The rapper took this year’s freshmen, and their a bit older (and also younger) colleagues through the most famous night-time exam of the year, together with Big Foot Mama, Dan D, Pero Lovšin, Da Phenomena, Preprosto črni, and Muff. The audience for this exam was even smaller than in the last years. “I must lament, as ten years ago from 10,000 to 7,000 tickets were sold, and there were three stages for the performers. Today around 2,500 tickets are sold, which is still good, but I believe the young today have other ways of relaxing – mostly Facebook, and that reflects on concerts in general," said the Big Foot Mama bass player Alen Steržaj for MMC.
The cold November night lured to the entrance of the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre less people than in the previous years. This year each visitor had to part with seven (in advance sale) or twelve euros (on the day of the event) to gain access to the concert. Four years ago groups of people ‘camping’ along the Dunajska cesta road with glasses in their hands was a traditional sight; this year around 10 p.m. only a few could be seen. There were no lines in front of the entrance, as a couple of years ago. Those passing by accidentally after 8.30 p.m. could hardly guess, in spite of the loud music, that inside a party was going on, the pinnacle being the solemn oath of the new generation of freshmen following the Big Foot Mama appearance – the moment when the scene finally got similar to the “good old times” when freshmen parties were visited on a mass scale.
"Greetings to the positive energy!"
MMC joined the happening at the main stage at the end of Da Phenomena performance and the tune of Nočem te nazaj (I don’t want you back). A handful of people below the stage gave the impression that at 10 p.m. it was still too early…
The return of Big Foot Mama
The largest number gathered below the stage for Big Foot Mama, performing again at the freshmen party. "During our performance I was trying to remember how many times we played at Bruc. I believe that during the last ten years we played at least once a year, which means each year," Steržaj said.
"It is always very exciting to perform for the students, as they have so much energy and youth aura, as our music, so we always find ourselves on the same wavelength, although we are a couple of years older," Steržaj explained laughing.
The more peaceful approach by Dan D
The Dan D rock band took a bit different approach for defying the unpleasant acoustic conditions; they chose somewhat slower arrangements and vocally softer compositions.
Another round with Lovšin
The one before the last of the evening was Pero Lovšin, another performer who came back to Bruc. "I haven’t performed very often at Bruc, but I did appear every couple of years. I am not a permanent guest, but I am still here,” he said.
He also remembered his student years and said that at that time such student parties didn’t exist. "We had dances in the canteen, but I never went there because I was not interested in that kind of scene. I started going to student parties when I began performing with Pankrti," admitted Lovšin. He and his band suffered most from the rather empty hall, and difficult acoustic conditions in general.
Those most resilient stayed till early morning in the company of the band Muff.
This year Bruc, the freshmen party, was characterised by a smaller audience than in previous years (although the void was mainly at the main stage, it does not mean that the main part of the audience stayed at the electronic), even worse sound echo, and the old faces of the performers. "That’s the misfortune of the Slovenian music scene, as the number of bands people are interested in is too small. I am not saying that the number of good bands is too small. The problem is that the number of those who have awakened the interest of people, and offered them relaxation and fun, is too small – and relaxation and fun is what students need," Steržaj summed up his thoughts for MMC.
