Rybičky 48 said goodbye to their Megakoncerty doma era and announced their own "jEDEN" concert at Kačina Castle.

The penultimate week of May was once again a regular celebration not only for the people of Kutná Hora, but also for their hometown punk rock band Rybičky 48. The band organised the 4th edition of their family festival Megakoncerty doma, while also announcing that this year's edition was supposedly the last one.

Thursday: A warm-up in the spirit of country, hats and roasted sausages

Alongside their traditional Friday and Saturday programme, with both days sold out in advance, they added a so-called Warm Up with free entry. The event embraced a country style, featuring performances by the Kutná Hora country band Brzdaři and the Slovak brothers Hudba z Marsu, while the evening concluded with the so-called Vopečbuřti.

This was a country band made up of various musicians not only from Rybičky 48 themselves. The line-up also included their manager Martin Řehoř, singer-songwriter Pekař, singer and guitarist Martin Hon, as well as photographer and cameraman Ondřej Soukup.

Already on Thursday evening (as well as during the rest of the festival), the entire event was hosted by the moderator duo Ondřej Lechnýř and Ondřej Pech, so entertainment was guaranteed. The hosts walked through the crowd carrying a hat from which fans drew song titles that would then be played. And if someone was brave enough and wanted to sing or play together with the band, the doors were wide open. And quite a few volunteers stepped forward. During the evening, songs such as Amerika, Svařák, Severní vítr, Buráky, Slavíci z Madridu, Jarošovský pivovar, Holubí dům, Chci zas v tobě spát and Colorado by Kabát were performed. Near the end, the previously mentioned Stánky also appeared in the set. And because the crowd demanded another encore, an acoustic version of Okoř was performed as well (already without microphones).

Friday: From the crossover of Cocotte Minute to the polka-punk of Šoulet

On Friday, the festival gates opened already one hour after noon, shortly followed by a chance to take photos with the band. This opportunity was available only to the first thousand visitors who received a paper "voucher" at the entrance. Most attendees, however, received a special envelope containing a letter. It served as a surprise teasing what would happen next year after the end of the Megakoncerts. Quite a few people shook their heads when they spotted the Eden logo on the letter, but it turned out to be another joke that was explained inside.

At 3 PM, the musical programme officially began with UDG. Perhaps it was a good thing they opened the festival, because many people seemed slightly confused. Most likely they were not hardcore fans of the band, but even those with only limited knowledge of them were clearly surprised by the line-up changes we informed about in this article. It was not a bad performance at all, but the band definitely has a different vibe now and the style has changed. So those expecting the traditional voices of the Vrzák brothers were not exactly overwhelmed with enthusiasm. They performed newer songs such as Časoprostor, Odlétáš and Meteority, while older tracks like Duše slečny Mai, Motýl and the closing Hvězdář were not missing either.

On the smaller stage, local pop-punkers ZND then performed. They have definitely not played this event (or with Rybičky 48 overall) for the first time, and it was obvious the fans already knew them well. They played singles such as Good4u and Aloe Vera.

The main stage was then taken over by crossover band Cocotte Minute, whose different genre completely shattered the energy of the entire festival. Many people partied hard and thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of styles. Songs such as Králům koruny, Tanči and Řeka naturally appeared in the set.

And so everyone could find something for themselves, the smaller stage exploded with the polka-punk formation (as they describe themselves) Šoulet. Not only the musicians danced wildly — huge numbers of fans beneath the stage joined in as well.

Nearby, Janek Ledecký and his band prepared for their performance. He certainly did not disappoint, remembering to Proklínat us and also remind us that Na ptáky jsme krátký. Songs like Tak mi dej křídla and Come Together, a cover of the legendary Beatles, were also performed.

This was followed by the performance of this year's Anděl Award winners Mňága a Žďorp. They proudly showed off their award statue during the concert opening. Their set began with Písnička pro tebe, while hits such as Hodinový hotel and Nagasaki Hirošima were naturally included. There were also several new songs from their latest album Hoříš? Hořím!

Only the final peak of the evening remained — the concert of Rybičky 48 themselves. After a new curtain featuring the "Eden" logo dropped, the show exploded with the song Big Být, whose music video had been filmed here last year. Songs such as Vážené dámy, Magdalena, Léto (during which half-naked members of ZND stormed the stage), Emily and Tyvole já budu táta were played, during which Kuba Ryba revealed that their band family would once again expand with new members. Among the newer tracks were songs like Kámo, Sofie and Happy Ending Story. The encore naturally included Horník, My ještě nejsme starý and Tohle je rock ´n ´roll. Massive flames also appeared — much larger and hotter than before. Their setlist contained over 20 songs and lasted nearly two hours.

During the evening, the band also explained what the more curious fans had already read in the letters — that next year, when the band celebrates 25 years, they will play only ONE single concert. It will take place during the traditional Megakoncert weekend, but a few kilometres away at Kačina Castle. It will essentially become their private "Eden," because the venue can reportedly hold at least as many people as Eden Stadium itself. (Apparently the band even borrowed Marek Ztracený's graphic designer for the letters and logo.😄) Special discounted tickets were offered to attendees. They are available on goout.cz and cost a symbolic 777 CZK until the end of May. The band also created a very impressive video invitation, which was screened during the festival.

After Rybičky 48, an Afterparty followed on the acoustic stage until 1 AM together with DJ Vláďa, who played both older and newer hits, while not a single body remained still.

Saturday: Fairytale hits of Jarda Uhlíř, Jesus and Bra3

On Saturday, the gates opened even earlier, already at noon. Once again, the first visitors had the chance to obtain a voucher for photos with the band, while those who had not attended Friday also received the "Eden" letter.

The programme opened with legendary singer-songwriter Jaroslav Uhlíř and his band. Although he mainly performs children's songs, his audience is incredibly diverse. Hits such as Trpasličí svatba, Barbora píše z tábora and Statistika were sung and danced to by everyone beneath the stage — from the youngest innocent children to older, battle-hardened punk rockers. During his performance, the Rybičky 48 mascot Punky also wandered around the venue, so lucky fans could either take a photo with him or receive a plush fish hug.

Meanwhile, nearby, the Šumperk-based Byt číslo 4 prepared for their performance. Although still a relatively young band, they have already gained several opportunities to perform and are gradually becoming known not only among punk rock listeners. They played songs such as Tvoje oči, Znamení and the fresh new track Boty Heroiny.

On the acoustic stage, the increasingly popular singer-songwriter Slavíček performed armed only with his guitar. Even though the thermometer occasionally climbed above 30 degrees Celsius, he arrived in his typical concert outfit — wrapped in a grey hoodie with sunglasses. He especially captivated the teenage audience, who clapped rhythmically together with his looper.

Meanwhile, the original Czech Jesus himself, Kamil Střihavka, arrived on the main stage with his band Leaders. We could hear famous songs such as Když se snáší déšť, Jak ze sna procitám and Země vzdálená, which was mostly sung by the fans themselves.

Jesus was followed by the iconic trio of Czech singer-songwriter Ivan Hlas Trio. Alongside him performed Slovak guitarist Norbi Kovács and cellist Olin Nejezchleba. And even though he sent us all "to hell" in the song Na kolena, fortunately nobody took it seriously and everyone listened attentively.

Then followed another Šumperk-based band - O5 A Radeček. They opened their set with the song Padám. They also reminisced about the old days when they toured together with Mandrage and Rybičky 48 (around 2010). They played To až jednou, the sibling-themed song Bra3 and the radio hit Hory. Romantický smyčce was also included, whose music video featured today's moderator Ondřej Pech in the leading role. Naturally, Praha and Vloupám se were also played, the latter sung together with their vocalist Adri.

On the acoustic stage, the iconic 90s group Vltava also performed their set, but most fans were already waiting in front of the main stage for the final performance by Rybičky 48.

The curtain dropped, flame cannons fired and Rybičky 48 launched into the show. The concert was very similar to Friday's performance, yet still different. The setlist remained unchanged, but this time several guests appeared — for example, the legendary Holki arrived during Já dneska slavím. During Léto and Chtěl jsem tím říct, Pekař joined Kuba and Jimmy Vošoust on stage. Punky and his friends Pat and Mat also appeared, turning the entire stage into one giant party. Once again, the invitation for the ONE concert was screened for the audience.

Another dance Afterparty hosted by DJ Vláďa followed on the second stage.

We thank the band for the 4th (and hopefully not permanently final) edition of this amazing family festival in the beautiful Breüer Gardens in Kutná Hora. We also thank all organisers and everyone else who helped build this festival, the bands who performed there, and lately we are equally grateful for the beautiful (perhaps even too hot) weather. So next year — ONE concert. And hopefully, perhaps again here in a few years.

Šári

A small selection of photos can be found here, with many more available on our ZONERAMA, just as you're used to.