Rock Monsters Romania

Have you ever felt like a child at a concert, not because of the artist or band that played an important part in your past, but simply because of the overall vibe of the event?

On the 28th of August, I returned to Rooftop Season at the TNB Amphitheater for the first time since the Luiza Zan and Jazzpar Trio concert. This time it was for another premiere: Valeria Stoica. It was also a premiere for me, as it was my first time seeing her perform a full concert.

The first thing that struck me was the scenery. It was so simple, so Valeriesque. Why do I say that? Well, to me, Valeria feels like the kind of artist who could play anywhere. Earlier this year, I saw her live at the Ototo Victoriei coffee shop. And I can just as easily picture her performing in a forest, or on an empty hill surrounded by freshly cut grass and blossoming trees, something like that famous Aurora concert.

When the show began, everything felt cinematic. From the music to the playful, cartoon-like drawings, some of which reminded me of the old show Bolek and Lolek. I especially loved the illustration of a girl playing guitar in nature as it looked exactly like a doodle of Valeria herself, sitting in the grass and composing, just like the cover of her latest album, Go Outside and Hug a Tree. At one point, the visuals switched to a live transmission of the concert through a phone camera, probably because everyone was so captivated by the animations that they forgot to look at the stage.

The highlight of the night, apart from my favorite song Haze, was Vallabye. It was accompanied by one of the most emotional Romanian music videos I’ve ever seen. Filmed during a trip to Berlin, it features Valeria’s father wandering through the city. The resemblance of his movements, his look, and probably his emotions, was striking. It was a deeply moving moment for the audience, and I even heard people crying. So yes, don’t forget to hug your loved ones after reading this.

This was probably one of the most relaxing concerts I’ve attended all summer, and I loved how natural and calm Valeria and her band (Laura Benedek, Horia Constantinescu, Vladimir Proca, and Andrey Baydin) were. It felt less like a staged performance and more like a rehearsal, which says a lot about their authenticity and quality.

The whole concert passed in what felt like seconds, not an hour and a half. Luckily, Valeria will return to Bucharest for a show at the MMB Showcase on September 9th, giving us another chance to feel something new and disconnect from our daily problems.

Tickets for the next Rooftop Season concerts are still available here.

Review by Radu Mihai