Mmmmh, when I think back to this week-end, it's with very good memories. Hey, when Metallica decides to make a mini-european tour during the recording of their forthcoming album ( get ready the next 17th of november !!! ) and when one of the three dates is planned in BELGIUM, I surely can't miss this event ( and I had won a free ticket for it in a contest in another summer-festival ).
So, during the two weeks before this festival, the weather was soooo shiny... BUT you can't count on the weather in Belgium because the first day of the Pukkelpop, it was... raining 8-( !!! I've had to plant my tent under liters of water. Fortunately, the sky went dry in the next hours and we've had a quite good day.
I was going there alone, but I have met some guys there and we began to discuss about music and so on... Hi salute here Mark and his cousin ( if they read it a day... ).
Here is a view of the main stage. I have to say that it's not the only stage : there were 4 other
amongst the plain.
Each stage was dedicated to a style of music : a Skate Stage, a Techno Stage, a Marquee, a Club, and the Main Stage where I was.
It's not that other scenes were not interesting, ( I wanted to see Death In Vegas and other techno bands ) but the time to go there, it was long and there was good things to see on main stage at the same hour. So......
The first band to play was Rammstein.
When they came on stage, reactions of the crowd were very diversified. I heard people asking themselves if they were woming from outerspace. They clothes were strange, a kind of plastic and metal clothes. We will understand later : the jacket of the singer has been set on fire. In fact they had a special effect for every song !!! Most of all were with fire.
Their set was very good. I liked the martial way they play their song. Sometimes, they don't move at all, just playing the songs. The singer sings in german and it adds another touch to the global feeling.
Surely one of the best gig of the festival.
The next band to play was 3 Colours Red but this band has not impressed me. It was a kind of loud british pop that didn't pleased me.
Everyone was waiting then for Marylin Manson, but the organisators told us their gig has been reported
after the one of Dog Eat Dog, because the plane of the Reverend has been delayed.
Dog Eat Dog came on stage then. I must say that I don't like too much this kind of music but
their gig was very entertaining. It seems they are more popular in the north of Belgium than in the south.
Finally came Mister Manson. I really wanted to see him live. I have heard so many things about him
that I didn't wanted to miss it. I was speaking with a french girl before his gig. She confirmed me he
has broken a bottle of wine on head at the last show in Paris. After it, he throwed it into his
breast before to faint on stage.
This time we have not seen that, but his gig was really insane.
Unfortunately, at the beginning of "Cake And Sodomy", a problem in the sound system has forced the band
to leave the stage. They were NOT happy of that and I remember the guitarist leaving the stage with his
both major fingers raised to the sky.
But they came back and didn't played again this song !!! Sad, 'coz I like it.
Marylin finished the set in provocation when he wiped his ass with the american flag.
Last band of this day before the great moment : Bush. Well, I don't know very much this
band because I don't appreciate it too much, but the gig was nice. If Marylin Manson is a show
in itself, the singer of Bush is quite static. There is not a visual show with this kind of
concert.
But the music played was acceptable.
For more information about Metallica, the last band of the day, just read their special section.
The second day of the festival has begun with Uncle Meat, a belgian band which is curently
on tour with Paradise Lost across Europe. It was the third time I saw them and their show was nice
if you know that it was the first time they played after their holidays. They just had a rehearsal
the day before.
I was quite tired because of the bad night I've passed in my tent and their gig just woke me up !
It was also time to see again my friend on stage. He's on this picture... As always, a drummer is very hard to shoot while he's playing. I have finally heard their song "Monsterman" which is one of my prefered song of their second album : Underneath. So, despite the fact I saw them three time in 2 months, it was a good gig to begin the day which has been VERY hot...
The other bands of the day, I don't remember them until Veruca Salt. The sun was shining high and
I was almost sleeping waiting for the beautiful girls to come on stage.
It was worth the wait : the two girls are lovely ( mmmh, get out the Spice Girls !!! ) and the
music is good. It seems that those girls are good-tempered ;-)
At a moment of the gig, the singer began to speak to a guy in the crowd. It seems this guy asked
her to show her tits to him... She was quite upset and began to bawl out the boy, asking him what
he made yesterday in his tent ? maybe masturbated after watching a porn movie ??? Maybe it's the
only thing he can do and so on... Finally she decided that speaking about her tits was a waste
of precious time before to play another song... DAMN !!! I like when women have such personality...
The last band I saw this day was 16 Horsepower. I had already seen them in another belgian
festival this year, and they pleased me very much !!! This second time, it was just like the first
one : a dream !
God, their music is so "floating" ( I don't know the exact word in english ). A lot of instruments
are used : violin, banjo, accordion, double bass,... to create an american like music. I really
encourage you to listen just one time to their work.
It's the second band of the festival from which I bought an album...Simply great !
It was time for me to go... I was tired ( the night has been awful ), my head was pulsing because
of the sun, I had yet 3 hours of travel with trains and I didn't wanted to do it by night. So, I
decided not to see Foo Fighters, Blur, and Chemical Brothers. Except Blur, I had already seen the
2 other bands so it's not a problem...
I went then to the camping, removed my tent and traveled back to the train station with my own two
feet.
This week-end has been tiring but it has been very good ! I finished well the season of festivals...
I can't wait now to live it again next year !
