (c) Christophe LosbergerI also like the sound quality: Every edition, I make the same reflection: a team and equipment of pros. I remain marked by an evening in another festival of the region, a few years ago, close to the Venoge, where the quality of the sound was terrible, and where even with a good poster, the memory remains mixed…
I also love what you eat there and drink it: Over the years, the BluesRules has a very diversified offer in foodtrucks and bars: Any proportion kept is better than Paleo (obviously!). And, speaking of the stands, this year there was a beautiful "lounge" place proposed by Biocan, the largest Swiss producer of legal cannabis. A very professional team, a beautiful atmosphere.
and extraordinary artists. Every year, you can find beautiful videos of some performances at Rapido1, on Youtube. They are still not all online at the time I write, but here is a small example: Greg Binns aka Big Papa Binns (USA):
Besides, this year I admit that I ran out of time to go see concerts. So it is with great pleasure that I see these videos again. So… A small 2nd: The Moonlight Gang, des Valais:
A really successful festival, so, on the "public" side. Obviously, the festival goers were satisfied. A great reward for those who are agitated in the shadows so that this festival can take place.
So I spent the majority of the festival in "backstage", at the artists ' village, to manage the bar. This year, the "backstage" zone departed from scratch: the previous editions enjoyed the premises of famous castle and its dependencies, but they were not available this year. It was therefore necessary to plan a new village: Lodges, offices, a bar, canteens, a massage room, a place "lounge-jam-meeting-rest" and I forget.
My briefing to the backstage bar staff. Photo © 2018 SmugMug, Inc.On my side, the festival began Thursday lunchtime, to arrange and supply the bar. In "Race Against the clock" mode so that everything is ready for the arrival of the first artists, and for a traditional evening "pre-festival" with the group and the staff already present. The opportunity to rub shoulders with people of backgrounds and origins completely unusual for me: I am far, in my professional life, from the artistic or event world. Participating in an organization of this type is for me an unstandard experience, so. A spontaneous and unbelievable conviviality between artists or staff, solidarity and mutual help to ensure that everything goes well and that everyone feels good. A magical atmosphere, therefore, difficult to describe with my words.
A short and festive night, therefore, followed by the D-Day where the artists and the bulk of the volunteers arrive. And finally, in the early evening, the audience. Since then, everything is rushing: last minute Adaptation, contingency management (and there were!…), replenishments, special requests, and, as far as possible, some escapades in the "public" area to listen to some snippets of Concerts. The closing of the first evening at 3am is followed by the opening of Saturday at 9am. Short night, and it went on a Saturday with a little less unforeseen, which passes at lightning speed. Closing of the festival at 2:30, debriefing up to 4h, and… On site Sunday morning around 10am to start storage, cleaning and… To the tears.
To participate in the organization of an event like this, it takes a little time and energy, but it is 1000 times compensated by the human experiences lived. It is said that this festival has far to the round the reputation of a magical and convivial atmosphere that it is in front or behind the stage: I am proud to have contributed, and glad to have benefited!
Two links to quality photos of BluesRules 2018:
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