The morning began with minstrels taking over Villena’s Plaza Mayor and ended with triumphant pirates staging a revolution. The final day of the seventeenth Leyendas del Rock edition made it clear that the festival continues to grow and that there’s festival life in it for a long time. It is a musical venture that helps bands grow at the same pace as the event itself. In 2015, Alestorm was presenting Sunset on the Golden Age on the small stage in Villena, and this Saturday they were the last headliner to thrill the audience on the main stage.
A day packed with reunions, where Equilibrium opened the gates on the big stage after having toured the lesser-known names of the lineup in previous years. Tyr and Wind Rose also made an appearance, not sounding out of place, while the Italian dwarf warriors were the festival’s great revelation, a crowd eager to discover newer, rarer acts.
As the festival name suggests, legends from various genres made an appearance in Villena. Beginning with Stratovarius, a reliable live act able to move any crowd, including those distant from their power metal roots, with anthems like Hunting High and Low or Black Diamond. A Finnish spirit that always adds a special edge to the festival’s international lineup.
On the other hand, Rata Blanca delivered a rock set that raised the volume at the Villena Municipal Sports Center. Their classic, enduring sound captivated the crowd until confetti showered over the attendees. Flags waved from Latin America, signaling shared pride and a sense of belonging.
Yet the finale had not come. In fact, after experiencing it, one could say it was the best moment of the whole festival. The most metal-minded pirates in the scene, Alestorm, returned to Villena for another talisman-like appearance, presenting their latest EP Voyage of the Dead Marauder to a crowd that held its place from early in the front rows. The Scottish band’s performance was marked by an external element that fueled the crowd’s passion: crowd surfing.
The sight of surfers moving from the back rows to the pit, riding the crowd to be handed back to security, became a recurring highlight of the show. The experience repeated itself several times, with attendees looping the ride again and again. It was a performance full of stimuli, including a inflatable unicorn bobbing through the air until only its head remained, and a finale that saw the singer Christopher Bowden carried by the audience to the bar of the venue to drink to exhaustion (with the energy drained and the band already in the backstage area).
It was an intense concert, arguably the festival’s best, certifying a band on the rise that knows how to move a mass audience, with fans dressed in top-tier outfits and even duck mascots. The night concluded with a giant Fuck you shouted in honor of Fucked with an Anchor, a statement of their peak form. And they were not the last to perform on the neighboring stage, which would deliver its own special show to Villena that night.
Saurom. Little needs saying about a band that has appeared in many editions, always delivering their best, though there were rough patches, like the notorious 2014 fire incident. They still remember it and appreciate Leyendas del Rock for sticking with them, which helped push their name among the giants and celebrate with a concert that featured collaborations, a choir, and circus-like spectacle.
There were moments when the on-stage stimulus became overwhelming. It was hard to know where to look, as secondary characters kept popping out and the choir sometimes got drowned by the sheer volume. Still, it felt like pure celebration, with songs such as La leyenda de Gambrinus, El carnaval del diablo, Noche de Halloween, and La taberna proving the deep affection Villena has for the bands.
Fuego, jesters, costumes, and Isra Ramos added to the festival’s closing crescendo. The finale also included a cheeky cameo from El Reno Renardo. A reporter who has attended Leyendas for years left feeling satisfied after witnessing something so apotheotic. Perhaps the strongest moment since Saurom’s earlier closure or Lujuria’s award-night performance many years ago.
As the years go by, Leyendas del Rock keeps holding the throne of national rock. It takes courage to invest in a different kind of tourism in Alicante, a way to enliven inland towns with festivals that boost local life in the Alto Vinalopó region. It isn’t just Leyendas. There is also Rabolagartija, Fck Cnsrshp Fest, and even the now-missed Aupa Lumbreiras. There are opportunities beyond sun and sea culture, but they require a real commitment to this path.