90's Explosion Openair festival where music connects forever!
They say that music connects many generations.
The best time, when specific songs had meaning, a mission and with their unique positive charge kept all the wonderful people together in such a loyalty that they still celebrate its existence and are proud of when they were born and how they were able to enjoy life, was the unique 90s!
I was about 9 years old when I discovered a song from a cassette tape that captivated me with its beat, melody, and voice. Today I know it was Let The Beat Control Your Body by the amazing band 2unlimited. And at that moment, I knew this music was getting under my skin. Next came the immortal duo Twenty 4 seven, who got my head addicted to their amazing and overdriven dance track Is it Love, which also broke records in the charts and topped the ESO show for several weeks. I had to have their cassette and get to know the other songs that this duo made.
When I got something in my head, I didn't back down until I got it or did it.
I had the unique opportunity to get a cassette by buying it at the Brno Stock Exchange at the time when I tried to slyly explain to my mother that I couldn't leave without the cassette and that it was vital for me to be in the center of the music scene and to be able to dance to my favorite artist. Since my mom was of the same musical dough, she understood but eventually pointed out that I would have to wait for it.
I, being a seasoned actress, started my hysterical crying and short-tempered behavior which caused a bit of a mess and I figured I wouldn't move until my mom bought it for me.
When I felt I was already losing the battle with my rude outburst, I put on a puffy face and my eyes began to burn from the bitter tears I was swallowing as I walked to our car.
I sat in the back seat, looking out the window, thinking I wanted to die. My mom sat in the passenger seat and admonished me that this was not how it worked and that I had nothing to gain by behaving this way. I didn't care what anyone said or how anyone admonished me. I was looking forward to singing their other songs from the speaker so I could dance around the room, but everything started to fade into the fog.
As we drove the car out of the stock exchange parking lot, I threw my head back in exhaustion from crying and leaned back, looking out the window at the overcast sky. Suddenly, Mom looked back at my disappointed expression. She started to search for something in her purse and suddenly turned around, waiting for me to turn in her direction as well. She was holding a certain cassette tape of Twenty 4 seven!
Oh my God, what a dream!
I almost jumped out of the car for joy while driving. I didn't understand what she had baked on me, but I never loved her more than at this moment when she bought me the first piece of my new music collection, which I never knew would last a lifetime and make me happy with these immortal songs.
“…maybe one day we’ll be united!”
At the time I visited my first open-air music festival of the 90s, which took place in Prague, I started dating my husband, with whom I went there, not knowing yet what an amazing party I was going to have. In 2024, this festival will be celebrating its 5th birthday. Although it started as an innocent thing, meeting a few former stars who had no idea that they still existed in our hearts and that we were true and loyal fans.
It was our first proper cultural event and we were really looking forward to it. We bought tickets to the VIP section, where we had the opportunity to stand at the stage and see our favourite performers up close.
Most of the visitors symbolically dressed up in 90's outfits of cheerful colors, then trendy outfits, expressing their affection and love for this musical era.
As soon as one stepped onto the entertainment floor of the Prague Exhibition Centre, one knew he was home. Why home?
The people at this time were very smiley, humble, and grateful. They knew how to have fun and laugh, dance, and sing with complete strangers around them. This music was able to bring everyone together, put a smile on everyone's face with its positive lyrics, give them hope and faith that everything will work out in the end and despite all the obstacles of life, we remain united!
We still consider ourselves the "Generation of Love", we were becoming "Happy people" and we exuded "Freedom" and we were definitely "United" where there was "No limit" and we knew that "Music is my Life".
We always felt the musical message.
But everything comes to an end at some point!
This year we made a special visit to the second half of the festival, which took place in Brno at the Exhibition Grounds.
We enjoyed the first half in May and the second half is always held in September. It was to be the final performance of the singer of the mentioned duo Twenty 4 seven, who announced the end of his musical career this year and decided to devote himself to his family and rest.
We couldn't miss it, because without it this festival would not be complete and successful. In addition, this farewell line-up consisted of other most successful bands of their time, such as 2Unlimited or Captain Jack or Pharao. We also considered it as a nice end to a busy working summer and therefore combined it with a trip and a long weekend in a hotel together with our pet dog.
I prepared mentally for about 2 months, playing all the 90s songs in the background while working, travelling in the city or cleaning the house. Even though I've always remembered all the lyrics, no one gets tired of listening to it over and over again and enjoying the goosebumps it gave me all over.
On Friday morning, we packed up and headed out for an adventure.
The day before the festival in Brno, we took a long walk around the city, and I reminisced about my childhood, the places where I went to school, and where I used to travel by tram. It was a really nostalgic moment and a realization that I might be here for the last time.
We stopped for a delicious lunch on the way, I took some photos of some memorable places for my collection and we headed back to the room.
Upon arriving at the hotel we enjoyed relaxing on the comfortable bed, we had a beautiful view of the city from the terrace, and even the weather played into our hands.
On the day of the festival, we tried to sleep in so that we would have enough energy to dance the night away and get swept up in the great atmosphere, delicious food, and drinks.
We always got tickets to the VIP section so we could see our favorites up close and take photos or videos as a souvenir. It was like one big open-air disco - no rules or restrictions stopped us from having fun.
The classic warm-up, when the hosts of the whole concert play old dance tunes and motivate us while waiting for our stars, started very promisingly, and at the same time, one was in a good mood and reminisced about his Retro years.
Our interest this time was centered on the promotional items available for purchase at the souvenir stand.
We were eager to acquire some beautiful souvenirs, which of necessity had to complement our extensive collection of key rings, pens, rubber bracelets, and t-shirts as well as drink cups with a particular edition from the festival.
These booths are always the first ones to queue when you arrive at the space, as it's always a place people visit straight away so they don't leave empty-handed and can enjoy the bits they've hunted down.
After a lot of research and waiting on the internet, it was finally our turn to buy the sweatshirts that we had wanted to buy for a long time and we succeeded because they were waiting for us in our size and in really beautiful colors.
After a considerable amount of money spent, stocked up on tasty drinks, and an evening of sampling local delicacies, we wandered into our Golden Circle section in front of the stage, the weather smiling down on us in the form of bright sunshine and we were looking forward to the start of a memorable evening of mutual hugs, wide smiles and the joy of a large audience.
The whole evening was going so incredibly fast that we didn't even turn around and it was coming to an end because there was going to be a surprise and the last performance of a long-awaited performer who had influenced my life from a very young age - the Dutch band Twenty 4 seven. Since he had publicly announced the end of his musical career before the event, it was all going to be in his honor, where the original singer from the days of the successful duo had come to say goodbye. No one expected such a touching ending and the farewell of his other colleagues, who sang his hit "We Are the World" accompanied by Michael Jackson's legendary song in his memory. All the artists gathered on the stage by his side and brought a commemorative framed golden plate accompanied by our Czech presenters. By then, no one could hold back their tears and the collective cheering made the emotions even stronger, bringing the singer to tears with thunderous applause.
The gratitude, joy, and support from a simple gathering of other musicians managed to melt the hearts of all who witnessed such a flawless end to an era.
The send-off launched celebratory fireworks into the sky and a thank-you sign above the stage reading "Thank you, Stay-C".
These moments are worth living for!
Moments like these are the most meaningful in life and keep us going towards our dreams - a life of joy and smiles with life-changing music!
Are there any fans of this era among you? Do you have a similar life-changing experience? Leave a comment...
