Tag Archives: Bergenfest 2014

JV reporting from Bergenfest 2014: Day 5

Doug Seegers
Doug Seegers, Bergenfest 2014, photo: Hallgeir Olsen/Johannasvisions

Doug Seegers:

We had read the “Cinderella story” about singer/songwriter Doug Seegers. How he was discovered, or should I say re-discovered. He was homeless and living on the street. Musician Aaron Espe filmed him singing and put it on the web, then after a couple of years some people in Sweden took notice, and they had Seeger on a TV-show and had a number one iTunes hit. Yeah, it is pretty amazing!

There are many more interesting aspects of his story and it has been brilliantly told in the Tennessean. A tale mirroring a country song.

I will not say that we were sceptic, but could he really be as good as the story says?

Yes, he could. He was the best act at Bergenfest on the 5th day.

He mixed classic country cover songs with his own compositions, and they were equally good! Hank Wiliams, Dan Penn/Gram Parsons, Hal Ketchum and Doug Seegers. The highlight for me was a lovely and sad ballad about the outsiders, the geeks and misfits (and all getting perfect wings in heaven), I don’t know if it was his own song or a cover (it is not on his new album), but it had a profound impact on everybody in the audience. If anybody know what the song is called, please tell us in the commentaries. Thanks to Vibeke Sjøvold for telling us which song it was, Mark Wills’s Don’t laugh at me. 

Jerry Miller was playing electric guitar with Seegers and he was brilliant.

A heart warming story, a fine singer and a great songwriter.

Doug Seegers
Doug Seegers, Bergenfest 2014, photo: Hallgeir Olsen/Johannasvisions
Doug Seegers
Doug Seegers, Bergenfest 2014, photo: Hallgeir Olsen/Johannasvisions

Continue reading JV reporting from Bergenfest 2014: Day 5

JV reporting from Bergenfest 2014: Day 2

Robert Plant
Robert Plant, Bergenfest 2014, photo: Hallgeir Olsen/Johannasvisions

Bergenfest 2014 - day2

Robert Plant and The Sensational Space shifters:

Robert Plant
Rober Plant, Bergenfest 2014, photo: Hallgeir Olsen/Johannasvisions

The headliner on the second day was of course, Robert Plant and his band The Sensational Space shifters. Plant revisited  surprisingly many songs from the Led Zeppelin catalog (and an appreciative audience loved it) plus some new songs and tunes from his post-Zeppelin career. The emphasis was on blues put in a historic context, very modern sounding but also very true to it’s roots. He drew the lines from England to Memphis to Africa. This wasn’t a dry history lesson, but a joyful celebration of the blues artform.

Continue reading JV reporting from Bergenfest 2014: Day 2

Bergenfest 2014: Must see concerts


bergenfest english

We are going on a trip next week, it is time for our annual visit to Bergenfest. We are very excited!

Bergenfest is an open air and club festival in the city centre of Bergen(Norway). It has over the years established itself as a modern music festival of both national and international interest. Open air shows take place in medieval fortress and castle in the city’s historic centre. Main stage capacity 6.700, second stage capacity 2.000, the third stage is an indoor “wooden tent” scene called “The Magic Mirror” stage. It is a relatively small but brilliant festival.

We will post daily reports from the festival.

These are the concerts we will try to catch.

John Fullbright (it’s a shame that it at the same time spot as Wovenhand, but we choose Fullbright)
Royal Blood
The Strypes
ZZ Top
North Mississippi Allstars
Joe Henry
Television
Robert Plant and The Sensational Shapeshifters
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
Laura Mvula
Cold Specks
Wild Beasts
Lulu James
I Was A King
Lindi Ortega
Highasakite
Billy Bragg
Graham Parker and the Rumour
The Hell
Franz Ferdinand
Lee Fields & The Expressions
Lana Del Rey
Monica Heldal
Doug Seegers
James Vincent McMorrow
Tom Odell
Bow To Each Other

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