Last weekend, another instance of a tradition that I share with a few friends, took place. The tradition is the annual trip to Trondheim, when one of the aforementioned friends and myself go to Trondheim to visit friend number three. We usually do this in October, and have a great time. Every second year, we go for the bi-annual student festival "Uka".
(Photos here)
The goings-on at Uka are many and varied, and range from a cabaret and the Norwegian rock-paper-scissors championships to chamber music concertos, hip-hop concerts and rock concerts. Earlier festivals have sported names such as Muse, Pussycat Dolls, Seigmen, a-ha, 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean, Travis, Sputnik, Madrugada, Tom McRae, Turboneger, Cardigans, deLillos, Postgirobygget, Immortal and Prodigy.
I arrived in Trondheim thursday morning, went to work, then went to my friend's apartment. From there, we went to Samfundet, to see this years' cabaret, "Skabarè". After the show, we went to one of the rooms there where you can buy chips and play blackjack and roulette. After a couple of false starts, I did pretty well for myself at the Black Jack-table, and was up by quite a bit when we went to see the first band of the night, the Swedish girl duo First Aid Kit.
After First Aid Kit, the headliner of the evening went on stage in the great hall, former students in Trondheim, Postgirobygget. Having followed Postgirobygget for years, seeing them for the first time was really great. They delivered the goods just as expected, playing both their classic songs, and some songs off their new album. The audience loved what they gave, and joined inn on the top of their voices.
Friday night, Åge Aleksandersen og Samfundet took the stage in the tent in Dødens Dal (Valley of Death in Norwegian). We stood in the middle of what would be the mosh-pit if it was a metal concert. A lot of fun, and group singing ensued. Afterwards we went back to Samfundet, where the party continued. We hit the casino-room, where I continued to do pretty well for myself, enough so that I could spend the chips on a glass of Johnny Walker Blue label, after the clock had passed midnight.
Why after midnight you ask? Well, October 17th is my birthday. I have a thing for whisky, and had never tried that particular one. Being a rather expensive whisky, it's not exactly something I'll go for any day of the week. So, what with it being my birthday and all, I decided to treat myself. It was very nice, although I am not convinced I'd pay list price for it.
After we were done gambling, we went to the after-party in the "digs", the rooms in the wings of Samfundet, where we had a great time, and went home after having gotten thoroughly sloshed.
Saturday morning I woke up, then got back to sleep. A few hours later, we were all up, and hung over. A shower and a meal helped, and so, we went to see the cabaret for the second time; my friend who came up from Oslo didn't get there 'till friday, so he hadn't seen it. It was great, again, and I laughed so much my ribs hurt (again).
After the cabaret, we had a little more to drink, and then went back to the great hall, to see "Uka Wonder Hits". The lineup consisted of artists from the last three decades; the 80's represented by Lars Kilevold, the 90's by Infinity and the millenium by Wig Wam. After they had played a few songs each, we voted for what song to hear again (Infinity - Happy).
After the show ended, we were ushered out of the great hall, so that the chairs and tables could be removed, and then Wig Wam took the stage (again). They were a great disappointment during the Wonder Hits show, and the concert was no better, which also explains why we left it about halfway through the concert, to go back to the digs.
Sunday morning we got up, and started carrying boxes and bags, as our friend who lives in Trondheim, was moving. We got to see his new apartment, a very nice, and beautifully done three-room place, with a nice, glassed-in veranda. Of course, the flipside was that we helped him move in, but it was all worth it.
I had a very nice weekend, and am already looking forward to next years' trip.
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