Bilbao BBK Live 2022

[robskyd]

On 6/27/2022 at 3:09 PM, Bram said:

Always want to experience BBK festival.  Do the non camping accommodation is walking distance from the festival venue?

Its our first year this year at BBK and we're staying in a hotel. Its in Bilbao which is a shuttle bus ride to and from the festival and we've been told by people who have been before that you really don't want to walk it due to the incline of the hill ! 

 

[Serenefishy]

Thinking of making a last minute decision to go to this, lineup looks great. If I'm reading the website correctly is it really 173 Euros all for the whole festival and camping?

[VCF]

182 with fees actually, but yeah it’s worth it.

Still no further info about the LCD / Phoebe situation 😕

Edited July 1, 2022 by VCF

[VCF]

Phoebe now playing at 7.15 on a bigger stage.

Absolutely delightful from the festival.

[gregory]

Poor Nacho Vegas though, haha.

But a good move, well done BBK.

[VCF]

Still hard to process. Not sure I’ve seen a better festival day this year. What a crazy run. 
 

Have fun everyone !

[VCF]

Phoebe B was absolutely MAGICAL. 

Will make a review at the end of the festival but so far : amazing location, crazy prices (10€ for a 50cl beer) and easy to get at the front of the main stages. 

[VCF]

Some reactions on this weekend.

- Overall it was a pleasant experience but we did the festival after 4-5 days exploring the Basque Country and had the silly idea to do a 15 km in the mountains the day before. Had a bit of stress to get on time at the camping too, so with the crazy Thursday we were exhausted by Day 2. Still managed to see 4-5 acts a day.

- Felt also different than our Belgian festivals as gigs are starting at 1-2 pm here. 5-6 pm start with nothing too interesting early on at BBK and therefore not getting on site before 7 was a bit strange to get used to. Took the time to visit San Mamés, Guggenheim and eat pintxos the afternoon but it didnt help with fatigue.

- Cashless thing was on point, but... Not the biggest fan. Sometimes they forget to tell you how much you’ve paid / is left and there’s no way you can keep track by yourself. Aaand it goes fast with such crazy prices (though the 10€ beers were definitely not 50cl).

- Ridiculous how this was so easy to get at the front for every single gig of the weekend (unless maybe J Balvin who felt packed, but I was at Slowthai). And I’m used to Rock Werchter! I showed up 15 minutes before LCD and was at the front. Surreal.

- Overall the atmosphere was brilliant and crowds were great. Put Werchter to shame but it’s not like Werchter is known for its atmosphere... Place was packed on Friday and Saturday, not too much on Thursday. 

- I’m not sure one single gig I’ve attended (bar LCD and Slowthai) started on time. Is this a new thing since COVID of what? Kudos to M.I.A. who showed up late and ended playing a 50 min set. Not my thing anyway.

- Sound wasn’t good for most headline sets, which is a shame. Bass were like way too loud?James Murphy vocals were almost inaudible at times. Still one of my favorite gigs ever (and unfortunately it was Day 1, so nothing could top that after).

- Not the biggest fan of everything The Killers has released but I finally get the reactions seen on the forum the last few weeks, as they were bloody good. The Werchter 18 debacle is forgiven... Stromae also put on a show and I’m surprised how much he seems to be popular there.

- Phoebe Bridgers was absolutely magical as expected. What a way to open a festival. And I might see her again in Amsterdam next week.

- Slowthai!!! Went with no expectations at all, but ended with one of the sets of the festival despite the small crowd. Started slowly but won us over in no time.

In short I would do it again, but in another setting. I feel like we didnt take enough time to wander around the site (tbf the field is not that big but the Basoa/Lasoi is great with the view on the city). 2023 tickets were at 110 which is a bargain but I’ll wait for the line up anyway.

(2 minutes before Kelly Lee Owens)

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by VCF

[adequate8]

11 hours ago, VCF said:

Some reactions on this weekend.

- Overall it was a pleasant experience but we did the festival after 4-5 days exploring the Basque Country and had the silly idea to do a 15 km in the mountains the day before. Had a bit of stress to get on time at the camping too, so with the crazy Thursday we were exhausted by Day 2. Still managed to see 4-5 acts a day.

- Felt also different than our Belgian festivals as gigs are starting at 1-2 pm here. 5-6 pm start with nothing too interesting early on at BBK and therefore not getting on site before 7 was a bit strange to get used to. Took the time to visit San Mamés, Guggenheim and eat pintxos the afternoon but it didnt help with fatigue.

- Cashless thing was on point, but... Not the biggest fan. Sometimes they forget to tell you how much you’ve paid / is left and there’s no way you can keep track by yourself. Aaand it goes fast with such crazy prices (though the 10€ beers were definitely not 50cl).

- Ridiculous how this was so easy to get at the front for every single gig of the weekend (unless maybe J Balvin who felt packed, but I was at Slowthai). And I’m used to Rock Werchter! I showed up 15 minutes before LCD and was at the front. Surreal.

- Overall the atmosphere was brilliant and crowds were great. Put Werchter to shame but it’s not like Werchter is known for its atmosphere... Place was packed on Friday and Saturday, not too much on Thursday. 

- I’m not sure one single gig I’ve attended (bar LCD and Slowthai) started on time. Is this a new thing since COVID of what? Kudos to M.I.A. who showed up late and ended playing a 50 min set. Not my thing anyway.

- Sound wasn’t good for most headline sets, which is a shame. Bass were like way too loud?James Murphy vocals were almost inaudible at times. Still one of my favorite gigs ever (and unfortunately it was Day 1, so nothing could top that after).

- Not the biggest fan of everything The Killers has released but I finally get the reactions seen on the forum the last few weeks, as they were bloody good. The Werchter 18 debacle is forgiven... Stromae also put on a show and I’m surprised how much he seems to be popular there.

- Phoebe Bridgers was absolutely magical as expected. What a way to open a festival. And I might see her again in Amsterdam next week.

- Slowthai!!! Went with no expectations at all, but ended with one of the sets of the festival despite the small crowd. Started slowly but won us over in no time.

In short I would do it again, but in another setting. I feel like we didnt take enough time to wander around the site (tbf the field is not that big but the Basoa/Lasoi is great with the view on the city). 2023 tickets were at 110 which is a bargain but I’ll wait for the line up anyway.

(2 minutes before Kelly Lee Owens)

 

How busy did KLO get?!

[gfa]

On 7/11/2022 at 11:08 AM, VCF said:

- I’m not sure one single gig I’ve attended (bar LCD and Slowthai) started on time. Is this a new thing since COVID of what? Kudos to M.I.A. who showed up late and ended playing a 50 min set. Not my thing anyway.

I think a lot of crews have got out of practice, lots of festivals have been struggling with getting stuff ontime / tech issues etc. Lots of acts struggled at glasto

[Giovanni]

Our first time and it was ace!

1. Gorgeous location. Stunning scenery.

2. Very good crowd at most concerts.

3. Usually little queueing, though the food choice could be better.

4. The line-up worked great. The best sets of the weekend: LCD, Stromae, Bomba Estereo (huge surprise, what a crowd), Caribou, Phoebe Bridgers, Kelly Lee Owens (it got busier ;)) 

5. Those techno stages in the woods were awesome too.

We didn't camp, we stayed in the city, so adapting to going to gigs late wasn't that hard. Anyway, it's normal for a Spanish festival even if Bilbao doesn't get the heat like most of the country.

Had a blast, we might come back soon, at least to try more pintxos bars in the city 😄 

[Bram]

17 hours ago, Giovanni said:

Our first time and it was ace!

1. Gorgeous location. Stunning scenery.

2. Very good crowd at most concerts.

3. Usually little queueing, though the food choice could be better.

4. The line-up worked great. The best sets of the weekend: LCD, Stromae, Bomba Estereo (huge surprise, what a crowd), Caribou, Phoebe Bridgers, Kelly Lee Owens (it got busier ;)) 

5. Those techno stages in the woods were awesome too.

We didn't camp, we stayed in the city, so adapting to going to gigs late wasn't that hard. Anyway, it's normal for a Spanish festival even if Bilbao doesn't get the heat like most of the country.

Had a blast, we might come back soon, at least to try more pintxos bars in the city 😄 

Was it difficult to get to the festival/going back to accomodation if staying at the city?

[Rico_Pliskin]

44 minutes ago, Bram said:

Was it difficult to get to the festival/going back to accomodation if staying at the city?

Nah. Just a little bit of a climb where they drop you off for the bus.

[Giovanni]

1 hour ago, Rico_Pliskin said:

Nah. Just a little bit of a climb where they drop you off for the bus.

Exactly. You also sometimes had to wait a bit for a bus this or that way, but honestly it usually looked worse than it was, cause the queue went smoothly. Properly organized stuff.

We stayed quite near San Mames stadium (bus stops were located near it), so it was also convenient and most attractions of the city were still in the walking distance from our area.

[Bram]

1 minute ago, Giovanni said:

Exactly. You also sometimes had to wait a bit for a bus this or that way, but honestly it usually looked worse than it was, cause the queue went smoothly. Properly organized stuff.

We stayed quite near San Mames stadium (bus stops were located near it), so it was also convenient and most attractions of the city were still in the walking distance from our area.

Sounds wonderful. With helish experience of waiting for bus to get back to accomodation (added with overcrowded issue) in other major Spanish festival, BBK seems a good option for my next year festival trip. Thanks

[Sarahw2]

Just coming around now after the festival. This was the most well organised festival I've ever been to. No ques for bars, food or toilets. We were actally standing to the front of the stage and someone came to refill our drinks for us. Never see that before 🤣. The setting for the festival was absolutely stunning. Didn't camp so cannot comment on that part but busses up and back were really easy. 10/10

[Sarahw2]

Just booked hotel for next year. Anyone any idea when the tickets will be on sale ? Sorry I didn't pick them up while there now.