Hey everyone! I’m here with a concert review that’s going to take you back to my teenage years. During high school, I lived through the sweetest melodies, the saddest lyrics, and the most heartfelt emotions with Placebo’s songs. They’ve been one of my favorite bands ever since. So much so that they manage to be my most-played or second most-played band on my Spotify Wrapped every year.

On August 4th, 2024, this band met music lovers at KüçükÇiftlik Park during Blind Fest 2024, and the lineup was super exciting.

The festival kicked off with Onur Özdemir, the vocalist of “Sakin,” a Turkish rock band that had a unique spot in the scene in the 2000s with their deep, emotional lyrics and melodic sound. He brought great energy to the festival and then handed the stage over to “Big Special.”

Big Special, an English punk duo, performed in our country for the first time. They were also the opening act for Placebo’s South American tour. Their high-energy performances, stage presence, and interaction with the audience were nothing short of impressive. They’ve been featured in Rolling Stone’s “Future of Music” category, marking them as stars of the future. After their set, they made way for “SIVERT HøYEM.”

To be honest, I didn’t know him by name, but when I found out he was the lead singer of Madrugada, I got really excited. We were in for more melancholic and emotional music, just as I had hoped. There couldn’t have been a better warm-up before Placebo.

And finally, the main reason for the crowd at KüçükÇiftlik Park hit the stage. This wouldn’t be my first Placebo concert—I had seen them at Zorlu PSM in 2022. But back then, they were on tour for their album “Never Let Me Go,” so we didn’t get to hear many classic Placebo songs. Still, they played “Special K,” which is from my favorite Placebo album, and their cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” which was super popular at the time thanks to “Stranger Things.”

Now, I was filled with excitement to hear Placebo again, especially since this time, they’d be playing more of their classic tracks. As they’ve done in previous shows, they reminded the audience not to record the concert on their phones, with a message displayed on the screens and read by Brian Molko before the show started.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it’s kind of sickening to see people recording the entire performance on their phones just to post it on social media, never really being in the moment, and wanting to brag about being there so others can see. But on the other hand, it’s 2024, and people unfortunately have two lives now—one in the real world and one on social media. Many people aren’t satisfied with their real lives, so they try to live and appear as someone they’re not in their online lives. Then again, some just want to capture a few moments to keep as memories, and I’d say I’m in that group. My favorite band is on stage—sorry, Placebo, but of course, I’m going to take a video. During their 2022 show, they even stopped the performance at one point to remind the audience not to record, but they didn’t do that this time. However, during their tour before coming to Turkey, they did issue a similar reminder after performing “Scene of the Crime” at their concert in Bucharest, Romania. Honestly, I don’t think they’ll ever be able to stop this from happening nowadays. The fact that they’re still trying only shows that they haven’t fully adapted to the times. I wish it wasn’t like this, but that’s just not the world we live in anymore, and they need to accept it.

Before heading to the concert, I checked out the setlist, and when I saw “Taste in Men” at the top, I screamed. I was dying to see Stefan Olsdal do his iconic dance during “Taste in Men.” But when they finally took the stage, he didn’t do it! He just stood there and looked around! I was really hoping to see that dance with my own eyes, so I was disappointed.

Even though the concert started with a bit of a letdown, my favorite band was on stage, and the sound was way better than at their previous show. Placebo is definitely more suited for an open-air venue. Hearing “Every You Every Me” live, singing along with the crowd—it was indescribable, and high school Barış would’ve probably passed out from happiness.

They didn’t interact much with the audience, just like at their first concert. Listening to the songs live is amazing, of course, but having your favorite band say a few words to the crowd is part of the concert experience. They didn’t do that again, which left me a bit disappointed.

Despite this and not getting to see Stefan’s dance, they gave us an incredible concert with amazing sound and light effects.

They closed the show with “Running Up That Hill,” just like they did before. Apparently, some people in the crowd didn’t realize the concert was over. I knew it was the last song since I checked the setlist, but normally this song is part of a three-song encore that includes “Infra-Red” and “Fix Yourself.” However, they didn’t leave the stage and come back for an encore—they just played the entire set straight through. At the end, Brian and Stefan came forward, applauded the audience, and wrapped up the concert. For those expecting an encore, it took a moment to realize that the show was actually over.

As I left the venue, I felt a sweet sadness. I was that young high schooler who expressed their feelings about life through Placebo, and I had just shared those same emotions with them again. Maybe years go by and people change, but some feelings and songs remain the same. Placebo will always have a special place in my heart.