After a short walk across the medieval market following to the Fiddler’s Green concert I stayed there to watch a somehow uncommon band. The Red Hot Chili Pipers are a Scottish band converting popular rock songs into the world of pipes and drums.
On Wednesday evening this years‘ Wacken Open Air started for me with the first concert. The band Fiddler’s Green was up to now only known to me from CD’s and finally I wanted to see them live. Many others had the same idea because of the quite small area in front of the stage was jam-packed. (maybe the larger Party-Stage would have been a better place for their gig).
On 24.04.2010 I set out for Steenwijk to first wait there in a relaxed atmosphere at the theatre lobby. By and by people from various countries met there. Due to the fact that the concert should be at De Meenthe, I expected it to be an ordinary one. But already when entering the hall completely provided with seats these thoughts had been upset. And so it came that I was not the only one with an astonished look on the face.
At 21:00 the moment everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived at the heated Pitcher: Van Canto entered the stage and begun impressively with “Lost Forever”. Also the crowd immediately followed and so it was not only sung loudly but also head banging started. Wait a second; this shall be a metal concert and that although Bastian Emig was the only guy on stage using an instrument, his drum set? You are right, Van Canto stands for a-cappella metal.
Actually Bastian Emig is the drummer of Van Canto. But during the Tribe of Force Tour he is the opening act together with his own band In Legend which I did not know before. There he shows, that he is not only good in drumming (at In Legend this part is taken over by Dennis Otto) but also is a dab hand in playing piano and singing.
With 30,000 visitors the GelreDome at Arnhem was nearly sold out (oddly enough only 1.5 blocks stayed disused) and all were looking excitedly towards the main act Rammstein. They finally entered the stage after a very spectacular beginning of the show. Styroform doors were bit by bit kicked in by the band members and a dazzling light shone through the holes. After only a short time all were on stage and got started. You couldn’t really hear that Till was still suffering of a sore throat and so they began the show with some new songs like “Rammlied“ and “B******” before they continued with some older stuff like “Weisses Fleisch” and “Feuer Frei”.
I did not know anything about the Norwegian band Combichrist before this concert and will not follow their career any further in future. Their electro-metal (I have no idea of how to describe it any better) did not match my musical taste and it seemed also not of very much people at the GelreDome.
Everything finally comes to an end, also this beautiful festival. But before the lights die down it was on Tarja to produce proof of her abilities. The former Nightwish front-woman, now touring solo, showed mainly songs of her debut album “My Winter Storm” like “I Walk Alone”. It was a wide variety of fast and hard songs as well as quiet and emotional ones. Best example for the last one was “If You Believe” during which it was only Tarja on stage sitting behind her clavinova.
We were getting slowly towards the end of the festival and only the two headliners were remaining. First was Doro. I am normally not a real fan of her, although I give her credits for everything she as women did for metal and is representing. This was also thought by the organizer of the festival honoring her with the Award for the most successful career. But the fireworks this little person showed on stage was really impressing me.
She was presenting a cross-section through her works together with Warlock and also of her solo albums. Very impressive her rough voice being so powerful for example during „All We Are“ and on the other side also very emotional like during the goose bumps giving song “Herzblut” which she was partially singing in French.
This acoustic set should be a „Thank you!“ to the fans after the German/Norwegian band had successfully recorded their DVD at the Metal Female Voices Fest one year ago (and received the MFVF Award for the best DVD just before their show). It was only a short gig and unfortunately accompanied by the preparation of the stage for the upcoming show of Doro, but nevertheless it was gorgeous.
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