Motorband and Donor set Pěnčín ablaze: A small town with a big heart

Many people speed past it on the motorway without even noticing that just a few kilometres from Turnov lies the inconspicuous village of Pěnčín. This small town near the Bohemian Paradise proved on Saturday, May 23, that even smaller cultural venues can offer an atmosphere many large concert halls could envy. For one evening, Pěnčín transformed into a place ruled by honest Czech rock and metal.

The evening's main star was Motorband, a band celebrating an incredible forty years on the scene this year. Four decades of existence might suggest a calm nostalgic concert, but the exact opposite was true. Motorband showed they still have plenty of energy and can get the crowd moving from the very first notes.

Before them, however, the stage belonged to Donor, who joined Motorband for the final part of the tour. For Donor, this was the last shared stop, while Motorband now only awaits a major concert in Teplice — the symbolic grand finale of their forty-year anniversary celebrations.

Donor: Warming up the crowd? No problem

Donor stepped onto the stage with one clear goal — to get the hall moving before the headliner arrived. And they succeeded almost instantly. The band had no fear of interacting with the audience, communicating between songs, and from the first minutes it was obvious this would not be a cautious warm-up set.

The crowd was quickly swept away. Initially perhaps slightly reserved, the audience gradually began singing with the band, dancing and reacting to every invitation from the stage. Everyone enjoyed the concert in their own way — some directly beneath the stage, others leaning casually against the back wall of the hall — but the energy flowed throughout the entire venue.

And when the concert neared its end? The audience practically screamed for an encore. The loud chants of the fans at times made it feel as though there weren't merely dozens of people inside the hall, but a crowd of thousands. If anyone in attendance had not known Donor before that evening, they most likely left as a new fan.

It was also obvious that concerts like this mean a great deal for smaller bands. The connection with the audience was immediate, the energy flowed both ways, and Donor proved they are gradually earning their place on the Czech rock scene completely deservedly.

Motorband: Forty years and still without brakes

Then it was time for Motorband. A band firmly rooted within the Czech rock scene and recognised even by listeners who do not normally listen to metal. A major part of that is thanks to the legendary ballad Poslední soud, without which a Motorband concert can hardly be imagined.

Yet the evening was far from relying solely on nostalgia. Motorband looked incredibly alive on stage, and it was difficult to say who was enjoying the concert more — the band itself or the audience beneath the stage. The musicians played with the crowd from beginning to end. The drummer constantly encouraged the audience and clearly signalled when applause, singing or collective chanting should erupt. The guitarists, meanwhile, continuously interacted with the front rows during their solos, visibly enjoying the contact with the fans just as much as the fans enjoyed it themselves.

The audience practically had no chance to remain calm. Singing, clapping and chanting filled the space beneath the stage, and at moments it felt as though the cultural venue had transformed into a much larger concert hall. And that was precisely the strength of the evening — no barriers between the band and the people, only pure concert energy.

During the evening, the audience heard not only famous songs that fans sang along to from the very first chorus, but also a broader cross-section of the band's long history. It was clear that Motorband do not rely solely on nostalgia, but still function as a vibrant live band genuinely enjoying every second on stage.

It is also worth mentioning the moment when the drummer surprised the audience with a short excerpt of the legendary song Yesterday. His unmistakable voice immediately drew a strong reaction from the crowd and showed that the evening was built not only on proven hits, but also on spontaneous moments that gave the concert its own unique character.

Surprise of the evening: Bára Basiková

Then came the moment that completely changed the atmosphere of the evening. The band began speaking about a special guest. Some members of the audience may have suspected something, while others simply waited in suspense to see who would appear on stage.

Before anyone could properly guess, Bára Basiková stepped onto the stage.

The audience immediately responded with loud applause, and after a brief thank you, Bára launched straight into her most famous song Souměrná. At that very moment it became clear how surprisingly well her voice worked together with Motorband. The combination of the iconic hit with a heavier rock sound felt natural, powerful and deeply emotional at the same time.

And the audience was given no chance to catch its breath. Without lengthy pauses, the musicians continued with another joint song, this time directly from Motorband's own repertoire. The atmosphere inside the hall reached its absolute peak, and it was obvious that this would be the moment most visitors would remember long after the concert ended.

It was equally clear that the musicians themselves were thoroughly enjoying the collaboration. There was a natural chemistry on stage, and the audience reacted to every shared passage with enormous enthusiasm.

Small town, big concert

Pěnčín may appear inconspicuous on the map, but Saturday evening proved that places like this often have the biggest hearts. No giant arenas or massive stages were needed. Music, bands genuinely enjoying themselves, and an audience returning that energy right back — that was all it took.

And that is exactly what rock concerts have always been about.

Our editorial team wishes both bands many more successes, and above all wishes Motorband a fantastic grand finale in Teplice, which will symbolically close the celebrations of forty years of one of the Czech Republic's most significant rock legends.