16.06.2023 Airbourne

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

After Asking Alexandria delivered a rather unconvincing performance, I headed back over to the South Stage, hoping to encounter a reliable crowd‑pleaser from Australia. Airbourne were once again guests at Graspop, by now already for the fourth time, and for me personally, it was the third time seeing them live. The opener “Ready To Rock” from their 2013 album “Black Dog Barking” was essentially a rhetorical question. Of course everyone in front of the stage was ready to rock!
And with that, the wild ride through the set list began, packed with all the heavy hitters from the band’s history. The crowd was in a party mood, just like the band. Frontman Joel O’Keeffe did exactly what you expected from him: pure rock ’n’ roll on stage. He barked the songs into the audience and dashed from one end of the stage to the other. When the stage wasn’t enough anymore, he had himself carried through the crowd on the shoulders of a security guard to deliver a flawless guitar solo. Back on stage, the usual beer cans were smashed on his head, and cups of beer were launched into the audience. His bandmates Brett Tyrell on second guitar, Justin Street on bass, and Joel’s brother Ryan O’Keeffe on drums, stayed a bit more in the background but were no less energetic. The stage itself was, as always, decorated with stacks of amps and speaker towers, making for an impressive visual setup. The crowd was just as eager to celebrate as the band, and the atmosphere rose with every song. Everything culminated in the obligatory final track “Runnin’ Wild” from their 2007 debut of the same name, during which everyone was asked to sit down, only to explode one last time.
Fortunately, Airbourne were the expected safe bet and managed to lift the mood back up after Asking Alexandria’s rather lacklustre performance. However, even here on a high level I have a small criticism. Much like with Rammstein, where you know exactly what to expect for every song, Airbourne follow a similar pattern. The songs are great and perfect for shouting along, no question. But the surrounding show elements are always more or less the same and offer few surprises. Joel O’Keeffe performed the same antics he has done in previous shows (the often‑attempted climb under the stage roof was missing this time; probably because he was firmly told not to do it for safety reasons). The stage setup also remains largely unchanged. Don’t get me wrong: the show is absolutely worth seeing, and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen the band live yet. But if you’ve seen them multiple times, a certain sense of repetition can creep in. Nevertheless, I had a great time with their performance!