Best things about Graspop
Three days of being surrounded by people wearing band-shirts and having amazingly long hair and acting tough but being really friendly: my first metal festival was kind of awesome. I'm glad I went. I'm glad that having no female friends who are into metal didn't stop me from going. Guys are nice.
The best shows I've seen were Bullet for my Valentine, In Flames, At The Gates and 36 Crazy Fists. I needed some time to get used to all that roaring of lyrics and trashing of guitars and headbanging, but then I really enjoyed both the music and the atmosphere. And there was so little violence! There was more respect than I remember from any of my previous festival experiences. Plus, pretty boys all around.
Yeah, this was just what I needed. I feel like I'm more relaxed now. There are always going to be challenges in life, and new stuff to try out. And yes, I kinda freaked on the inside when one of the boys I met talked about his conversation with Gerard Way back when they were still relatively unfamous in Europe, but I also feel like there are a lot more bands to discover than I ever thought possible. Even in my hometown. I'm certainly looking forward to going back next year.