Yes, it poured a hell of a rain! About 20,000 people dipped with hands between the drops, clapping in time with Coverdale or Elliot, spreading water around. It seemed that the weather has decided to test the will of the rock fans as it waited for Whitesnake to dash in their whirlwind and it opened its wombs. And the fans stood the test. In fact they stood everything. To welcome their favourites and attest their devotion.

Tests? The main one was the three-hour delay of the concert of the two British bands. Otherwise Toma Zdravkov and his company appeared only with an hour delay than the reported time and, having in mind the taste of the audience, the gig of the Bulgarian Music Idol 2008 contest winner was more than wisely chosen. “Highway to Hell”, “Paranoid”, “Holy Diver”, “Breaking the Law”... Should I mention the authors? His performance was a nice piece of kitsch that warmed up well.

There was hardly someone who expected that after Toma’s 20-minute performance we’d have to wait two and a half hours more for Whitesnake. This time the problem was at the Bulgarian border. Dead electricity, slowed equipment and delayed concert. And the queues for beer drew with the speed of sticky blues in a summer day. At some places the beer even finished in front of the people who waited for hours (literally). And this is not unimportant.

Shortly before 11 p.m. Whitesnake finally appeared on stage. And suddenly it became very important. To watch, to listen, to swab up music (and rain). The stage seemed to be filled by the charisma of the six smiling and bright musicians. David Coverdale was in great shape and good humor (as like as his colleagues). I believe it touched him when twenty thousand throats sang an almost 35-year-old refrain: “Ain’t no love in the heart of the city...” But there was love. Right in the heart of the city. The Academic Stadium was overflowing with it. It was given by 12-13-year-old kids, it was rayed by youngsters and elders, it flowed also from people crossing the middle age. Yes, the rain couldn’t wash out the emotional blast of the magic called Whitesnake. “Here I Go Again”? They sang it. We sang it. “Fool for Your Loving”? This one, too. “Is This Love”? Yes, this is love. And “In the Still of the Night” they presented us a light memory of Deep Purple. What more could we need? Raincoats and umbrellas. Or thrown out clothes and waving wet hairs, adhered on the smiling faces of the crowd that sent away the band under a rain of cheers, applauses and beers raised high. And a quite a real rain. Wonderful Whitesnake! And this performance was the first big concert in the life of many people. What a flying start!

For Def Leppard there remained the hard job to keep the fire started by Coverdale, Aldrich & Co., and this after 40 minutes waiting under the pouring rain. But the people, already drenched enough, seemed like they didn’t pay attention to the flowing ditches on their backs. And when, shortly after the Leppards exploded for the first time on Bulgarian soil, Joe Elliot showed commitment to the audience and a middle finger to the clouds. Rock and roll, that’s it!

Even though lighter, softer and later (in fact, it was already was the 5th of July), Def Leppard received an enthusiastic welcome from their fans. And they returned it back, performing a fresh (and wet) bouquet of some of their most beloved songs. “Rocket”, “Animal”, “Love Bites” and the great “Hysteria” were the pearls out of the 1987 album of the same name. A little worse sound compared to the killer one of Whitesnake (the fault of which was of the rain), but fans and band ignored the inconveniences and the conditions for an hour and a half of dances. And when everything ended with the anthems “Rock of Ages” and “Let’s Get Rocked”, tired and soaking, the melomans who stayed under the flood of water, emotions and rock and roll left bearing in their hearts the authentic memory of unforgettable experience. Tests? Yes. And rock and roll!

Report: Ivaylo Alexandrov

Photos:В Victor AlexandrovВ 

More photos are available in the GALLERY.