Summerside Festival 2024

For the 2nd edition of the Summerside Festival, there have been no major changes. There are still three stages: a main stage, a small stage where local bands play, and an electro stage that keeps the party going until 4 am. This year’s headliners included the legendary rock band Deep Purple, Megadeth—one of thrash metal’s Big Four—and two solo projects, Bruce Dickinson and Corey Taylor.

We started the day on the big stage with two local bands: All To Get Her and Rock Out. From the very first band, we were treated to sparks and pyrotechnics. This festival looks like it’s going to kick some serious ass from the very first notes! We followed with Tito and Tarantula. The weather was pretty good—it had rained a little on the previous days, so there was very little mud on the festival site. Some of us had already refueled at the food stands before watching the P.O.D. concert, which, for those in the know, was a heavy one! The band’s distinctive style mixes reggae, rap, and metal. A mix that came together perfectly. The set lasted an hour, which kept festival-goers warm, singing along, and jumping up and down. As the sun gently set, it began to get cooler. After a 30-minute break, the band Myrath took to the stage. They took us on a journey to the Middle East with their oriental metal that combines many instruments. They were scheduled for one hour. The set was too short—we would have liked to hear more! The sun set for the famous band Krokus, who took us straight back to ’80s rock. To round off the evening, the legendary band Deep Purple took the stage. We were treated to a visual introduction, with screens in the background looking exactly like a film. The festival was full, and this was the day with the most people.

On this Friday, we watched a whole series of concerts, but the one we particularly wanted to see was Korpiklaani. And then it started raining. It wasn’t just a little rain, but a very heavy rain that lashed down on the festival, and was the beginning of the delays of that day. Korpiklaani is a Finnish folk metal band from Lahti. Their music is a blend of heavy metal, folk, and traditional humppa instruments. Their lyrics are essentially about the Finnish forest and its legends, and about beer-fueled celebrations. The band sees the links with nature and women as very important. Korpiklaani means “Nature Clan” in Finnish.

The concert started 50 minutes later than planned because of the rain. But it was a party, and we immediately started dancing. The singer, dressed all in purple, sang in a foreign language. We were fully into the folk-metal rhythm and enjoying the moment. Too good!!! Everyone clapped their hands as we danced to the tunes of the accordion. The speed increased more and more, and we couldn’t keep up any longer—it was so fast. What a kick, it was too good! Even Kevin, my photographer colleague, liked this music (although he’s not a big fan of folk metal). Some songs were very catchy, others much calmer.

Later in the evening, it was Corey Todd Taylor’s turn. He’s an American singer and lead singer of Slipknot, as well as Stone Sour. His nickname is “The Sickness” or “Neck.” We got off to a later start than planned because we were hit by heavy rain again. The festival area was flooded. We were all in front of the stage waiting for this great band. Everyone was wet and muddy. The band started 40 minutes later. Corey put on a show of his own. He’s a charismatic leader. Dressed in a black jacket, he picked up his guitar and led the crowd in a crazy chorus. And there he went, singing one song after another. The crowd went wild. Then it was the guitarist’s turn for a magnificent solo. Several people lit their lighters, moving them from right to left. Not for long, though, as Corey picked up his guitar and started shouting before his musicians started up again. By the end of the song, everyone was clapping along to Slipknot’s “Duality.”

After a 1 hour 15 minute delay due to the weather, Megadeth’s set was also cut short. I hope the band’s fans weren’t too disappointed after waiting hours in the rain to see their favorite stars. As always, the sound was incredible, the guitar riffs had surgical precision, and Dave’s unique voice was unmistakable. They were probably the most technically proficient band at the festival. Following Kiko Loureiro’s retirement, Teemu Mäntysaari took over the guitar. I didn’t think the band had changed at all. It was a beautiful evening. We got mud all over the place, but above all we had music in our ears.

On the third day of the festival, it rained again. The festival became very muddy with huge puddles. We had to be careful to watch where we put our feet down unless we wanted to end up covered in mud. I hoped the weather would leave us alone so we could see the bands according to schedule. 

And we were lucky: no delays or shortened sets on this day. It was a very big day, with nine bands scheduled on the main stage. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Hammerfall, who were scheduled to perform but canceled a few weeks before. However, the band was replaced by Primal Fear. For me, this was a discovery, and I wasn’t disappointed to see them live. The musicians are charismatic, they have a great stage presence, and they easily captivated the audience despite the meteorological conditions. 

The same was true of Black Stone Cherry, who put on a great, high-energy show. Fortunately, almost all the bands used pyrotechnic effects on stage to warm us up a bit in those rainy conditions. The evening began with Tarja, the former lead singer of Nightwish. I was delighted to be able to hear Nightwish’s “Ever Dream” sung by the original voice. Tarja’s bewitching voice took us very quickly to the end of the set. Time passed too quickly to make way for the great Tom Morello. He’s one of the world’s greatest guitarists.

His technique is unique, and his creativity allows him to create sounds that the public has never heard before. If you want to hear something different, I highly recommend seeing him live.

In conclusion, the organization of this festival was top-notch despite the rain. We look forward to seeing the next line-up after 2 extraordinary editions. A wide variety of sub-genres were present, so everyone could find something they liked. See you next year with a little more sunshine!

Review written by Nath and Kevin
Translation and pictures by @csk_lens (Instagram)