Wacken Open Air 2006
After last year’s penetrating rain this year the weather became a Metal fan like it had been all the Wacken festivals before. A great aspect for all the Metal pilgrims travelling from many different countries to their “Metal-capital” which was able to call itself sold-out.
This year’s Wacken Open Air was able to present the Hard Rock giant Scorpions, shows of just reunited bands like Atheist, Carnivore, Celtic Frost or Emperor, a special viking-show of Amon Amarth, etc. The WOA-team was able to present a great mixture of many different variatons of rocking music and found a cool balance between classic Metal and new hard sounds. So many of those who had taken a Wacken-break the last years felt forced by the billing to return to paradise.
For the writer of this lines this year’s Wacken became a very special because it was the tenth one in a row! With this hammer-billing and the well-known organisation of the WOA-organisation there were no wishes left open.
At this year’s Wacken Open Air 75 bands appeared on four stages in three days for about 50000 visitors.
Thursday
True Metal Stage (A Night To Remember)
Faster Inferno The first thursday act and WOA-opener on the biggest stage advised what this year’s “A Night To Remember” was about: The Scorpion’s family. The son of Michael Schenker Tyson acted similar to his dad and his band sounded similar to MSG. So nothing spectacular except for singer Matt Taylor to was able to convince. But Faster Inferno generally didn’t.
Victory Three years after their first WOA appearance (also in the “A Night To Remember”) with their first singer Charlie Huhn the Hard Rock- / Melodic Metal-veterans from Hannover (like the Scorpions) returned with the unknown Jioti Parcharidis. Supported by the classic gituar duo consisting of Tommy Newton and Herman Frank the new singer convinced like the band did which concentrated mainly on the wonderful Fernando Garcia-material of the second Victory phase (the classic opener “Take The Pace”, “Power Strikes The Earth”, “No Way Tonight”, “Backseat Rider”, “On The Loose”, “Don’t Tell No Lies”, “Temples Of Gold”) performed an excellent show full of Heavy Rock-classics. Please return soon!
MSG The Michael Schenker Group wasn’t able to hold the level. Their new singer Jari Tiura, who convinced on their current release “Tales Of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, was much worse than Victory’s new one, guitar-hero and diva Michael Schenker showed a pretty spiritless performance. Only bass-animal Rev Jones (known from Forté, The Black Symphony, …) rocked the stage with his propeller-performance. The set contained MSG-tracks (“Dust To Dust”, “Shadow Lady”) as UFO-classics (“Armed And Ready”, “Into The Arena”, “Too Hot To Handle”, “Lights Out”, “On And On”, “Doctor, Doctor”, “Rock Bottom”) and boring soli of Mr Schenker, Mr Jones and drummer Pete Holmes. Mainly good songs performed by a mainly lethargic group.
Scorpions After the press conference which happened while Victory was playing (and in which Klaus Meine talked 95 %) we were very curious about the biggest band which had ever appeared in Wacken. Months before the Scorpions offered on the WOA-homepage 50 songs for the fans vote which ones they should play while 135 minutes lasting Wacken-show. A cool service for the fanbase! By the way: “Wind Of Change” was voted on position 50 which can be understood as a statement. The following appearance which you can divide in different phases beacause of the different guest musicians became pretty vicissitudinous. The band gave a strong start with well-known hits (“Coming Home”, “Bad Boys Running Wild”, “The Zoo”, “Loving You Sunday Morning”, “Make It Real”) which earned much applause. After this guitar-genius Uli Jon Roth entered the stage to play with the band some classics (“Pictured Life”, “Speedy’s Coming”, “Dark Lady”, “We’ll Burn The Sky”). Uli Jon Roth’s presence and guitar-playing was a very enriching one. He spread some kind of 70s atmoshere on stage. The Scorpions went ahead by three newer classics (“Love ’em Or Leave ‘er”, “Don’t Believe Her”, “Tease Me, Please Me”) the next guest appearance of Rudolf Schenker’s brother Michael followed who disappointed like he had done about three hours before with his band MSG to play some 80s classics (“Coast To Coast”, “Holiday”, “Lovedrive”, “Another Peace Of Meat”). After a drum solo of the phenomenal James Kottak Hermann Rarebell sat down behind the drumkit to perform two tracks with his former bandmates (“Blackout”, “No One Like You”). After another solo by lead guitarist Matthias Jabs the band performed the hit “Big City Nights” and “Can’t Get Enough” to leave the stage for the first time. After they returned with “Still Loving You” the stage became filled-up with all the guest musicians. So the Scorpions then appeared with five (!) guitars and a second “semi-drummer”. “Semi-drummer” because Hermann Rarebell set down in front of Kottak’s huge drumkit and got a mini drumset which looked like the one from the German “Schlager”-group Die Flippers. Nevertheless these nine men performed “In Trance”, “He’s A Woman, “She’s A Man” and “In Search Of Peace” before leaving the stage again. Before the Scorpions returned as a fivepiece again the announced world-premier of the new band-symbol, a huge metal-scorpion, had come. He came under the drumriser and it took a lot of time till he reached the stage to lift up his spike. After this the Scorpions performed two encores by “Dynamite” and of course “Rock You Like A Hurricane”. I can conclude the setlist voted by the fans was wonderful, but approach of a rocking Scorpions-show shouldn’t become fulfilled. So like many others I became bored by the uninspired performance. Little mistakes like Klaus Meine announcing the next song which title he forgot or Uli Jon Roth’s search of a working backing microphone while playing entertained a little bit. The big happiness to see Germany’s biggest Hard Rock-band flew away and lead into a shrug. Nevertheless it was “A Night To Remember”.
W.E.T. Stage
Mambo Kurt Mambo Kurt had become a steady guest over last years. This year he appeared on the Wacken Eternity Tent-stage. Again he entertained the partying crowd by versions of metal/rock/pop-classics on his hammond-organ. So nearly the whole tent was singing loud to Van Halen’s “Jump”, Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called To Say I Love You”, Kiss’s “I Was Made For Loving You”, Slayer’s Raining Blood” and AC/DC’s “Highway To Hell”. In the middle of his show Mambo Kurt invited a female spectator to come on stage and to show the audience how to dance. Again he showed how to entertain a crowd.
Friday
True Metal Stage
Wintersun Why the hell is this Ensiferum spin-off from Finland so popular to move such a huge crowd in front of the stage. Okay, I also can’t understand like my colleges why this Pagan Folk-style is so hip. The band around fronter Jari Mäenpää and drummer Kai Hahto played the tracks from their self-named debut beginning in the same succession with “Beyond The Dark Sun”, “Winter Madness” and added in the end of their set a new song from their forthcoming recording named “Time”. They got much support and I still don’t know why.
Danko Jones Rock ‘n’ Roll-entertainment in its coolest way was supposed to be performed by Danko Jones and his threepiece. Cool statements like asking why a Rock ‘n’ Roll band hast to play on the True Metal Stage or the advise to the audience to focus the band instead of a very low flying army helicopter while one track combined with cool Rock songs like “Invisible”, “Sticky Situation”, “Sugar Chocolate”, “She’s Drugs”, “Sleep Is The Enemy” and “First Date” resulted in a well-entertaining Rock show by the Canadiens.
Nevermore One of the most Power Metal-bands filled up the festival ground with numerous of fans right in the afternoon. The unique fivepiece from Seattle started with “Final Product” from their new “This Godless Endeavour”-masterpiece to let follow “The River Dragon”, “I Voyager” and “Engines Of Hate” while the sound became much better and the Ministerpräsident (= gouverneur) Peter Harry Christensen of the Bundesland (= state) Schleswig-Holstein where Wacken belongs stood grinning and waving into the crowd. Like last year a nice gesture! The great singalongs while the beginning of “Dead Heart In a Dead World” created an amazing atmosphere which continued while “Enemies Of Reality”, “Narcosynthesis” and the two new compositions “This Godless Endeavour” and “Final Product”. Another super performance by the voice Warrel Dane and his comrades who had become completed by Jag Panzer-guitar wizard Chris Broderick who replaced the sick Steve Smyth!
In Extremo The Folk Metal-tribe from East Germany can be named as one of the steady guests in Wacken. For another time they had no problem to reach a huge fan crowd. Ignoring the strange sound which got improved during the show and supported by a good setlist including “Vollmond”, “Omnia Sol Temperat”, “Ai Vis Lo Lop”, “Spielmannsfluch and “Erdbeermund” as by a motivated stage show fronter Einhorn and Co were celebrated by the fans like the years before. Medieval sound performed by a sympathic band still has magnetism on many visitors.
Children Of Bodom Before the Finish Melodic Death Metal-band started I had wondered about the stage outfit including old ralley cars between a couple of oil barrels, bit I heard they had used it on their tour, too. Supported by a few pyros coming out of the barrels Alexi Laiho and his companions offered besides the title track of the new album “Are You Dead Yet?” a best of-set containing familiar smashers like “Needled 24/7”, “Sixpounder”, “Midnight In Bodom”, “Silent Night, Bodom Night”, Every Time I Die” and “Follow The Reaper” and caused a lot of action in front of the stage.
Ministry Pretty drunk, but very tight Al Jourgensen and his comrades invited to their Industrial appearance on the True Metal Stage which sounds a little bit paradox, but who cares. In the first section of this gig lasting over 30 minutes they played their politcal anti-Bush-declarations from their latest two releases like “Fear ( Is Big Business)”, “No W”, the title track of their current output “Rio Grande Blood”, “Worthless”, “The Great Satan” and “LiesLiesLies”. Wow, what a statement! In the second part of their show Ministry caught the crowd by Industrial-classics like “NWO”, “Just One Fix”, “Thieves” and “Psalm 69”. As I don’t consider myself as a fan I need to mention the performance was powerful, just the horrible sound wasn’t. After this appearance Mr. Jourgensen must have felt like in The City Of Angels, huhu (Insider).
Black Stage
Mystic Circle Black Metal in the morning: Why not! The formation around fronter Graf von Beelzebub and bassist Ezpharez from Worms reached more than enough fans with tracks like “Servants Of Twilight”, “Medina (Whore Of Satan)”, “God Is Dead – Satan Arise” and “Open The Gates Of Hell”. Not the worst soundtrack while choosing the first cup of coffee or can of beer (or the second / third / …?)
Legion Of The Damned I really can’t understand the little hype around this band. The Dutch ex-musicians of Occult played their Thrash Metal-material from their debut record containing the tracks “Werewolf Corpse”, “Malevolent Rapture” and the set closing band-hymn “Legion Of The Damned”. To me it was a pretty boring show. Just a little number of fans celebrated this performance.
Six Feet Under Front-grunter Chris Barnes and his formation got celebrated by a big bunch of fans which didn’t really surprise. Even while very hot sunshine hundreds of hair-windmills rotated in turbo-speed-condition to Death Metal-monsters like “Torture Killer”, “War Is Coming” or the final AC/DC-cover “T.N.T.”. Another hour of triumph for the Death Metal-machine from Florida.
Opeth In former times frontman and bandleader Mikael Akerfeldt seemed to be shy, nowadays he imresses by his sarkastic humour as one of the best metal entertainers of the whole scene. After the opener “The Grand Conjuration” from the new masterpiece “Ghost Reveries” and “When” he announced the following track “The Leper Affinity” as the song which made the band so rich he was able to afford two castles in Switzerland and he added: “Who now doesn’t headbang is a pussy!” After an comical advise to the Scorpions Mikael explained he is a satanist and the next song was translated from satan himself to Mikael’s brain and even Burt Reynolds knows about and enjoys it. So “Deliverance” followed and the fantastic band from Stockholm finished another wonderful appearance containing music and entertainment on a very high level. Under many extraordinary performances this one was the best to me!
Carnivore I knew many guys who couldn’t await to see the reunion gig of Carnivore, but in comparison to other bands there was pretty much space left in front of the Black Stage. The band, suited in the same red t-shirts, opened after the intro with the self-named “Carnivore” and the hymn “Race War” to let follow “Angry Neurotic Catholics” (including the “Jack Daniels” and Pizza”-sample), “Male Supremacy” and “S.M.D.”. Besides the characteristic personality of Pete Steele the other musicians rocked the stage, too. Especially guitarist Paul Bento who shouted a couple of vocal lines convinced. After “Jesus Hitler” and “World War III And IV” the fourpiece left the stage to return with “Sex & Violence” while a few half-naked ladies came on stage to fire by water-guns or to pur some red liquid out of a bucket.Great gig!
Celtic Frost The Black Stage was covered in blue coloured light when the Swiss cult-band entered the stage to open their show by “Procreation (Of The Wicked)”, “Dethroned Emperor” and “Jewel Throne” like they had done a month before at the With Full Force. And like there they polarised again: Older fans felt like in ecstasy while younger spectators went away. After playing a couple of new tracks fronter and guitarist Tom Gabriel Fischer, bassist Martin Eric Ain and their band which was supported by the second sixstringer Anders Todden offered a final for their die-hard-fans playing “Into The Crypt Of Rays”, “Circle Of The Tyrants” and “Triptych”. To some fans this gig felt very atmospheric, to others like me it felt pretty boring.
Amon Amarth For another time the Black Stage-sound was much too low. The Stockholm-vikings opened with the hit “Pursuit Of Vikings” their special show which included a sword-battle-performance by the viking group known from the Amon Amarth-DVD before playing the fourth title “An Ancient Sign Of Coming Storm”. With hits like “Victorious March” and “Death In Fire” fronter Johann Hegg and his comrades had no problem to animate the big crowd to headbang in the deep night. But to avoid boredom they should leave a little bit their viking image!
Party Stage
End Of Green After several appearances on the Summer Breeze and on smaller festivals the fivepiece from Göppingen deserved a position on the Wacken-billing. And 11:00 the ground in front of the Party Stage was pretty filled up what has probably never happened before that early in Wacken. With their cool mixture between Gothic Metal and Alternative Rock the band rocked the stage as the audience by the opener “Motor”, “Death In Veins”, “I Drink Myself to Sleep” and the encore “Speed My Drug”.
Born From Pain You think Metalcore doesn’t attract many spectators? Totally wrong! A lot of fans filled up the ground in front of the Party Stage to watch the Dutch band celebrating smashers like “Rise Or Die” and “New Hate” (with spectators’ singalongs) from the new “In Love With The End”-album. The sympathic fivepiece caught much applause and a circlepit which became bigger and bigger each time.
Ektomorf The Soulfly-clone from Hungary stuck on my nerves again because they still don’t own an identity. Instead of that they stillhad their uninspired tracks like “I Know Them”, “Fuck You All” or the new “Outcast” from the so named output Max Cavalera would never use for his releases. Nevertheless I need to mention they found enough supporters enjoying their gig in a mosh-pit.
Soilwork Usually I don’t care about people worrying about too many stages in Wacken! I like the choice! But letting Soilwork compete against Opeth was an unlucky decision because many fans love both bands like me. And for all the Swedes visiting Wacken every year it must have been a hard decision, too. Maybe they decided between Stockholm (Opeth) or Helsingborg (Soilwork). Vocalist Björn “Speed” Strid tried to shout to his friend Mikael on the Black Stage, unsuccessfully. Musically the band kept the crowd moving by “Stabbing The Drama”, “As We Speak”, “The Bringer”, “Steelbath Suicide”, “Rejection Role”, “The Crestfallen” and Rejection Role”. Great show!
Korpiklaani Another Viking Folk Metal-somewhat bands like Finntroll, Ensiferum, Wintersun or Turisas which are in my opinion changeable at all. Okay, also this style has its audience and so the Finnish group got its support to party-songs like “Happy Little Boozer” and I became an unhappy big drinker during this appearance.
Despairs Ray After Mucc appeared last year on the W.E.T. Stage the Wacken-organisors invited another band which belongs to the new Japanese Visual Kei-scene. Okay, the strange make-up-outfit looked a little bit ridiculous, but the energetic show convinced. Because of the German statements of fronter Hizumi who sang Japanese lyrics the band won additional sympathy. A surprising good performance of the Nippon-act somewhere between Punk Rock and New Metal.
Primal Fear The German True / Power Metal-fivepiece around frontman Ralf Scheepers and Mat Sinner could have become pretty ridiculous in the afternoon, but in the deep night their showcase created a cool party atmosphere. So tracks like “Silver And Gold”, “Angel In Black”, “Chainbreaker”, “Running In The Dust” and the usually definitely “Metal Is Forever” invited the supporters to be celebrated and be headbanged.
W.E.T. Stage
Gorilla Monsoon The formation from Dresden offered pretty cool Stoner Rock in the afternoon while Nevermore appeared on the True Metal Stage. Probably a reason why the band around a fronter called Jack Sabbath just caught a few spectators for the tent stage. Nevertheless a cool gig.
Saturday
True Metal Stage
Caliban Germany’s finest Metalcore-success-band playing on Germany’s biggest Heavy Metal-festival, does that work? In deed it does! The ground was filled up in the sunny noon and the crowd was ready to rumble. The band opened with the Split-CD-track “Revenge”, “I Sold Myself”, the older “Forsaken Horizon” the new hit “It’s Our Burden To Bleed” and “My Little Secret” and earned big circle-pits Wacken had never seen before. Andy Dörner animated a wall of death with the first “I Sold Myseld”-riff beginning at the stage and ending at the sound tower. Impressive! Also an electricity-breakdown couldn’t disturb this appearance, the fans took the command shouting the band’s name. After getting the sound back the band finished their triumph with the single “The Beloved And The Hatred” and “Goodbye”.
Fear Factory The Industrial Metal-icon appeared for the first time in Wacken and that early! While the sun was shining hot shouter Burton C. Bell began with the new “Transgression” and a horrible sound. But the songs as the technichal conditions beacame much better. “Demanufacture”, “Self Bias Resistor”, “Shock” and “Edge Crusher” turned the festivalsite into an ocean of flying hair. After the wonderful “Archetype”, the former hit-single “Linchpin” and several crowd-choirs the audience sang “Happy Birthday” for guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers. The band played the starting riff of Pantera’s “Respect” to finish their show with the all-time-fave “Replica”. Hammer appearance!
Gamma Ray German True Metal on the True Metal Stage is still very popular. Lots of fans went to the show to celebrate material from the new release “Majestic” as classics like “Blood Religion”, “Heavy Metal Universe”, “Rebellion In Dreamland”, “Somewhere Out In Space” or the Helloween-evergreen “I Want Out”. Kai Hansen and and his quartet won their “home match” again.
Whitesnake After their much discussed Bang Your Head-appearance we were curious about David Coverdale’s legendary band: Do they rock this time or do they drop again. The band took a good start choosing “Burn” and “Fool For Your Lovin'”. David Covedale didn’t seem to have his voice’s best day, but supported by a first-class band (I just mention Reb Beach and Tommy Aldridge!) they showed a wonderful performance including evergreens like “Is This Love?”, “Stormbringer”, “Cryin’ In The Rain”, “Bad Boys”, “Here I Go Again” and “Still Of The Night”. Just the guitar-, keyboard- and the drum-solo were unnecessary, but nevertheless like I said: A wonderful performance!
Motörhead In a much better mood than on the With Full Force Mr. Rock ‘n’ Roll Lemmy Kilmister presented himself. He and his sidekick on the six strings, Phil Campbell, communicated a lot with the audience. But no fear: They didn’t forget to let Rock ‘n’ Roll rule the stage. Younger hits like “In The Name Of Tragedy”, “Sacrifice”, and “Killers” as older ones like “Fast And Loose” (which hadn’t been played for a long time), “Killed By Death” (together with Skew Siskin’s Nina C. Alice) and the set closing hits “Ace Of Spades” and “Overkill”.
Subway To Sally After In Extremo on friday the other big Folk Rock / Metal-formation concluded the 2006-WOA-edition beginning with “Schneekönigin” and “Feuerland”. Supported by different show effects the sevenpiece convinced by a powerful performance and songs like “Henkersbraut”, “Falscher Heiland”, “Der Vagabund” and “Veitstanz”. The band got celebrated by the still big crowd which was singing the band-hymn “Julia Und Die Räuber” for minutes after the musicians had the stage already left.
Black Stage
Aborted Death Grind from Belgium had the excercise to wake up Wacken for the last day to rock for this year. No matter with this brutality. The band played tight and found even more friends playing a cover-version of Carcass’ “Heartwork”.
Arch Enemy Same procedure as nearly every show: The Swedish band acted very tight and is musically one of the best this year’s Wacken edition can offer, but the posing and the comments of Angela Gossow were ridiculous for another time. The sound also sucked, but it got improved while the set. So the crowd headbanged to “Nemesis”, “I Am Legend / Out For Blood”, “Ravenous” and the set-final “We Will Rise”.
Morbid Angel Of course the Florida-Deathers are a legend and the line-up David Vincent, Trey Azagthoth, Erik Rutan and Pete Sandoval is the ultimate one for many fans. To me it felt very strange watching such a political extremist as fronter on stage getting celebrated. Vincent who should improve his knowledge about flags instead of interpreting an Israel-flag as one fo Sandoval’s native land El Salvador (They both include the colours blue and whit, but that’s all!)! wore a black latex-shirt with a red pentagram. Musically there was no doubt about “Chapel Of Ghouls”, “Maze Of Torment”, “Where The Slime Leaves”, “Sworn To The Black”, “Immortal Rites”, “Fall From Grace” and “God Of Emptiness” (“Why didn’t they play “Blessed Are The Sick”?), but personally there definitely was.
Soulfly The day before the Soulfly-clone Ektomorf played their gig, in the early Saturday evening the time had come for the original. Although the Max Cavalera-tribe prefers a New Metal-Crossover-sound they had no problems to party with the big spectatorship. Again they succeeded withnew material (“Babylon”), Soulfy-hits (“Back to The Primitive”, “Seek ‘n’ Strike”) and good old Sepultura-classics (“Refuse/Resist”, “Roots Bloody Roots”) which I still prefer the most. Cool appearance!
Emperor The Norwegian Black Metal-gods are back! I was so thankful to see the ultimate Black Metal-band which had split much too early! But first of all Ihsan, Samoth, Trym and the tour-keyboarder Charmand Grimloch who sang the backing vocals had fight with a horrible sound which got better song by song. The song choice was brilliant: “Depraved”, “Curse Of Reverance”, “Thus Spake The Nightspirit”, “With Strength I Burn”, “Majesty Of The Nightsky”, “In The Wordless Chamber” as the two encores “I Am The Black Wizards” and “Inno A Satana / Opus A Satana” must have fulfilled most wishes of the huge Emperor audience which celebrated the return of their heros. Before the encore-part Ihsan returned with jacket blinking on his shoulders, one nice visiual effect besides the spark and pyro show. And like all fans I hope: Please come back (on tour)!
Finntroll The third act of those Folk Viking Metal-bands at whis year’s WOA followed. And an hour after midnight the Finnish group with their new fronter Vreth who just performed with them for the third time the band had an easy mission to motivate the mainly drunk people to party. Even the two new tracks “Ormhäxan” and “Ur Djupet” worked well. So the Polka-party raged on till its end, just me still wasn’t drunk enough!
Party Stage
Metal Church This younger line-up around leader Kurdt Vanderhoof of the Power Metal-legend from Seattle has become a constant and tight one over the latest years. The sympathic fivepiece waked up the spectators with new material by “A Light In The Dark” and “Mirror Of Lies” as by classics like “Watch The Children Pray”, “Ton Of Bricks” and “Gods Of Wrath” and mainly satisfied the older fans.
Bloodthorn Much less spectators watched the next performance on the Party Stage while Arch Enemy was playing on the bigger Black stage.The band around fronter Kjell Rambeck who wore Norwegian t-shirt with the cross turned is back introduced their new release “Genocide”. Its tracks like “Sacrificial Slaughter” earned as much support as the well-known material.
Orphaned Land Israel’s finest had to compete against Morbid Angel on the Black Stage. No matter to the band who had become very popular in the metal scene. The vocalist who was suited in a Poncho reminded me a little bit of the funny Irish guy in “Braveheart”. Musically the band animated the fans to dance and headbang by “The Kiss Of Babylon – The Sins” or “Norra El Norra – Entering The Ark”. To me the sound was a little bit too much oriental, but nevertheless a nice appearance.
Atheist A long awaited event should become the reunion-gig of the Prog Death Metal-legend. The Party Stage-ground was covered by numerous of fans waiting for their faves. Musically the five geniuses introduced their supporters by “Unquestionable Presence” and “On They Slay” and started an unforgettable show which got continued by “Unholy War”, “Mineral”, the “Elements”-song “Air” and a bass and a drum solo. Kelly Shaefer who liked an 80’s Hardrock-star with his Great White-outfit and his bandana and his companions didn’t just play the complicated compositions tight, they also were still in motion. What a performance which ended by “I Deny”, “And The Psychic Saw” and the encore “Piece Of Time”. One of the best appearances this year in Wacken!
Die Apokalyptischen Reiter As I left the W.E.T. Stage-tent with my college Tobi Wan Kenobi who had the destination Black Stage where Emperor were supposed to appear he crossed lots of persons who went to the Party Stage. The East German fan-darlings filled up the Party Stage-ground like no act had probably done before. So fronter Fuchs & Co animated the big crowd to party and to celebrate tracks like “Heavy Metal Will Never Die” or “Licked By The Tongues Of Pride”. My opinion: They are definitely not my cup of tea! I should have followed Tobi to Emperor! Probably next time Die Apokalyptischen Reiter would be better placed on the Black Stage.
Rose Tattoo The Rock ‘n’ Roll-legend had usually appeared in the A Night To Remember on thursday as one of its main acts like they had done 2002 and 2004. Now fronter Angry Anderson & Co rocked the crowd 0:30 until 1:45 a.m.! And the crowd noticed they don’t matter about time, they always rock. So the Australians celebrated a cool Rock ‘n’ Roll-party which found its great final in the hit “Nice Boys Don’t Play Rock ‘n’ Roll” including the guest appearance of Böhse Onkelz-guitarist Gonzo.
W.E.T. Stage
Lake Of Tears While Whitesnake still rocked the True Metal Stage Lotte and me walked into the W.E.T. Stage-tent to special gig for us. It was 1997 we travelled to Wacken for the first time and Lake Of Tears appeared as the first interesting band on the Party Stage which was the second biggest one in a tent. So on the tenth Wacken-visit in a row Lake Of Tears returned and played in a full tent. The fans especially celebrated the older stuff like the second played song “Cosmic Weed”, “Sweetwater”, the highlight “Ravenland” and “Take Me Where The Water Flows” were sung loud by the fans who just missed “Headstones”. To Lotte and me this appearance was ‘A Show To Remember’!
Conclusion:
This year’s Wacken open Air-billing left no wishes open! It was even better than the latest WOA-editions. High standard-program on the three Open Air-stages and hopeful bands for the future appeared in the tent of the W.E.T. Stage. Best conditions supported by the wonderful circumstances of a nearly perfect weather (Dry and warm, but mainly not too hot!) as of no band needed to cancel its participation in a short-term way! The prices for food and beverages were the same as the latest years before (e.g. 3,00 € for a 0,4 l beer or softdrink). The organisation was good for another time. Just the place felt smaller than before because of the bigger number of visitors. But for this aspect the WOA-organizors announced the plan to enlarge the festivalsite which is just the right decision! A few bands are confirmed for Wacken, too: Immortal (Reunion / Only Open Air Show 2007), Saxon (A Night To Remember), Stratovarius and Schandmaul. So we appreciated Wacken for our tenth time and are looking forward to Wacken Open Air 2007!
Special Thanks go out to Britta Kock, Sheree Hesse and the WOA-team!!!!!
At the Wacken Open Air rocked, drank and partied Tobi Wan Kenobi, Lotte, Dumbo, Helga and Nicole!!!!!