That these weren't some amateur bands playing here was clear from the merchandise. The quality of the shirts, combined with the designs, made it incredibly difficult to choose which one to buy. Prices around €30 per shirt seem to be the standard now, since the individual venues take about 20-30% of the bands' earnings, and after all the other deductions, that leaves the band with only €7-9 per shirt as profit. I used to buy merch because I loved the band. Now I buy merch so the band can survive.

I actually really like Bokassa's stylistic mix; a bit of stoner, punk, rock, and metal, but somehow the whole package doesn't seem to work live. This time, for example, the drums weren't mixed correctly: too loud, no bass cut, not enough mids, and the snare wasn't clear. No matter where you were in the venue, all you could hear was the drums and vocals. And a guitar tuned to C or even lower would really benefit the overall sound and the interesting mix of styles this band offers. That way, the huge, charismatic Jørn Kaarstad could sing in a lower register, which would better suit his appearance and stature.

1000Mods, along with Greenleaf, is one of our family's favorite bands. We've seen them several times on various stages, including Hellfest, Rock im Wald, Backstage, and Carlswerk Victoria. Those were all very tight and cohesive concerts; the band was a tight unit, the songs rocked and grooved, and the slower doom parts were perfect for headbanging. This time, however, the band seemed a bit too energetic, and the songs felt rushed with too many drum fills. The drumming was particularly off in the song "Low," which strikes a perfect balance between relaxed and rock. Perhaps I'm too sensitive and critical as a musician, because the audience didn't seem to care about such subtleties and went wild for the band. I even ended up with a slight neck strain today during my favorite song, "Overthrown." Speaking of the setlist: it was a successful cross-section of 1000Mods' albums, but why not let a headline band play for 70 minutes so the audience could get even more of their music?

Clutch has been one of our all-time favorite bands ever since their performance at Hellfest in 2017. Yes, the band has been around for quite some time, and with a setlist spanning almost 30 years, we got a great overview of what we've been missing. We haven't missed anything, because the quality of the individual songs is generally high. It's drummer Jean-Paul Gaster who, with his drumming, transforms simple blues-rock songs into groovy, danceable, almost funky tunes, while simultaneously propelling them forward with just the right speed. And every band dreams of having Neil Fallon as their frontman; with the right mix of aggression, storytelling, and missionary zeal, he turns even the most banal song into an experience. The new song "Chest Burster" is also on the new album. So far, so good, right? Somehow, I felt it lacked that last 10% of directness, straightforwardness, and pissed-off edge to deliver that much-talked-off final blowout. What remains is a decent concert in the middle of a 3-week tour. And besides the bands, the real star was the audience, who stood 100% behind the bands, sang along and, without any announcements, organized walls of deaths, circle and mosh pits. A brilliant evening.