Anarchy is not a word you normally associate with the Swiss.
But when the audience invaded the stage as Iggy Pop belted out I Wanna Be Your Dog, it was probably as close as you get to it in this sedate country.
When the rock veteran saw the way it was going, he simply encouraged as many people on to the stage as possible. It was not very Swiss.
But then to find a contemporary music festival in the upmarket and rather sedate Swiss ski resort of Crans Montana in the middle of winter is strange in the first place.
Iggy Pop headlined with The Stooges on the opening night of the four-day Caprices musical festival, and went through his back catalogue with a vengeance and enthusiasm that denied his advancing years.
Dripping in jewellery
1969, Search and Destroy, and No Fun were belted out with a vengeance. He liked singing I Wanna Be Your Dog so much the band played it twice.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Caprices festival is the audience.
There are the hard-core punks from Zurich and heavy metal fans draped in leather and tattoos who had come to hear Swiss favourites Samael - a band named after a destructive demon.
"We have a rather boring and dull image here in Crans Montana, so a music festival that attracts young people is great for us"
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them are the rich visitors to Crans Montana, dripping in jewellery and fur.
Then there are the extreme skiers, coupled with ski instructors and mountain guides. All groups seemed to mix and mingle happily together.
The festival line-up also reflects a wide variety of musical styles, with Joss Stone and Neneh Cherry headlining alongside Iggy Pop.
Joss Stone put on a magnificent performance with her deep soul voice and a highly professional, polished backing band. The crowd loved her.
Palm trees
Since the festival started four years ago it has hosted Deep Purple, Texas, Robert Plant and Morcheeba. It now attracts around 15,000 people to the resort.
"We have a rather boring and dull image here in Crans Montana, so a music festival that attracts young people is great for us," says Jorg Rowang, the resort's marketing manager.
And with the threat of climate change affecting ski resorts, it is important to find alternatives to attract vistors - and music festivals certainly do that.
The festival also boasts a number of smaller stages where less well-known bands play.
In town there is an area where bands perform in a tent decorated as a beach, complete with sand and palm trees.
Last year US bassist Fernando Saunders was playing with Lou Reed on the main stage - this year he was in the beach tent and loving it.
"This festival is great, man. Such a lot of different musicians and different styles. And it's in a ski resort. Crazy!" he said. "I really want to come back next year and perform again".
Another artist back for more is Skye Edwards. Two years ago she was singing with Morcheeba, last year she performed in her own right and this year she was a guest singer with Martina Topley-Bird where she stole the show with her unique and beautiful voice.
One of the most interesting things is hearing some of the local Swiss bands.
Partying
Some are not worth the time, especially the heavy metal ones, but the exception this year was To The Vanishing Point, who come from down in the valley in Sierre.
Their performance quickly won the audience over with soaring guitars chords and vocals, clearly influenced by Coldplay - and at certain points sounding better.
After the bands wrap up, the action moves on to the clubs and bars within the venue, with DJs keeping the crowds entertained until the early hours of the morning.
Iggy Pop and The Stooges, clubs pumping out music until dawn, thousands of people partying their heads off. All in all not what you would associate with Switzerland.
My only regret is that I didn't see Iggy Pop on skis. Now that would have been a sight.
^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~30~RS~)