Radiohead beat the airline chaos caused by a terror alert in the U.K. by hiring a private jet to Budapest, Hungary, to play the city’s 65,000-capacity Sziget Festival.
Coldcut and Gomez fouled off the snarl-ups as lengthy baggage check-ins caused hundreds of flights to be delayed and canceled. But apart from Sziget losing a couple of key acts, the commotion doesn’t appear to have impacted the European festival season very much.
It didn’t have much effect at Sziget as far as the numbers are concerned. International booker Dan Panaitescu reported daily crowds between 60,000 and the 65,000 capacity.
Among the other acts who managed to reach Obudai Island in the River Danube August 9-16 were Franz Ferdinand, Scissor Sisters, Jovanotti, Ministry, Beatsteaks, and Placebo.
– John Gammon