Thought I'd share my feelings and experiences about this year's Wacken Open Air. As you might know, I have been going there for some time now and I can tell, there's a good reason why this festival is considered to be the biggest and best metal one in the world.
We took off with a bus that we rented having 41 metal passangers on board. We were quite happy about it, especially as noone were drinking too much, noone was shouting all the time, yet everybody enjoyed the trip having fun and good talks with all the others. Watched some movies and of course a Wacken DVD as well (the year 2005).
The bus arrived on the Zero day at 4:00 am, and it was raining a bit. When we asked, some crew people didn't allow us to go into the B Camp Area till 8:00, but as we saw more and more people going in, we got enough and entered sometime between 6 and 7. The rain was much heavier now, so we started building up our pavilons and tents faster. Quite the metal feeling I say.
Thanks god everything dried up during the day. We decided to go to the big supermarket (Sparmarkt Jensen) to buy some necessities, mainly... beer.
When we bought everything and decided to come back, one our fellows said he'd go on a camp trip (this is the expression used for the events when we drink a lot and decide to walk around the camps and meet some other metalheadz for even more drinking). The guy was really drunk. After some hours we were starting to worry about him a bit and went to the Red Cross and to the Police as well. At around 10 in the evening he finally came back and asked, "how you doing ppl?". Of course everyone was looking at him and asking the same from him laughing on the biggest camp trip ever.
I don't want to write a long essay. Wacken rocked, it simply rocks! I was thinking a lot wether I should come to this years festival or not, but I decided to come for the last time. I enjoyed this year so much, that I'm sure I'm going to WOA for several additional years. Eventhough Stratovarius wasn't playing now (and will never ever do from nowon), I still consider this to be my best Wacken ever. People are so close, noone is having problems with you or anyone else, if you go on a camptrip, people offer you their drinks, you shout the name "Wacken" together with all the other hundreds and thousands of people around. Our camp was especially good, more than 40 metalheads having a great time together. These are feelings I can't write down, it's something I had to experience and can keep them only as feelings now.
I met Nepi from the Stratoforum on the second day. We had a really good talk and I'm sure that we will meet again next year.
Hopefully others will join us from forums, too. Ohh btw, now that we are at Stratovarius: I bought another three items again... I just can't hold back myself damn it. >_< Bought the Wings of Tomorrow LP, Elements Part I Limited 2 CD Special Edition (so not the 3D little box, but the big box with all the demo versions) and 14 Diamonds. Quite some rarities, but I still lack the Episode and Twilight Time/Startovarius II LPs (anyone wish to sell theirs to me?
).
I went to 5 bands' concerts only. Listened to the others from the camp or bergarten most of the time.
Iron Maiden: was a fantastic show. My first time seeing them live, but the problem was, I couldn't get in! The festival area itself can "hold" 70000 people and the organizers promised they wouldn't sell more tickets than 70000 including the VIP, crew and all the other people. Now how come there were still thousands outside and most probably in the camps as well? I predict there were an additional 20000 people, who unfortunately couldn't go inside. Still it was a great show for me, Fear of the Dark was of course the best for the whole audience, but I enjoyed The Number of the Beast the most.
Sonata Arctica: this was the 6th time I saw them, the band I have seen the most (followed by Stratovarius 5 times). It was a decent show, Tony made it memorable for sure. I like the new guitarrist but I don't want to compare him to Jani yet. The keyboardist still can't play properly especially the intro of The Cage (which was originally played by the SynthMaster Jens Johansson). The tracklist was quite good, I wasn't disappointed by the new songs, though everyone told me they suck. Of course they need to take new directions and do some slight changes in how they play, or else their newer and newer records would be too boring. They played Kingdom for a Heart, Black Sheep, Replica and The Cage that I can recall now having liked them a lot.
Children of Bodom: these guys were the best 2 years ago and I was really looking forward to their show. We started at the back of the crowd, but 2 of us decided to go in the jungle of fans. We started getting closer and closer to the stage with the help of crowdsurfers (new technique: hold them and push forward keeping the connection with them, so that you can go forward several meters). There was a great moshpit circle about 30-40 meters far from the fences we joined them for a while then continued our trip. In the end we managed to get into the second row, if I wanted to, then I could have "easily" get into the second row as I was there with my left arm and left part of my body, but I didn't to be agressive. Eventhough the second day was the coldest, it was still like a sauna during the CoB gig. We survived Lake Bodom, definitely.
Some of the songs I really wanted to hear and were played: Needled 24/7, Hate Me, Follow the Reaper, Hatecrew Deathroll, Sixpounder, Downfall. Great show, but not as good as the one in 2006 but maybe also because of the fans not being as crazy as 2 years ago.
Avantasia: probably the best show eventhough I expected something different from them. When the whole thing was arranged I thought it would be a real opera with people playing their roles, not just singing. Unfortunately it was just a simple metal show, but it still rocked! Tobias Sammet was high as always (not from weed, gosh), jumping around and giving all his heart to us. They played songs mainly from the third album which I didn't know too well, but I liked the songs myself (though the others from my camp did not -.- ). The title/band song, Avantasia was played too, we were funning around a lot, singing along holding each others shoulders jumping around. But the top of the whole thing was "Farewell". I was really really really looking forward to it. An amazing song on the album, but man it was FANTASTIC live. Tobi was nearly crying when he saw the approximately 50-60thousands people moving and singing along. The atmosphere was perfect and I still feel it in my veins. Too bad Sharon couldn't come, so another female vocalists had to try to sing her part, she didn't success too well, but wasn't bad either, so no problem.
Nightwish: terrible and great. The two at the same time. The 4 guys did an infuckingcredible job, could have easily be the best show in Wacken2008... with a decent singer. But this new girl is... bah, was a terrible choice. We were discussing the issue the whole night and the days after, how the hell could they choose her, but the only thing we could come up with, she might be very experience in giving joys, because she doesn't even look that good (not even as good as Tarja) and the most important property of a singer, the voice... it's not even comparable to Tarja's. If they continued as a new band, it would be still okay, though the "funny" thing is, she can't even sing the new songs properly. Not to mention the old ones. It didn't have the feeling like before. The band itself played well and whenever there were no singing it was so great to listen to them, but when she started singing...
They could have easily found a MUCH better singer any day. I remember when they asked one of my friends' sister wether she wanted to sing or not... she would have been much better, but well she is not into metal, more into "pure" opera.
As I said I listened to several other bands from far as well and I think Lordi was the best out of those bands. Great entertainers with a catching music. They have the future in front of them.
I don't want to talk about the rest of the things that happened, it's not to the public ( -.- ), but of course if anyone wishes to talk about them, I'm open for discussions in private messages. What I can tell is that 2008's Wacken Yearly Champion title is not yet given to anybody yet. There are four people fighting for it now.
Closing my lines I'd like to say once again, that this year was fantastic and unforgetable. I hope that I can meet more of you there next year!
Pete
:D
...Iron Maiden is a HUGE temptation, but still there are no money 
) that if Stratovarius is in Wacken next year (meaning 2008), I will WALK if necessary 
