As the clock ticks the last moments of the old year, we all have a desire for a new beginning, a better year and unforgettable moments. An evening that should be the peak of hope and expectation sometimes turns into a total fiasco. Although at that moment the situation seems hopeless, in the end precisely thanks to unplanned events such nights remain forever remembered...
Alen Islamović (musician):
New Years that are played on the ski mountains are full of anecdotes. In such conditions, the keyboard in the band seems to not exist, it can't play because of the minus, so the band and I manage. The guitarists have no less problems, they literally change tune every third song, so I, as a vocalist, am in hell. However, no matter how difficult it is, it's the New Year, so one skips over all those shortcomings, and the audience forgives.
Milan Đurđević, Unverne bebe (musician):
Every New Year's concert, however, has a bit more festive atmosphere compared to other performances. Along with the good wishes for the coming year that we exchange with each other and with the audience, usually the unavoidable fireworks, we always come up with some internal stunt that only we on stage know about. Once, but I won't say why, it will remain our band secret, we got and prepared red clown noses. At the secret sign, we all raised our heads and turned to the only one among us who did not receive the gift.
However, it will hardly be surpassed the moment when, at one of our New Year's concerts, the most warm-hearted among us, but without a doubt also the most clumsy, had his show before the very beginning - Vlajko. He started up the stairs, climbed onto the stage, raised his arms to greet the audience and - stretched as far as he was on the stage to a frenetic ovation. Clearly, the seriousness of that concert was over before the concert even began. Every time we looked at it, we would have tears of laughter, we literally barely finished the performance.
Ivana Čanović (opera artist):
A very unusual "New Year's" situation happened in China... With the "Santa Cecilia" orchestra and choir from Rome, we traveled to Beijing, because we had a New Year's concert at the National Center for the Arts, one of the largest concert halls in the world... At the concert, it was wonderful and the organizers were endlessly grateful. When we were traveling to Europe, I was approached by the border police at the airport in Beijing and asked if I was sure that my country was Montenegro, because it was probably a mistake that my passport was from Moldova. I spent hours trying to explain to them, but they tried harder to convince me that Montenegro is not in their system, than I was to convince them, that our country recently restored its independence. Since the soloists, members of the choir and the orchestra already had to board the flight, in fact over 100 musicians, they came to me and demonstratively informed them that they did not want to travel without me, so the Air France plane had to wait for us… After I addressed the ambassador of Montenegro, we were finally "free" to come home.
Bojan Marović (musician):
One of the most beautiful moments was in Kruševo in his hometown Toset Proeski. Somehow it's always emotional when I come to that city. And when I performed in Budva, there were about 20 thousand people, at least that's what they said, and I messed everything up out of nervousness. I didn't know which song to start the concert with, I just stood there while the audience applauded. I admit, I snapped out of fear. Often, despite my experience, some foolishness of this type happens to me, but it's completely natural and endearing to me.
Aleksandra Prelevic Paladino (musician):
One New Year's Eve was remembered for its "film plot and denouement". As a teenager, I decided to celebrate the New Year with a group outside my hometown, so we organized ourselves to go to a friend's house and have a real disco party at her cottage in Žabljak. Some of her friends were supposed to come to the same party. We were all assigned which part to take care of, be it food, drinks, music equipment... We arrived at her place on December 31st late, but in the best mood we immediately started preparing for the party. At the moment when the music was supposed to be played, it turned out that something was not working and that it was not possible to connect the speakers and the equipment properly. Those panics and disappointments. Part of the company was yet to arrive, so we asked them to get it all if they could. Despite the problems, we welcomed the New Year in a superb atmosphere full of laughter, singing and socializing, but with an acoustic guitar and with a totally opposite vibe than imagined. This showed that the most important thing is the company you are in and a good atmosphere, even when everything doesn't go as planned.
Srđan Marjanović (musician and writer):
It was New Year's Eve in Dubrovnik. That old, good, big country. We still lived and loved each other in "brotherhood and unity". I had a band called "Puma"... The hotel we played in had five stars. The local radio station broadcasted my songs for days, advertising the Belgrade rock attraction, which will entertain the people of Dubrovnik for three days. The hosts made an effort to welcome us as befits. On the day of the reception, the hotel director organizes a lunch especially for us. I suggest the boys not to eat or drink too much, because tonight we have to play all night. Drummer Mica liked to drink, so I asked him to avoid alcohol.
"Don't worry boss, I promise, just one glass," he replied with a smile.
The director took me to the reception hall, to agree on the decoration of the stage and the setting of the instruments. The gig started at nine. All the tables were full. The audience is happy, applauding, we go out in front of them in white suits, we had a rehearsed show! "Tuti-fruti", fast rock and roll. Through the microphone I count: "One, two, three, four" and we're off like a typhoon! The bass player and the organist thunder along with me, but I can't hear the drum. I turn around and see Mića, who has fallen over the drum, on which he previously vomited. He looks at me from below and says in a hoarse voice: "No arms, no legs! Sorry boss!”
(He was calling for that "one glass"!) The three of us continued to play somehow. The audience laughed, but they didn't complain. We dragged ourselves to the first break. We showered him with high-speed cold water upstairs in the room. He came back, so we kind of brought the evening to a close. Upon my return to Belgrade, I changed my drummer and swore that I would never deal with drunkards (and drug addicts) again. Life teaches you, but it's all rock and roll.
Andrea Nikolić (First runner-up of the Miss Tourism 2023 world pageant):
When I think of special New Years, memories take me back to my childhood. Celebrating New Year's Eve with friends can be exciting, but nothing can replace the warmth and love of a family. That's why the most valuable memories of the reception are related to a small place with my grandfather, not far from Podgorica. My grandfather, now 83 years old, always had a restless and adventurous spirit. I remember how he would welcome us with the sound of the fiddle, introducing us to epic folk tales through his melodies. The atmosphere would be filled with song, while we would enjoy the richness of our tradition together. But one unavoidable tradition remained engraved in my memory - throwing firecrackers in front of my grandfather's house. Despite his age, the grandfather would put together colorful firecrackers with a smile on his face and throw them, reliving the moments of his childhood. He was a real master at avoiding grandma's wrath. His desire to entertain me and his adventurous spirit were so strong that, despite grandma's criticism, he decided to continue his tradition. During one New Years celebration, a firecracker ended up on the hood of my aunt's car, leaving behind a clear mark on the metal. We returned to the house with worried expressions on our faces, aware that an avalanche of grandmother's disapproval awaited us. Grandma was already sitting at the table, with a serious expression on her face, and aunt was looking nervously at the mark on the hood, while grandpa was trying to calm the situation with his charm, which was typical of him.
The biggest secret of my grandfather's collection of firecrackers was its place of storage - under the double bed. The moment of surprise when grandma found out about his "steak" became part of our family legend, making every New Year's Eve even more special.
Emir Bukovica, "Emir & Frozen Camels" (musician):
A New Year's event that has forever remained in my memory took place in Sarajevo at the central New Year's Eve some ten years ago. We were responsible for the "unforgettable time" of Sarajli and all the guests Nina Badric, "Letu štuke" and my band "Emir & Frozen Camels". The plateau in front of the BBI Center was crowded, the river of people stretched along Titova Street all the way to the Eternal Fire. At the peak of our performance, singing our biggest hit, the song "Don't Ask Me", at -7 Celsius I noticed a huge flame coming from the fourth-fifth floor of the building behind the audience in the corner of my eye. The apartment was on fire. I didn't want to interrupt the performance, because it was our last song, but during the chorus, which we always let the audience sing into the microphone, I loudly shouted: "Gori stan!" and raja, like in that joke about the airplane whose wing is on fire, thinking that it was my trick, added those words at the top of her voice to the well-known chorus and everyone sang in unison: "Don't ask me a worse apartment, don't ask me a worse apartment ". When we finished the song, I addressed the audience: "People, the apartment is burning, look." Only then did people realize that the devil had played a prank, and soon the firemen appeared and solved the problem.
Milan Stanković aka SevdahBaby (DJ and producer):
It was the welcome of 2011. I played music on the square in Novi Sad, until a little before midnight, and then my friend drove me to the next performance, in Belgrade, with the then two female singers. Anette i Djixx. My friend and I celebrated the New Year somewhere near Beška, between Belgrade and Novi Sad. Some crazy and fun action.
Davor Ebner (musician):
I will never forget the New Year's Eve we played in Kumanovo. Namely, the temperature was -22 C ... There was only one heater on the stage that heated the computer. The computer is a very important thing in the life of a band. Before the very beginning of the concert, there was no one in the square, so we thought that we had mistaken the city. Only after a few minutes of the concert, people started to appear on the square from the small streets, frozen. We managed to play for a full hour and a half in the Siberian winter, but as soon as we finished, all those people disappeared as they appeared... It's not an anecdote, I remember it more like a situation from hell (laughs).
Nina Strugar (musician):
A few years ago, I went to Moscow to welcome Nova there. We were located in a more modern part of the city and as we were late getting ready, we met Nova in the metro. But it was interesting, there were a lot of foreigners with us in the subway, we sang with them in English, Italian, French, Russian. We missed the fireworks on Red Square, but I don't regret it because I had an unforgettable welcome.
Zijo Rizvanbegović, Valentino (Musician)
We usually ring in the New Year with the people in the squares throughout the region. It will be the same this time in Pirot tonight. By the way, I'm the type who remembers bad luck and unusual situations more than some nice and pleasant ones like, for example. barbecue when you get wet, I never forget, but many beautiful moments of laughter and good kebabs and cutlets. I remember an unusual New Year's Eve, once in America, where there were snowstorms, so I changed five planes and wardrobes within 24 hours, flying to St. Louis, via various local flights up and down America, from warm Florida and Georgia, to icy Chicago where they melted the wings of the plane with chemicals and hot water, and then jumped into the good old buses and through the snowdrifts arrived at the last hour for the performance. The organizer was on infusions for fear that his welcome in a full club would fail... And I also remember when, a long time ago, in high school, I went to Trnovo (a small town at the foot of Jahorina) to welcome the New Year in a rented cottage with a group of classmates. I arrived by bus, alone of course, night, cold, dogs barking, gloomy, and I realize that I don't know where the house is, nor who the real owner is. In the end I enter a bar, no one can help me, inside there are only drunken men fighting and singing local songs. The TV didn't work either, and I sat with the mountaineers, angry with myself, and thought about taking the risk on foot to Sarajevo, even through the darkness and the wolves. But, luckily, a little before midnight two people from my class showed up. They ran out of drinks, so they came to get some at the inn, which was the only one open. I have never been so happy with anyone in my life, as with them. Not even when I bought my first guitar.
Danijel Popović (musician):
I was young when I found myself in Novosibirsk with a group of Enthusiasts. It was -50 outside, and in the hotel rooms the radiators were literally orange, red-hot. The window had to be at least slightly open. I remember that unreal roar, uniform, powerful. I wondered what it was about and they explained to me that it was from the trucks, because of the cold they worked non-stop, and the drivers would only jump into them in the morning.
But during the reception there was glamour, a crowded hall, champagne, caviar.
Bonus video:
