Focus on Festivals 2026 – Salone del Libro and Frontiers Rock Festival
If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that May in Turin means Salone del Libro, the largest book fair and festival in Italy, and that I always go. This year was no exception but…I wasn’t able to book any of the author talks I wanted to attend. This was partly because of the very limited time I had available (basically one weekday afternoon), and partly because of the usual difficulty in getting tickets to events. The organizers keep saying they have improved the system, but I had no luck and I didn’t feel like standing in line to possibly get a spot to see Emmanuel Carrère.
Something Strange
Something strange I noticed this year was that there seemed to be a dearth of non-European authors. I will admit that I didn’t follow the Salone updates this year as much as in the past, so maybe my impression was wrong. Yes, Zadie Smith was one of the main guests. And I saw, after the fact, that Abraham Verghese, author of the wonderful The Covenant of Water, which we read and loved in Doorstoppers, was here. Sadly, he presented on a day when I was working, so I wouldn’t have been able to go (so it’s just as well I only found out after it was too late).
Nevertheless, I had a great time wandering around with a friend and meeting up with others who were there. And I consoled myself with a fancy Guido Gobino ice cream bar. And…with thoughts of the fantastic Frontiers Rock Festival, which we went to at the beginning of the month.
Frontiers Rock Festival 2026
Last year I was thrilled to see one of my all-time favorite bands at the Frontiers Rock Festival, Winger. I just couldn’t believe my luck! We had a great time but only went for one day. This time we upped the ante and went for all three days. Below are some of my impressions and highlights.
First off, it’s HARD standing up for three days in a row, for more than seven hours a day. I’m used to walking and standing quite a bit, but this was different. After the first day I ditched my combat boots (man, the pain! What the hell was I thinking?) and went for something more comfortable. Luck was on our side with the weather, which was totally perfect, not too hot (unlike these last few days across Western Europe, which have been completely miserable).
Bad Luck on Day One of the Festival
Day One of the Festival seemed somewhat doomed. There were at least two cancellations in the few days prior to the Festival, with House of Lords and Robin Beck unable to make it. But Frontiers turned lemons into lemonade by filling in the roster with Dan Byrne and the legendary Russ Ballard. I wasn’t familiar with Dan Byrne but he and his band blew the roof off the joint with a very strong opening, Saviour, from his new album. Straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll that I could definitely get behind.
Russ Ballard = legend. I couldn’t believe I was standing so close to him. He’s written so many songs, including a few that were performed at the festival by other bands. One of my favorites is Since You Been Gone. You probably know this version, by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. If you don’t recognize that one, you surely know God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll to You. It blows my mind that that song is from 1973. Ballard seems like a really nice, down-to-earth guy and his band was great (like all of the bands).
Giant Mishap
Bad luck continued as we were waiting for the original line-up of Giant. I saw a paramedic go backstage during the intermission, but didn’t think too much of it. Then Cassidy Paris, the Melbourne rocker who I had the pleasure of meeting a little later in the evening (more on that in a minute) came out and said that the bass player, Mike Brignardello, had fallen backstage. He ended up being taken to the hospital with a suspected broken arm. Mike Huff and the rest of the band made it onstage and he explained they were also missing drummer David Huff due to passport issues. So, replacement drummer, but sans bassist. Their performance still seemed like the fan favorite.
Starship with Mickey Thomas finished out the first night of the Festival and they did not disappoint. I have to say, I couldn’t believe how great Mickey Thomas sounded. He hands down gets the award for the best-sounding old dude at the Festival. His female vocalist, Chelsee Foster, was incredible. She definitely had the showwomanship to go with Starship, and did an amazing version of White Rabbit. I’m partial, though, to Sara.
My Festival Highlights – Day One
My Festival highlights from Day One, other than those I’ve already mentioned, were the first two bands of the day, Streetlight and Shiraz Lane, from Sweden and Finland, respectively. Streetlight’s melodic pop sound is really fun. I was disappointed they didn’t perform Shake That Feeling, but they opened up the Festival with a strong set. I went straight to the merch table and got their new CD, Night Vision.
Shiraz Lane was a revelation to me. I didn’t know all of the bands at the Festival and obviously didn’t have time to listen to everyone in preparation. They’ve continued to be one of the ones I go back to again and again. Great stage presence and lead vocalist Hannes Kett has an amazing range. They have a lot of interesting things happening musically.
I recently watched/listened to Cassidy Paris in conversation with Kett and he talked about how he was told by various vocal coaches that he couldn’t sing as high as he wanted to (often with some line about how “men don’t sing that high”), so he has mostly been self-taught. I also thought it was cool that (a) he has a day job and (b) it involves working with kids at an elementary school. Yay for educators!
And Some Good Luck on Day One
I personally had GREAT LUCK on Day One of the Festival: I won one of the two raffles! And that’s when I got to meet Cassidy Paris, who handed me a bag of twenty CDs inside a Frontiers Rock Festival backpack (coincidentally, the winning number was 20). This was after she had given me a bag of vinyl. Sorry, I know it’s a thing but I have no way to play vinyl and I remember having to part with my old albums when I moved from Los Angeles to Turin, and I don’t want to go through that again. At least if I have CDs I might be able to transport them in some way.
It’ll probably take me until the festival next year to listen to everything that was in that bag, but I’m really looking forward to it. The next day, I saw Cassidy again and she was nice enough to pose for a photo with me. Honestly, she seems super duper nice. I was telling her how we had come to the Festival last year specifically to see Winger and she said Paul Taylor was playing with John Corabi on Day Three. I did not know that, and was stoked to hear it!
My Festival Highlights – Day Two
The award for the most heart goes to Fighter V, a Swiss band. They opened up the second day of the Festival with a really entertaining set. Sadly, I don’t have any decent photos of them (honestly, the majority of photos were only good enough for me to enjoy), but after their set I immediately grabbed their CD at the merch table.
The leader singer’s comments about how they had a couple of friends helping them out as roadies, and that they couldn’t make it without them or the generosity of some of the other Festival roadies was a good reminder that it’s tough out there for musicians. It’s all a lot of fun and games, but sometimes you just need gas money to and from the gig, and buying the merch is what lets the musicians fill the tank. I will be keeping an eye on them for upcoming concerts.
After barely being able to walk from standing so much on Day One, I struck up a conversation with one of the guys who had VIP passes to ask him about the seating areas. Turns out he and a group of friends had come over all the way from Brazil. He said something about how they go to “all the festivals.” I’m not really sure how that’s possible but lucky them! Of course, going to festivals full-time would really cut into my reading time. LOL Anyway, VIP seats are probably on the agenda for next year, if only so I can sit down a little bit here and there. But then I wouldn’t be close to the stage. Hmmm.
Heavens Edge and H.E.A.T
Philly band Heavens Edge can still do amazing kicks considering they first got together in 1987. They opened with a song from 1990, Play Dirty. I thought they were a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find their Frontiers-released CD at the Festival and it isn’t that easy to find. Guess I’ll have to be happy with what I can find on YouTube.
I had such a great time listening to ALL the bands, but I think my favorite might have to be Swedish rockers H.E.A.T. Kenny Leckremo has a stunning voice and the band has catchy tunes like Back to the Rhythm. Granted, I didn’t know their music before the Festival, so they came as more of a surprise to me than people who haven’t had their head in the sand for the last, I don’t know, twenty years. I liked Leckremo’s look. Lots of leather and chains at the beginning followed by a sleeveless jean jacket when the heat (ahem) got to be too much.
My Festival Highlights – Day Three
Day Three of the Festival and I was definitely rethinking my decision to eat French fries the previous two days. Other than standing up so much, the only downside of the Festival was the limited food choices. I should’ve at least tried a veggie burger. We headed to a nearby grocery store and got something different. Next time we’ll be more prepared. Judging by the number of camper vans from around Europe in the parking lot, other people know how to set themselves up for the long haul with frequent snack breaks.
As I said up above, I really enjoyed all of the bands at the Festival, but there were some standouts for me on Day Three. Aside from H.E.A.T, there was another Swedish band (because of course Sweden), Smoking Snakes. I love the look and style of this new band. Formed in 2022, they mention W.A.S.P. as an influence and the singer’s voice definitely gave me those vibes. I’m eager to hear more from these guys!
Best Cover(s)
Well, I’m a huge Judas Priest fan so I was really happy to hear Stryper’s cover of Breakin’ the Law. One I hadn’t heard before, though, and that rocked out and was way more fun than I was expecting was Confess’s version of What’s Love Got to Do With It. Great guitars!
Biggest Surprise(s)
Nelson played in the penultimate spot of Day Three. We got to the venue early enough that we heard part of their acoustic set from out in the parking lot. Jeez, I remember when After the Rain came out, and how popular it was. Can you imagine putting out a debut album that ends up on the charts for 64 weeks and goes double platinum? Neither can I. I still have their CD around here someplace. The first of the biggest surprises for me was that they were more rock than I was expecting.
I Digress
Back in, oh, probably 1991, I went to the NAMM show in Los Angeles. At a certain point I was sitting there chatting with a couple of musicians, one of whom was Ry Cooder. Matt and Gunnar were walking by and stopped for some reason (not to chat with us, I do remember that). Instantly recognizable, they were pretty striking. This teenager there really wanted their autograph, but he didn’t have a pen. So what did he do? He asked Ry Cooder for a pen! Holy shit. I mean, the guy had no clue who he was talking to. Not that you can’t ask Ry Cooder for a pen, but, you know. But I digress.
The biggest surprise for me was just how heavy Stryper was live. I honestly can’t remember if I’ve seen them before. If so, it was decades ago, like back in the times of Against the Law. They were hanging around on the Sunset Strip more or less when I was (late Eighties/early Nineties), so it’s not impossible. I just don’t have a recollection of it.
Anyway, Michael Sweet apologized after the Festival, explaining that his in-ear monitor fell out at the beginning of the set. In line with some of the other bad luck at the Festival, he stepped on it and destroyed it, so he couldn’t hear very well. Dunno, I must be kinda like Thomas Haden Church’s character in Sideways because they sounded good to me.
That’s a Wrap
So, that’s a wrap on this year’s Frontiers Rock Festival. I can’t wait to see who they have lined up for next year! I also want to start branching out. It would be fun to get to some other parts of Europe for concerts. We’ve made it to venues in France, Switzerland, and Germany, but I think it’s time to finally get to Northern Europe. Any suggestions out there for where we should go? I don’t know if it would be possible, but I like the sound of a combo concert/hike type of holiday. We’ll see.
Just a final note: if I didn’t mention one of the bands, it doesn’t mean I didn’t like them. As I said up above, I enjoyed ALL of the bands. With twenty-one different groups, there’s no way I could or would want to write something about all of them. Yes, it was great to see Night Ranger. Yes, John Corabi is great. They were all great! I just happened to pick out the performances that have stuck with me since we went to the Festival.
And you all? Are there any festivals in your future? Let me know in the comments below.
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