Live: Rock Am Ring - Germany
Friday June 2nd 2006
Rock am Ring, the largest open-air festival in Germany, is held at the Formula 1 circuit in Nürburg, Germany. It is renowned for the big names they manage to get on stage every year. This time the likes of Metallica, Depeche Mode, Placebo, Guns N Roses and Tool were headlining on the main stage.
Our first gig this weekend was Jason Mraz. This American young man from California, had only been in Germany for 45 minutes when he appeared on the Suzuki Alternastage. He rushed straight from the airport to the ring to do his show. Opening with a happy, chirpy song, he tried to make us forget the cold weather. It didn't work, but it put us in a better mood. His music is perfect to relax to and hang out in the sun. If there was any… Next up were the Dresden Dolls. The punk cabaret band is a bit of an odd one out on this festival, but attracts a large crowd who gave them a huge cheer when they came on stage. Songs like Backstabber and especially Coin Operated Boy are very well received. The Dolls' performance was great and although there are only two people on stage, you have enough to look at when they are playing.
After Katey's review of 10 Years supporting Korn in Australia , we definitely wanted to check them at RaR. They grace the Club Stage, the smallest of the three stages. There wasn't much of a crowd, because Alice In Chains was playing on the Centerstage at that time. But those who were there were very enthusiastic, reflecting on the band immediately. Singer Jesse – the little guy with dreads – has a great voice. This alternative rockband went completely mad, and so did the crowd. Great vibe, great songs. This will definitely be one to look out for! Check out pictures of 10 Years at Rock Am Ring here!
During dinner, we checked out old rocker Paul Weller on the Alternastage, who looked surprisingly good for his age! The man still has what it takes to mesmerize a crowd. When we finished our food, it was time to head for the Centerstage for the first time this weekend to see Korn. A lot of people had the same plan and it was very busy. The moshing started well before the sound tech's tower. Because the band mostly showed videos on the screens instead of them playing, we decided to get more to the front so we could see the stage, putting ourselves in danger while slipping through the moshers on more quiet moments. This show triggered the true festival vibe. Korn played a full set of 14 songs, including their biggest hits. As expected, the world around us exploded during Freak On A Leash, which was played as an encore.
We managed to get a spot at the barrier separating the front area from the main, giving us a perfect view of the stage, which was needed to see Tool. After having reviewed their latest album 10.000 Days, I was very curious to see what this band would be like on stage. We had seen a lot of people wearing Tool shirts and it was packed. Annika expected the crowd to be pretty rough, but apart from the occasional crowdsurfer, it was fine. Like Korn, Tool played a full hour and a half set. Though it was airtight and excellently performed, I can imagine why people who don't know the band thought the show was too long and maybe even a little boring. The songs aren't easy to relate to and with the lack of a basic structure with a defined chorus, it might be too abstract for some. Vocalist Maynard James Keenan did his very best to stay out of the light, not wanting to draw all of the attention. The images shown on the screens were a little disturbing, like their videos. I enjoyed myself immensely, on behalf of my boyfriend who is a huge Tool-fan but is still stuck in Finland and wasn't able to join me at the festival, but I do somewhat agree with people who say this is not the best festival band.
We didn't want to give up our brilliant view, but when the presenter announced that Axl and his band wouldn't be on for at least an hour and a half, and we were freezing, we decided to take the risk of not getting back to the front and left. After a much needed visit to the disgusting toilets – hold your breath while peeing! – we headed back to the Alternastage. Jamiroquai was playing and we arrived just in time to see them kick off into his first song Canned Heat. This is one of those bands you have to see live at least once. What a party! We danced around, ignoring our sore muscles. As usual, Jay Kay was wearing a big hat and a very bright top that could have easily kept the entire band warm. Like he said; the summer went out the window. Damn, it was cold!
We left the summertime feel halfway through the set to go and see if Guns N Roses were on stage already, picking up some food along the way. Again our timing was perfect; the first riffs of Welcome To The Jungle were heard as we set our first foot on the steps to get to the crowd. I'm not sure what to think of this new version of GnR. Of course it was great to see Axl Rose live, but being Axl Rose and playing the band's biggest hits doesn't make it Guns N Roses. At least not for me. I think Axl would have been better off taking a new bandname. He needs two guitarists to reproduce Slash's amazing sound, which doesn't really work. The long solo's between songs was boring and took the energy out of the show. I understand he wants to introduce his new band, and they're good musicians, but this isn't the right way. Although I am sure a lot of people enjoyed this show, a lot of people left during it. Including Annika and yours truly.
Verdict: The first day of the festival already had some of the biggest names of the weekend on stage. Although it was very cold, it stayed dry and the atmosphere was good. Best band of the day defenitely was 10 Years.