Our second full day at Wacken started early with an opening set by Primal Fear. Only at Wacken does a midday opening band have a crowd that stretches further than the eye can see. Yet, we walked straight up to the front, and the set was awesome. That man can really sing!
After Primal Fear we had a break so we made our way to the toilets. While I was in the girls queue, the two boys long finished, they made friends with a couple of Germans, one called Mario who was about 45 and a 20-something guy who didn’t seem to speak as much English. Mario had at least 10 Wacken wristbands on from years gone by and was stoked to learn the boys were from New Zealand. Once I made it back to the group, he asked us if we wanted a beer at the nearby pub stand and then wouldn’t let us pay. I don’t know how he does it, but Courtney attracts free beer. Aside from these full beers we had bought for us, random strangers frequently offer him sips from their mugs.
After drawing us a map to find their camp, we left Mario to continue the day. I wanted to get our phone charged and swap the t-shirt I had bought the day before so I left Courts with one of our friends from camp and they went off to see Morbid Angel (from the second row again might I add) and I went off to the Metal Market. I swapped my shirt, bought Courts a Blind Guardian shirt and left the phone at the charging station before heading back down to the stages.
I was able to catch the end of Sodom, the second band the boys saw without me, and do so sitting on the ground with a drink, relaxing in the reluctant sun (I say because it’s been raining every night from the wee hours until after breakfast). Even from my spot on the ground I could see the stage. I met up with the boys again in the few minutes we had before Rhapsody started at the next stage over, we were able to walk straight to the front for that too. It is epic being able to see legends play that close up, and without a struggle. People who are on the front bar are obviously there to stay but everyone else is fine as long as they can see.
We picked up the phone and had a break in the tent for an hour before we made our way back to the festival for Judas Priest. The set was part of their Farewell Tour and as such they had two and a half hours of stage time to fill. We entered the gates 15 minutes before they started and made our way forward. About 30 rows from the front we hit a patch of rowdy circle pit moshers and decided to try and get past them to the calm spots that tend to occur right at the front. The problem we found here though was that there was a slight uphill incline right at the front and it was almost impossible to reach. We ended up in the midst of a massive crush, being toppled by crowd surfers every few seconds with little chance to recover. It wouldn’t have been so bad except for having my glasses on and trying to protect them. We ended up retreating back behind the initial rowdy moshers and finding a good spot with breathing room and a good view.
Despite having no idea whatsoever what happened on stage during our few minutes at the front, the rest of the Judas Priest set was incredible. The boys were completely on form, starting with pyrotechnics right from the first song and bringing motorbikes and all sorts on stage. The band was incredible and made for a definite highlight of the festival if not the whole trip.
Two days down, one to go!Our second full day at Wacken started early with an opening set by Primal Fear. Only at Wacken does a midday opening band have a crowd that stretches further than the eye can see. Yet, we walked straight up to the front, and the set was awesome. That man can really sing!
After Primal Fear we had a break so we made our way to the toilets. While I was in the girls queue, the two boys long finished, they made friends with a couple of Germans, one called Mario who was about 45 and a 20-something guy who didn’t seem to speak as much English. Mario had at least 10 Wacken wristbands on from years gone by and was stoked to learn the boys were from New Zealand. Once I made it back to the group, he asked us if we wanted a beer at the nearby pub stand and then wouldn’t let us pay. I don’t know how he does it, but Courtney attracts free beer. Aside from these full beers we had bought for us, random strangers frequently offer him sips from their mugs.
After drawing us a map to find their camp, we left Mario to continue the day. I wanted to get our phone charged and swap the t-shirt I had bought the day before so I left Courts with one of our friends from camp and they went off to see Morbid Angel (from the second row again might I add) and I went off to the Metal Market. I swapped my shirt, bought Courts a Blind Guardian shirt and left the phone at the charging station before heading back down to the stages.
I was able to catch the end of Sodom, the second band the boys saw without me, and do so sitting on the ground with a drink, relaxing in the reluctant sun (I say because it’s been raining every night from the wee hours until after breakfast). Even from my spot on the ground I could see the stage. I met up with the boys again in the few minutes we had before Rhapsody started at the next stage over, we were able to walk straight to the front for that too. It is epic being able to see legends play that close up, and without a struggle. People who are on the front bar are obviously there to stay but everyone else is fine as long as they can see.
We picked up the phone and had a break in the tent for an hour before we made our way back to the festival for Judas Priest. The set was part of their Farewell Tour and as such they had two and a half hours of stage time to fill. We entered the gates 15 minutes before they started and made our way forward. About 30 rows from the front we hit a patch of rowdy circle pit moshers and decided to try and get past them to the calm spots that tend to occur right at the front. The problem we found here though was that there was a slight uphill incline right at the front and it was almost impossible to reach. We ended up in the midst of a massive crush, being toppled by crowd surfers every few seconds with little chance to recover. It wouldn’t have been so bad except for having my glasses on and trying to protect them. We ended up retreating back behind the initial rowdy moshers and finding a good spot with breathing room and a good view.
Despite having no idea whatsoever what happened on stage during our few minutes at the front, the rest of the Judas Priest set was incredible. The boys were completely on form, starting with pyrotechnics right from the first song and bringing motorbikes and all sorts on stage. The band was incredible and made for a definite highlight of the festival if not the whole trip.
Two days down, one to go!
