With temperatures soaring above 40°C in the shaded forest and barely dipping below 30°C after midnight, this year’s festival will be remembered as the first where jackets were completely unnecessary, even when the sun set on the typically chilly hill above the Danube.
Welcome to the tropical 24th EXIT Festival!
Five sweltering days backstage at the Main Stage (Tesla Universe Stage) of EXIT Festival 2024 were an extraordinary trial for the hosts from Novi Sad and their international collaborators. Behind the glamorous stage – graced nightly by top rock, pop, hip hop, and electronic acts that have shaped music history, defined our current soundscape, and hinted at the future of music – dozens of people worked tirelessly like superhumans, ensuring the technical, operational, sanitary, culinary, accommodation, transportation, and media conditions were impeccable for each first-class performance.
Watching the army of brilliant professionals meticulously handle every detail around EXIT’s most famous stage, it’s no wonder global stars frequently mention this festival as one of the few where they experience genuine dedication and conscientious organizational efforts from friendly local staff. The festival’s director and founders, project managers from the EXIT Foundation, educated young hosts, multilingual drivers, genius sound engineers, stage technicians, TV rights managers, and international agents, namely – Dušan, Ivan, Ida, Ognjen, Zoka, Ilija, Miško, Vesna, Jenny… alas, so many more remain unmentioned but are crucial to the EXIT Festival mission.
Mission, what’s a mission?
The dictionary describes the noun “mission” as a task that carries a greater social or personal significance. Well, what could be more socially meaningful or personally significant than this?!
EXIT Festival is a lifestyle, dynamic philanthropy, and the practice of positive thinking every second of the day. Some might call it the humane religion of the new millennium, others an urban activist initiative, and for the rest of us… let’s say it’s a musical celebration under the divine moonlight of the Petrovaradin Fortress!
What did we see from the backstage perspective this time around?
This year’s EXIT Festival theme was Starseeds. As clear as day: the audience has always been the festival’s primary asset, and this time, they were invited on a journey to the center of themselves! Watching every festival evening, the beauty-clad people in front of the Tesla Universe Stage – girls and boys, parents and children, punk grandmas and grandpas, and their ultra-modern grandchildren – we see the same thing as the music superstars on stage: a sharp-witted future, a humanized universe, engaged tolerance, healing love, and a spirit of transcendent exploration. So, let’s hear it. Who can claim after all this that every individual in this audience doesn’t possess their own cosmic superpower? Or that they shouldn’t turn inward in these strange times and find answers to all their troubles right there.
Every artist on the Main Stage of EXIT Festival 2024 contributed to this mystical expedition in their own way.
Iniko: A Journey Within
We got a glimpse of what all this might look like on the very first day of the festival when we met Iniko backstage. This Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter mixes R’n’B, reggae, and Afro-tribal rhythms into their spiritual style. With an intriguing auditory and visual presence, they’re building their career on social media, gaining more followers worldwide in true 21st-century fashion.
Hours before their performance, we met this open and curious person eager to learn everything about the venue and their upcoming show. Questions about the region’s turbulent recent history, the origins of the EXIT Festival, and its revitalizing force for the young generation naturally flowed. At one point, Iniko kindly remarked, from the depths of their pure heart, “I still don’t quite understand what happened here.” That’s the most fitting response to what transpired here not too long ago. A reasonable person will never be able to comprehend it fully, but it’s something worth questioning at all times.
Photo: Zorica Kojić
Oliver Climbs His Tree
Standing before us is one of the funniest artists ever to perform at the EXIT Festival. Oliver Tree is a product of satirical musical TV programs like Beavis and Butt-Head, as much as hip hop and alternative rock culture. We noticed him at Belgrade’s Dom Omladine back in 2022, but he truly stepped out of his phantasmagorical world in full glory at this year’s EXIT, dazzling his euphoric audience with uninhibited zaniness. Coming off the stage, like an excited little boy, he asked, “Was it actually good?” We enthusiastically replied, “Yes, man, yesss!” as the roar of the crowd behind us demanded more.
Photo: Private archive
The Flawless Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane doesn’t mess around – he does everything fast and with precision. Someone who grew up on the unforgiving streets of Atlanta and became a star really has no time to waste. By the time we handed him an EXIT T-shirt to sign for the Stars4Kids charity, it was already showtime, and he delivered a powerful performance brimming with nervous urban energy. All of Gucci’s stories are about survival against all odds, and in a way, they resonate with us.
Gucci Mane arrived at the Tesla Universe Stage at the last minute and left almost immediately after the concert, surrounded by his personal security and carrying a few takeaway pizzas to the car. This is understandable. Someone who fought for their life in the suburbs of a Southern U.S. metropolis must always be on guard. That’s why we’re confident our buddy Gucci knows all about the journey within, skillfully dodging both metaphysical and real-life bullets.
Photo: Zorica Kojić
Black Eyed Peas: Unending Euphoria
The most uplifting personalities on and off the stage at EXIT Festival 2024 were undoubtedly the members of Black Eyed Peas. Not only that, but they are also one of the best-selling acts ever to grace our festival (with 80 million albums sold), which doesn’t appear to weigh on them at all as they seem to genuinely enjoy every moment with us. It’s hard to keep track of them, so curious and scattered they are, roaming around backstage before their performance. And as it turns out, even after the concert, members come and go at their discretion!
Will.i.am, for instance, headed straight to the Dance Arena for more fun, with a popcorn bag in hand, immediately after stepping off the Main Stage. Before that, he made sure to take a picture with everyone who kindly asked backstage. Such a kind soul, that will.i.am, and our new undisputed uplifting hero.
Photo: Zorica Kojić
The Exploited: Proof That Punk’s Definitely Not Dead
One of the most touching encounters at EXIT was with Wattie Buchan, the legendary frontman of The Exploited. Generations have grown up with their hurricane-force hardcore punk sound and the unforgettable chant “Punks Not Dead” – even some members of the festival’s security staff, as we found out! Despite his advancing years and accompanying health issues, Wattie embodies uncompromising anti-fascist and anti-corporate principles, holding truths passed down through generations. Taking photos with everyone without hesitation, greeting them all with that charming Scottish accent, upholding high punk ethics, and putting in maximum effort on stage – that’s our much-loved Wattie Buchan, the last true rebel.
Photo: Zorica Kojić
Kenya Grace: A Meeting of Strangers
It’s genuinely satisfying to discover that exceptional talents still exist around the globe, talents who naively hope to somehow reach the stars and who perfectly embody the Starseeds slogan. Kenya Grace is a beautiful and kind girl from South Africa, eager to learn, absorb, and listen to everyone she meets. Last year’s single “Strangers” was an absolute sensation, topping international charts since its release. By early July 2024, right before her performance at the EXIT Festival, “Strangers” had amassed a billion streams with about 13 million new listeners each month on Spotify.
Live, Kenya Grace connects directly with the sensitive inner world of her generation, the same one defined by Billie Eilish, through her intriguing pop drum and bass style. Her unique musical genetics, rooted in the heart of Africa and combined with London’s cool factor, her rich rhythmic vocabulary, and the hallucinatory melody that touches hearts, all herald a stable and long musical career. The audience enthusiastically encourages her throughout her delicate performance, and we all wish her the fulfillment of her creative dreams on this upward path. Go Kenya!
Photo: Private archive
John Newman: Gymnastics on the DJ Deck
It’s an understatement to say that John Newman gave it all at this year’s EXIT Festival. His “Hybrid live set” felt like a rock and roll concert, with him acrobatically leaping from the DJ deck to the stage before skillfully bouncing back. Behind the scenes, however, his mother and brother watched over him with great care. And it’s here, backstage at the Tesla Universe Stage, that you suddenly realize John Newman is actually a little boy, feeling secure only in the arms of his family, no matter how many tens of thousands of people are cheering in the audience. Only his nearest and dearest can truly assure him of how it went.
His simplicity and innocence in the backstage area move you. He and his mother happily took a photo with us, and in the resulting image, you wouldn’t see a famous singer – which John Newman undeniably is – but a real family where love and harmony reign. We are immediately able to recognize his journey within. You’ve earned our love, John Newman!
Photo: Private archive
Cavalera Conspiracy: Thunder from the Southern Hemisphere
The final day of EXIT Festival 2024 is all about family. On stage, we have our old friend Max Cavalera, his brother Igor, and his son, also named Igor, all under the watchful eye of Max’s renowned wife and manager, Gloria. Are these echoes of the old Sepultura or Max’s Soulfly, who played at this very spot exactly two decades ago? Paradoxically, neither. The creative brotherly duo brings a higher order of noise, perfectly in tune with the ever-progressing new millennium. Their gentlemanly thrash metal carries an unyielding substance of rebellion inspired by Brazilian magical realism.
Photo: Zorica Kojić
Backstage at Tesla Universe, we see Igor Cavalera warmly greeting Tom Morello – all the greats seem to know each other.
Next up, the Turkish-Dutch band Altın Gün truly embodies the journey within through its enigmatic Euro-Balkan soundscapes. Even if you’ve never heard of the band before, they feel intuitively familiar – their passionate music speaks to a deep, shared understanding. Ecstatic yet delicately oriental beats, the intoxicating voice of singer Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız, and the primal instrumental fervor of this ethnic-modern band captivated the audience. Only after leaving the stage did they realize the genuine multinational excitement they had sparked. Altın Gün’s performance was a commendable leap forward for the EXIT Festival.
Photo: Zorica Kojić
Tom Morello Bringing Power to the People
The final dazzling episode at EXIT Festival 2024 is the iconic image of Tom Morello on the Tesla Universe Stage, raising his hands and spreading peace and love through his radical leftist musical messages. We all know Rage Against the Machine, the band where Morello‘s electric guitar became a symbol of modern activism, was the most anticipated act in EXIT’s history. But now, the emphasis is on PEACE and LOVE.
Tom Morello’s latest messages are not about violence or overthrowing the system. Instead, they are about humanizing the very principles that make up the foundation of civilization. In short, Tom Morello perfectly understands the difference between good and evil and the essential importance of solidarity among the oppressed. In a special message to his followers, he spreads this profound knowledge through fiery words and riffs. And here, as it turns out, his followers are countless.
Friendly, kind, and honorable, Tom has at least ten seconds for anyone who approaches him backstage and all the time in the world for his two sons, the younger of whom, Roman, joins him on stage to show off his impressive guitar skills, demonstrating that the Morello dynasty will endure.
Photo: Dragan Ambrozić
Tom Morello gave us a rock and roll history lesson and delivered one of the most memorable moments in EXIT’s history. Whether it’s the MC5 classic “Kick Out the Jams” or John Lennon’s “Power to the People,” the message is the same – stick to your path, embrace humanity, dive into the ocean of authentic experiences, and, after passing through sorrow and darkness, climb towards the canopy of light.
This is the journey within that EXIT has always promised.
Photo: Private archive
Zorica Kojić i Dragan Ambrozić
