Goosebumps on Rock Werchter: Sing a tribute to Arno, while rain has been falling from the sky for hours

A special moment around 6.20 p.m. on the main stage at the Rock Werchter: The late Arnault is being honored. Excerpts from the 2005 “Le plus beau” festival performance can be viewed on large screens. And the audience needs a little encouragement to sing “Oh la la la” out loud. Goosebumps moment, especially because the rain keeps falling from the sky in buckets.

After a cloudy start to the first day of the festival, the sky opened completely over the Werchter Meadow during the afternoon. It has been raining continuously for nearly two hours. But this can hardly spoil the fun of the festival two years after the Corona crisis.

Remarkably, many festival-goers don’t stick to a raincoat, poncho, or umbrella. They shelter in groups under tarpaulins or large pieces of plastic that are kept in the air as shelter. Works great, this is a new trend, and perfect for making new friends at the festival.

Metallica is sure to play Rock Werchter tomorrow. This was confirmed by the organization of the festival. The band was forced to cancel a concert at a festival in Switzerland yesterday due to infection with the Corona virus in the vicinity of the metal band.

Fontaines DC is responsible for the festival’s first sight, the absolute “must see” on the first festival day at Rock Werchter according to Michèle Cuvelier. She tips the VRT NWS every day through Sunday for three teams you should never miss at Rock Werchter.

Swinging powerfully against a background decorated with flowers: this is the goal of the Irish group Fontaines DC Raw and at first it may be a little chaotic, but above all it is lived through the music, with poetic lyrics. What inspires the biggest enthusiasts in the front areas of the main stage for the first time Moshpet† An astonishing number of people can already be seen in the front areas of the festival meadow. (Did someone say “urge banging”?)

You’re allowed to open the first day of Rock Werchter at The Slope: this does something for a young artist, especially if this is your first big festival show after the Corona crisis. For ILA (24), host band Ilayda Cicek and one of the three winners of “De Nieuwe Lichting” by Studio Brussel, it’s nothing less than a dream come true.

ILA plays a tapered and steely rock show for half an hour, basically letting the music do the talking, except for “merci” and a short concluding word. It’s totally overwhelmed because so many people showed up in the early afternoon. Many familiar faces are in the front rows. Proud parents, friends and family bring plenty of atmosphere to Werchterwei’s smallest theater.

“Those 25 minutes passed. When I got on stage, and I saw so many people, I felt pure happiness,” she told VRT NWS after the concert. “I kept thinking: “Is this really happening, or is someone waking me up?”† Our big dream came true today. Rock Werchter is and still is the largest rock festival in our country. And the audience response was much better than we could have imagined.”

Not only the warmth of the audience, but also the proud reactions from their present parents, helps ILA and her usual musician, Sam and Cas. The start of a busy summer festival for the trio with about 15 concerts. Finally, they sigh. “We have been working to achieve this during the Corona crisis, by writing a lot of new music, but it is time to make it happen live.”

The gates to the Festival Park in Worcester opened at 12 noon. A long line of festival-goers was already lining up at the time, so they could start Rock Werchter 2022 as soon as possible. Apparently some visitors missed the “holy festival grounds”.

Other festival-goers can’t wait to discover what the Werchter Meadow has to offer. Imke (18) and Febe (17) are finally testing their first Rock Werchter after a two-year delay. With a high school diploma in their pocket, their summer vacation begins with what they call a “big milestone in their life.”

“Very cool for our first Werchter experience as the end of that study period. We’ve been looking forward to it for a whole year, from the moment we bought our tickets. At 18 we can finally have our first festival. Big: We want you to go out into the wild for four days and that Enjoy every moment.”

Phoebe Debover (17) adds: “Who doesn’t feel like a party like this?” “It was like that yesterday gankduring the opening ceremony at the camping site The Hive.

The girls recount how they went through the Corona crisis mainly as a lack or postponement of the “first times”. “You usually go to your first party around 16, and that wasn’t possible. So in the coming days we’ll do our best, that’s for sure.”

Febe and Imke are hoping to catch Metallica tomorrow, although due to the coronavirus infection in the US group’s entourage Thursday afternoon, it remains unclear if they will close the main platform Friday night. “We actually came for them, so we’d be disappointed if they didn’t play after all. But fingers intertwinedAnd it will surely be a beautiful four days for us.”

Mary Huisintroit, 19, celebrates her 20th birthday on Saturday with her first rock-and-white Werchester. “I am very happy to finally be here, because I have already planned to come in 2020. Celebrating my birthday here will be unforgettable. Because during the Corona crisis, my friends and I meet regularly in small groups, but it is something completely different than going to parties or festivals together.”

Kobe Hermans (18) had to save his dash for three years: in 2019, he actually came to Rock Werchter for the first time, for a day. The plan was to experience the entire festival in 2020. But then came Aura. “Very annoying, because I really had a flair for going to a lot of concerts. But that hasn’t been possible for very long. Now it will be very fun, I’m sure.”