Rain fails to put out the heat at Pentaport Rock Festival

Wrapping up three days of festivities, Weezer took the stage at Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival 2019 on Sunday at around 10 p.m. As the crowd rocked on to the US band’s “Perfect Situation,” the downpour blew out the generator and the music stopped.

The 10-minute delay did not put out the fire for the frenzied crowd, and many continued to rock on as the band played songs including “Africa,” “Happy Together” and “Island in the Sun.”

Nasty weather soaking the annual festival is almost a tradition by now, but thousands of fans who gathered at the port city were not deterred, either by the rain or by the blazing heat that preceded it.

This year’s event kicked off Friday with the likes of The Fray and Sunset Rollercoaster, not to mention South Korea’s own YB, Kim Jong-seo and Vassline. Three separate stages were set up, sponsored by KB Kookmin Card Starshop, Coke and Incheon Airport.

In anticipation of the sweltering heat and humidity, the organizers prepared an air-conditioned “cool zone” for visitors to cool down, as well as a zone for medical care.

The facilities were upgraded from the previous year, with double the number of bathrooms and parking spaces. This was the result of the Incheon Metropolitan Government’s goal to attract 100,000 concertgoers, up from last year’s 80,000.

While the final count has yet to be released, the accumulated number of visitors for the first two days was estimated at over 70,000.

Despite the weather, many of the festival’s highlights took place on the last day.

Anyone with knowledge of Korea’s rock scene is familiar with the name Crying Nut, a band known for its borderline-manic stage performances. The indie rock legend had the crowd jumping up and down throughout the 40 minutes allotted to it.

British pop rock band The Vamps entertained the fans with sweet tunes and an energetic performance as the night went on, before PIA took the stage around 8:40 p.m.

It was a special occasion for the alternative metal band, which after 21 years has decided to disband after a standalone concert in October.

“This is a prelude to our last performance, so we will make it special,” the band vowed, putting on a show whose memory is sure to resonate through the ages.

Despite the joy the festival brought to Incheon, the weather wasn’t the only hiccup.

Tension filled the air when Japanese band Cornelius took the stage on Saturday, due to the strained relations between Korea and Japan. Controversy erupted when an image reminiscent of Japan’s Rising Sun flag appeared during the band’s opening performance.

“The video in question is a 1960s US educational movie that has been sampled as a pop art video. There was no intent (by the band) to remind anyone of the Rising Sun flag, nor is it the flag. There was no political intent,” the festival organizers said on the band’s behalf, adding that those words represented an official statement from Cornelius.


By Yoon Min-sik
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)