By Stephan Delbos
 
Goodbyes are always difficult, but those leaving Novi Sad after four days of music, camping and general skulduggery could at least be satisfied that they'd pushed their bodies and their eardrums to the limits. Exit Fest 2008 proved to be, by most accounts, the best in the eight-year history of the festival. When the festival began in 2000, it lasted 100 days. Imagine all that energy compressed into four days, and you get a vague idea of what the current festival is like. Walking over the bridge back to the campsite for the last time, festival goers couldn't be sure what hurt worse, their hearts or their eardrums. And passing the locals selling sundry snacks and drinks on the sidewalks, one could almost imagine their sun-browned brows were creased with sadness rather than years of toil. And perhaps this is partially true - after all, 150,000 expected visitors over the course of four days adds up to plenty of extra dinars for local merchants and businesses, not to mention the unlucky folk who have to clean up after everyone. But let's not dwell on the misfortunes of others. 

The real highlight of the festival's last night, (and for some, the highlight of the entire festival,) was The Hives. As singer Pelle Almqvist announced, their performance, the band's first in Serbia, was an historic event "that will be passed down through time, so that 50,000 years from now, your grandchildren's grandchildren will say 'I am descended from someone who witnessed The Hives' first show in Serbia.'" So much for humility.
 
But no humility was needed for The Hives to rock Novi Sad as it had never been rocked before. With impeccable timing and well-rehearsed band theatrics like microphone swinging, drumstick catching, freeze frame posing and general strutting, the band blistered through songs from each of their four albums in a set that had just enough variety and onstage action to keep the crowd's eyes and ears glued to the stage. Never again will anyone be so happy to say they caught The Hives in Serbia, although that ailment is probably the least of any one's worries.

Sex Pistols played a set on the Main stage that, while being much-anticipated, failed to capture the crowd so immediately as The Hives' tongue-in-cheek showmanship. Imagine ageing rockers trying to relive their glory days, and you've got a pretty good picture of a pretty vacant set. The low light came midway through the set when singer Johnny Rotten asked the crowd "Who thinks America should still be in Iraq?" When the question was met with jeers, Rotten changed his tune to a mocking "Praise Allah, Praise Allah." Seeing this met with even more booing and jeers, he quickly switched to "Praise Serbia," before launching into the next tune. Though at first glance, this appears to be a serious cultural faux pas, anyone familiar with the band can imagine that it was planned to instigate the crowd. However, with a dragging set played to a gradually-thinning crowd, Sex Pistols left fans feeling wistful for the glory days of punk, and at the same time happy that bands like The Hives are still carrying the safety pins.
 
This ends the final transmission from Novi Sad's Exit Festival 2008. Thank you for your attention. This message will self-destruct in 3....2....1...

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