WACKEN OPEN AIR 2010
6, 7 & 8В August 2010
words by Stefan Yordanov - Stiff, photo: Stiff

Wacken. The biggest metal festival in Europe. Period.

Chances are slim that you see some modern metal bands here. There are only few exclusions of this rule, but this giant event offers unique opportunities to the classic, thrash, death and black metal fans.

There are four stages and at least 5 which are not in the central festival area, but that’s not all. The whole thing reminds me of a theme park or something. There are knight battles, Vikings, circuses, oil catching girls, wet t-shirt contests, wrestling and even movie nights.

Wacken has its own beer, a newspaper and a massive merch stand. Hamburg is only 70 km. away but the impact of Wacken is may be dozens of times bigger than that. Welcome to Wacken!

DAY ONE (5 AUG.)

Actually the event had started yesterday and for some metalheads - in the beginning of the week, but the real gigs start today. The Germans have set their tents and already roast some Turingen wursts. It seems these people do not eat vegetables.

The smell of barbeque and beer is everywhere. There’s also the ‘aroma’ of fresh cow shit around. Even the plastic beer glasses have the Wacken logo on them and there’s a ‘No Milk! Only Beer And Heavy Metal!’

First bands start in mere minutes. At 17.30 ALICE COOPER takes the stage.

The legendary horror icon plays safe on old hits, mostly from the 70’s. Those who do not watch the show, sing German drink songs or show off their asses to each other.

Most of the bands who play smaller stages today are rather obscure or small acts like KATANA, GHOST BRIGADE, SEVEN ENDS.

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The night belongs to MOTLEY CRUE and IRON MAIDEN. The first come out at 20.00 and play mainly classics - ‘Kickstart My Heart’, ‘Dr. Feelgood’, ‘Shout At The Devil’.

Personally I missed the touching end of ‘Home Sweet Home’, but this time MOTLEY have obviously decided to go bombastic. 

IRON MAIDEN, as ususal, did not change anything from their usual set for this tour - we got songs from the last three albums, the new one ‘El Dorado’ plus several classics.

Bruce Dickinson tried to speak German, but most of the time he was advertising the new album ‘The Final Frontier’, which is out in Germany on Aug. 13th.  

After the end of the gig coming with ‘Running Free’, I think about the show and say to myself that I have watched better Maiden concerts. Maybe it’s the crowdsurfers’ fault that I was kicked in the head and smashed several times, but it seems to me that the show was weaker that usual.

In the press area UDO is drinking beer with journalists and friends. Schmier of DESTRUCTION is walking around too. The weather is getting colder and I decide to quit drinking beer and head for the tent. Good night!

DAY TWO (6 AUG.)

There are only few toilets in the press camp. If you want to take a shit, you have to wait for half an hour and once you are in there it’s tough to concentrate because of the constant knock on the door.

Of course, there’s an alternative. You can use the plastic cabin but there’s a sticking pile of stinking shit coming up from there. The smell leaves you speechless though the comfort of being alone is guaranteed. 

I take a shower, buy some coffee and a chocolate muffin. Once I’m done with the morning procedures, I’m heading for the Metal Market. It’s enormous. A paradise for every metal collector. The entrance is 2.50 and there’s lots of Greeks and Japanese inside.

Almost everything is way overpriced and if you are not careful or you don’t know shit about collecting, they will get you by the balls.

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AMORPHIS On one of the main stages AMORPHIS are clearly enjoying their popularity. In 13:00 the newbies JOB FOR A COWBOY execute total mayhem.

VOIVOD did the same set list as in Kavarna two weeks ago - with the same passion, treat and amazing result. A few hours later I meet SNAKE and he’s like: ‘Hey, weren’t you from Bulgaria? What are you doing here, pal?

On the WET STAGE, EVILE are showing their dedication to the thrash case but in my opinion they are missing their own identity.В 

LIZZY BORDEN, always being overlooked as something of a second class mixture between ALICE COOPER, W.A.S.P. and TWISTED SISTER, deliver A-class show.

I miss TARJA, but it’s a deliberate move, because I want to set my senses on RAVEN. The English working class heroes turn out to be great live. They have the energy to fuel an average plant or a factory.

They are not as famous as IRON MAIDEN, but they know the meaning of the sweat and rock’n’roll. They need no backdrops, lights and special effects, but only a stage and instruments to be as real as MOTORHEAD are. They don’t make such bands anymore.

Unfortunately their set overlaps with SLAYER. Massive crowd out there. There are more people than last night. Only 30% of the set list overlaps with the one from SONISPHERE in Sofia. We had the luck to hear even the mighty ‘Expendable Youth’.

ANVIL took the stage right after SLAYER and it’s not an easy task, believe me. If it wasn’t the movie, the Canadians would have been in the same position as their colleagues from RAVEN, I think to myself, but all in all ANVIL really deserve the hype they are getting. And I deserve to get some sleep. It’s fucking cold outside again.

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DAY THREE (7 AUG.)

As I wake up it slowly and painfully becomes clear that I have to go through all the hygienic procedures again.

The last day of Wacken starts with EKTOMORF, who have considerably withdrawn from SOULFLY stlylistics.

CALIBAN are everybody’s favorite here in Germany, that’s why the mosh pits are massive. By the way, circle pits were not allowed at Wacken. There were warnings coming up on the screens against them. The promoters confirmed that they had spoken to each and every band not to provoke or incite circle pits.

MAX CAVALERA totally ignored that and insisted that the crowd should keep the circle pits going.В 

SOULFLY were disappointing! MAX was static, with eyes fixed somewhere above the audience, almost not moving at all.

Instead of breaking the set with something off the new album, the band decided to start with the usual ‘Blood, Fire, War, Death’, and then went back to ‘Primitive’ and ‘Babylon’. After that they finally hit ‘Kingdom’ and ‘Rise Of The Fallen’.

SOULFLY did not miss the classics - ‘Refuse/Resist’ featuring MAX’s son ZYON on drums.

OVERKILL and W.A.S.P. were the heroes of the day. The first refilled our batteries with great old school thrash metal and the latter were simply giants.

They were impeccable from the intro through the opener ‘On Your Knees’, the mighty ‘The Idol’ and the inevitable ‘I Wanna Be Somebody’ in the end.

FEAR FACTORY and U.D.O. closed the festival. Several hours after that the only noises were coming from the camping site and from the engines of the cars leaving Wacken.

With the end of Europe’s biggest metal event of the year, it’s fair to say that the summer is almost over, isn’t it?

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