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Events and Reports - Wacken Open Air 2008 - Tommy´s Festival Report
As August gets close you begin to sense a strange kind of excitement, somehow your body just knows what's coming...To lower the shock effect Steen had the idea of a small barbecue and some musical warm up the night before we were leaving for the Metal Mecca that is Wacken Open Air. Four hours, a huge assortment of meat, wine and beer later the word small didn't really apply anymore, but we were so ready.
After a small detour along the way, we arrived at the press camping area Thursday afternoon; Steen was the first one to get his so called "tent" up and going, more on that later.
Tonight's main attraction was the festival headliner Iron Maiden, it's cool that the Wacken team finally managed to get one of the big ones to the small town in the north of Germany. What's to follow is a short recap of what went down.
Iron Maiden
We arrived at the main ground 15 minutes before Iron Maiden should hit the stage, the schedule we had printed said that they would play The Black Stage, so there we stood and waited only to find out that Churchill's speech seemed to come from The True Metal Stage (which also makes more sense)...there were people everywhere but we somehow managed to locate an OK spot without missing too much.
Apart from some details the show was exactly the same as the one I witnessed a few days earlier in Denmark, so I'll keep this one short and you can check out the live review here.
What irritate me the most is that the band has played the same setlist for god knows how many gigs, how exciting is that and what about the fans that decides to catch the band on several occasions?
Oh well, no more acid regurgitations...the show was awesome.
Even though Aces High didn't really take off it soon became clear that the band had an incredible tightness and dynamic going between them, Can I Play With Madness was just thrilling and Wasted Years effusive with a brilliant guitar solo.
Steve Harris was in top form and continued "shooting" the crowd with his bass and when David Murray slowly appeared from the fog in the epic The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner to lay down some wonderful melodic leads another nostalgic imagery was ready to be wrapped up and carried home. The executing of that track was just spot on.
Bruce did well as the man up front, after fighting off a camera crane in the beginning he was very appreciating towards Wacken and the loyal Metal fans.
Heaven Can Wait lacked some energy to really shine but Fear Of The Dark was unbelievable, I guess close to everyone attending the festival could be hear singing along and when the song exploded things got pretty intense.
The sound was well adjusted but it could have been somewhat higher.
All in all a most enjoyable time spend listening to some of the best Metal songs ever written; luckily the performance did the songs justice.
Afterwards we meet up with Nina and Mads to celebrate a successful opening of the festival with some beers and good old Jack D, a few hours later at their camp we had engaged in a huge Manowar sing along party, mainly because there wasn't anyone who had a stereo that was working. Apart from us only a few others joined in...it must have sounded pretty far out, but that's what you get for not brining a proper stereo.
Friday
First band on my schedule Friday was Kamelot sometime in the afternoon, which meant plenty of time to get into the right festival mood. I admit that our shopping at the German border got a bit out of hand, but now that we had such a varied assortment of alcohol we decided to start at the beginning. Steen had brought his tiny but very effective speakers and while he handled the "Metal Hits" I blended a range of drinks. Apart from a series of attacks of the Wacken bees, resulting in some pretty funny panic attacks from Steen, we relaxed and enjoyed the fine weather...until it began to rain heavily that is. Steen's "tent" had its fair share of problems withstanding the wrath from above so he decided to seek shelter in mine; only problem was that he crashed right into it, Jim Beam and Cola all over the place (you still owe me man).
Kamelot
Luckily the skies cleared before Kamelot entered the True Metal stage a few hours later. I had really been looking forward to this show but Rule The World from their newest album Ghost Opera was not the thrilling start I had hoped for, somehow it sounded a bit too static.
In the first third of the gig the sound was quite unclear with a dominant drum and bass, but it slowly levelled out and as When The Lights Are Down hit it was with great force and a superb guitar solo.
Soul Society was OK and The Human Stain got pushed forward by crunchy riffs and kept pretty dynamic.
Roy Kahn had a quite mysterious way of acting around the stage, spending a lot time on his knees, his vocals could have been more spectacular but they were also affected by the sound problems.
After a handful of songs the band seemed to find their feet and the fast Center Of The Univese sounded really strong and vibrant.
The band had female backing vocals throughout the whole show and in some songs it really added an extra sophisticated touch, Karma was one of them and the bombastic Ghost Opera which saw Thom Youngblood hammer home another magnificent solo another. The Haunting (Somewhere In Time) never really benefited from the backing vocals but the track was nevertheless fantastic with some fine key work and Forever also sounded impressive.
March Of Mephisto ended the show but didn't really work out as intended, groovy but partly staggering as it went along.
A slow start to the set, a great mid section and a decent ending makes up for a solid and theatrical gig without to many real sparks.
After Kamelot we hooked up with Nina and Mads to catch Sabaton at the Party Stage, their bombastic Power Metal made a good impression. They played with great enthusiasm and their theme-based concept evolving around war was quite cool. People were really into it and the band had a close connection to the fans.
Sonata Arctica
Steen had gotten a hold of a huge Wacken jug and made some successful bargaining in the Jake D bar, what I'm trying to say is that the booze was beginning to have an effect, some of the pictures taken of the four of us around this time of the day are pretty out there to say the least...anyways it was time for one of the shows I had been looking forward to the most, Finnish Semi-Progressive Power Metallers Sonata Arctica.
Boy was I disappointed. In Black And White came off with a terrible thin sound and it didn't even seem like that band wanted to be here.
Kingdom For A Heart wasn't really my first pick from the debut, and the chorus didn't feel convincing. Replica was OK, but didn't have enough presence and soul.
Caleb form the new album had a solid and tight rhythm interplay, but again the blurred vocals spoiled some of the fun, Tony is just far better on album than live.
The effusive chorus in Fullmoon did manage to put a smile on my face and For The Sake Of Revenge held a decent level through some well-oiled bass/drum collaboration.
The sound was much too low and muddy, but somehow it went well with the bands flappy attitude, Tony's interaction with the audience was almost absent and the show didn't contain any elements of surprise.
The setlist was disappointing as well, where was Weballergy or My Land?
Paid In Full held a decent standard and Black Sheep had a cool guitar solo and striking key work, but again nothing fantastic. I never really understood the inclusion of The Cage as a live "favourite" and the performance felt quite anonymous too.
This was the biggest letdown of the festival, a below average concert where the bad sound didn't help either, still that's not an excuse for not putting on a convincing and dedicated performance.
Opeth
Opeth was the last band on my list for the afternoon and in front of The Black Stage things were beginning to get crowded, funny how people not only look, but also act quite differently "over here". Perhaps it's just me, but the atmosphere seems more reserved and not quite as positive.
If I should describe Opeth's performance in two words I would say routine and professional. They started out with a strong, groovy Demon Of The Fall, the sound was quite good and Åkerfelt subsequently smiled towards the crowd...but throughout the gig he sure didn't talk much.
I was a bit surprised that they only aired one new song in Heir Apparent. That one was nevertheless a highlight being completely wild with a massive drum attack and mean growls.
If the songs themselves seemed very close to the album versions and the show wasn't really a show you could at least enjoy some very technical bass playing from Martin Mendez and razor sharp drumming by the hands of Martin Axenrot. There's no doubt this band consists of amazing musicians all around.
Masters Apprentice held up well, coming off really heavy, but Drapery Falls lacked more nerve and charisma.
Nothing exciting happened on stage and after six long tracks they politely said goodbye. Decent performance.
Avantasia
After some relaxation at the camp, we headed for the main ground where expectations were running high for the Avantasia show, having heard that they killed at Sweden Rock.
As Twisted Mind blasted forth my first thought was "brilliant", finally a show with an amazing sound quality. My first positive reaction didn't last very long though, I could see Jorn Lande put a lot of effort into his vocal lines, only problem was that he could not to be heard at all, this lasted for almost the two first tracks and pretty much killed all positive vibes, the slow passage in The Scarecrow worked out well though, being impressively atmospheric.
The guitars were handled by Sascha Paeth and Oliver Hartmann (didn't know he played guitar for real) and they delivered a professional job, the twin solo spot in Reach Out For The Light lit up among many other cool moments.
The Story Ain't Over featured a magnificent vocal performance from Bob Catley who did a great job when called upon, André Matos on the other hand was surprisingly anonymous in Shelter From The Rain and most of the other songs. He wandered around without much expression and sang with little conviction.
I somehow hoped they wouldn't include the much too simple Lost In Space but it wasn't that bad really, Amanda Somerville tried a bit too hard though.
Serpents In Paradise was a clear highlight with Lande roaring his way through it while the potent drumming added to the powerful expression.
Tobias Sammet will never be a top vocalist but he nevertheless has a decent set of pipes, I could easily have been without the almost embarrassing self-centred talk and praise though.
The Toy Master was nothing special apart form some excellent guitar playing from guest Uli Jon Roth and I couldn't seem to shake of this feeling that something was missing, the magic just never really arrived.
As the grand finale a medley version of Sign Of The Cross / The Seven Angels provided a powerful closure to the show with a really massive chorus sing a long featuring all vocalists involved.
It was an overall good gig, but far from the thrill it should have been.
For some strange reason the energy and feeling just lacked, and what's for almost neglecting the whole second album apart from half a song?
Now it was time for crashing out in the press area before catching some sleep.
Saturday
I must admit that when I woke on Saturday I was feeling a bit dizzy and worn out, I guess the years are beginning to take their toll...luckily a round of butter biscuits and juice goes a long way in preparing for the first two bands playing the Party Stage around noon.
Machine Men
Machine Men had 45 minutes at the Party Stage and used them wisely to stir up quite a fuss.
Last time I saw the band was at Prog Power Scandinavia where they also delivered a great show, this time singer Toni were more focused and still managed to laid down some really intense vocal lines.
Circus Of Fools got things going with muscle and attitude, enhanced by some captivating twin lead action...a band trademark.
No Talk Without The Giant is a personal favourite, with such a chorus line you can't really go wrong and people were slowly beginning to find their way towards the stage to find out exactly what was going on. The bands youthful energy and joy of playing reflected onto the audience and everywhere I looked people seemed to enjoy themselves.
Ghost Of The Seasons appeared rather standard and static, but The Shadow Gallery really set things in motion with a groovy rhythm section and some dynamic bass playing.
Dying Without A Name was fast and featured some thrilling singing while Scars And Wounds ended the show on an emotional note. Toni dedicated the track to his departed nephew and the intriguing mood of the song left a strong impression.
Unfortunately the setlist almost entirely came from their newest album, I would have liked more songs from Elegies even though the Bruce Dickinson cover Freak was pretty entertaining.
The sound at the smaller Party Stage was intense and rather well weighed, all in all a cool and solid gig.
Mercenary
Danish Power/Trash/Prog Metal unit Mercenary was (surprisingly) also offered a 45-minute set; they filled it out with professional confidence and simply delivered the goods.
The new songs were the most aggressive ones which meant that Soul Decision from the brilliant The Hours That Remain added a more technical side to the show; a nucleus of varied structures and compact power was released with steady hands.
While Mikkel handled the majority of the vocals, new bassist René Pedersen took care of the harsh singing. This duel attack worked pretty well even though I would have liked the clean vocals to have been even more dominating.
Execution Style brought along speed and some crafty guitar work, while my personal favourite from the new album Isolation (The Loneliness In December) injected a sorrowful and yet melodic element, largely thanks to some expressive key/piano parts.
The Endless Fall simply crushed live, a thrilling guitar solo wrapped in an intermezzo of metallic sparks. This track was a perfect example of just how good a drummer Mike Park truly is, combining force with technicality in a brilliant way.
The sound faded a few times as the wind swept by and generally it could had been a bit clearer, but the hard impact was easily felt.
Firesoul had some great lead playing, a cool key solo, a minor mid section mix up between the band members but a really heavy core.
Mikkel Sandager had a positive and honest connection to the audience, stating that this was possible the biggest Mercenary show and without question one for the books.
11 Dreams is always a pleasure and the gloomy piano passages fitted in so well on this afternoon. The rather big crowd applauded the band and it was very clear that they also had a blast.
After Mercenary we went out to find the soft ice stand to get cooled off a bit but simply couldn't locate it. Then I decided to enter the Metal Markt and found quite a few albums on my "To Buy List".
Nightwish
Later in the evening the rain had slowly begun to show its face and the drinks weren't flowing as fast as two days ago, still spirits where high before the "last" gig at this years festival.
Me, Steen, Nina and Mads found a spot up front in the left side with a good view over the stage and it wasn't long before the bombastic and lengthily intro music started.
Out from the mist the band went straight into Bye Bye Beautiful, a powerful but not exactly mind blowing starting piece.
Dark Chest Of Wonders was wonderfully bombastic and Whoever Brings The Night saw Emppu stretching himself into a magnificent solo.
Anette greeted the audience in her "schoolgirl deeply in love fashion" and I couldn't restrain from laughing a bit...see has a lovely, tender voice and did well on the older songs, but the stage presence and especially communication leaves something to wish for to say the least.
The Siren was OK if a bit tedious, that feeling was nevertheless completely washed away as Sacrament Of Wilderness hit as a massive metallic rush. Seriously this amazing version was so vivid that most of the other songs faded in comparison, definitely a festival highlight.
As I looked over my shoulders there were people as far as I could see and their voices was heard quite clear as the catchy chorus of Amaranth arrived, great song and great live version.
There is no doubt that Tuomas has a special talent for key wizardry and he got his hands dirty as the 14-minute The Poet And The Pendulum opus was performed without too many problems, some parts could have been tighter and the recorded narration passages didn't leave a positive impression, but the songs epic and ultra bombastic core survived the live treatment in style.
The decision to include the soundtrack piece by Tuomas called While Your Lips Are Still Red seemed as an awkward choice. I don't really fancy Marco's vocals that much and don't understand why they didn't play Symphony Of Destruction or another Metal hymn to keep the party alive...this one put a restraint on the fun.
Marco seemed to be pretty messed up too, not that he couldn't play bass properly but he wasn't in top form that's for sure. His small talks with the audience were embarrassingly funny, especially his "hello little bottle" directed towards a bottle of vodka be brought along for the crowd to see...seriously.
If a bit low the sound was quite good, the guitar wasn't as much in front as I would have liked but the bands complex structures held up well.
Ever Dream was a pleasant breeze of tranquillity but not quite as stirring as I had imagined it would be live, Nemo rocked along nicely and Wishmaster possessed the right amount of bass substance, over the top refrain and speed.
The band finished the show with a forceful but predictable version of Wish I Had An Angel, not being particular found of this creation I observed the band as they worked on stage...as the show had proved, a certain form of close connection exits between the members making way for a successful sound.
This show was one of the better of the festival and Anette clearly passed the live test, as for talking with the audience I strongly advise her and Marco to team up for a communication course ASAP.
After a delightful end to the musical program I began to get flashes of a warm sleeping bag, half an hour later I crashed into my tent while the last bands blasted metallic sound waves into the blackened night.
I must hand it to the organisers; what I experienced was a well arranged festival, the 70.000 tickets sold is pushing it over the limit but with that in mind it's even more impressive that things seemed to run quite smoothly.
Musically this year was a bit disappointing but with some essential highlights in between, luckily the other stuff that make this event really special were once again great fun.
As for next year, get a hold of the sound problems (proper sound check and a better grasp on wind issues), bring back the soft ice stand (or two) and for the sake of innovation try some of the following bands:
Virgin Steele
Manowar
AC/DC
Vanden Plas
Symphony X
Gotthard
Pain Of Salvation
Brother Firetribe
Dogpound
Threshold
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Wacken fun | Written by Tommy
Monday, September 22, 2008 |
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RevelationZ Comments
| Comment by Steen (Staff) - Monday, September 22, 2008 | 
View Profile
Comments: 518 | | Haha! There are some great memories from this festival. I'm sorry that we didn't get a photo pit pass so I could get close enough to take some proper photos. All my audience pictures have been censored as they are just too damn silly to make public. Avantasia was a major disappointment and didn't live up to their concert at Sweden Rock at all. Nightwish's inclusion of "While your lips are still read" was a highlight for me. A fantastic setting for that song.
Tommy, be sure that I'll be back to crash your tent next year (and when it can't stand up anymore, then I'll get you a new one). Hopefully the maniac bees that had invaded Wacken this year will have migrated.
Posted by Steen (Staff)
Monday, September 22, 2008 |
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