Rock Werchter 2024

[Kaboom Boxer]

I guess every headliner band wasn’t a headliner band at some stage. There needs to be a point in time where they make that step up. Until they’re given the chance how do we know if bands are capable of headlining. We can’t just have the same names that were huge 20 years ago recycled forever in a perpetual cycle. 

[Ferda]

Excellent headliners for my tastes so far. It's great to get a fresh set of headliner, as repetition made me skip last year.

Can't wait to 24!

[activean]

It is not easy for rock festivals like Wercher, you either book good old rock name that has headlined 5 times already and fans will call it lazy booking or you improvise with someone new to make it fresh and people will call it weak or not rock. 

[polnico]

Mixed feelings about this, definitely not my cup of tea as headliners, but yeah it's nice to see "fresh names" at the top. Hoping for some nice alternative in the Barn during Maneskin (hello The Smile or LCD), but I also hope this day sells well and encourages them to keep going for newer names.

[ParanoidTourist]

I also have mixed feelings about the announcements so far (except for Foo Fighters). On one hand, they are "newer" acts but being new doesn´t necessary mean better. For example, Foo Fighters and say, Queens of the stone age play tighter musically than Måneskin does despite the age difference. Having said that, I am sure the undercards will be great enough to please everyone.

 

Obviously, all is forgiven if Werchter gives us Paul McCartney, The Smile or Blur;)  

Edited November 15, 2023 by ParanoidTourist

[birchtree29]

Maneskin was not even a headliner in Primavera last year which usually have more "new" headliners compared to Rock Werchter

[Nicklord]

4 minutes ago, birchtree29 said:

Maneskin was not even a headliner in Primavera last year which usually have more "new" headliners compared to Rock Werchter

They weren't headliners anywhere this year. They sold a ton of tickets, pretty much all arenas and even some outdoor places in hours/days and festivals are trying them out now

Edited November 15, 2023 by Nicklord

[Floyd_Ams]

Fingers crossed for great Barn headliners because so far 2/3 of the ones on the main stage are really not my thing!

I'm all up for making space for new and fresh bands it's just that I had higher expectations than Maneskin who I really don't think are headlining material for a festival like RW yet (their manager will become the "most wanted" one in the business - they are everywhere). I was obviously wrong to think that...

I'm hoping for a group of names soon to get excited again!

[just_one]

so Pearl Jam is Jul 4 then

[Name taken]

11 minutes ago, just_one said:

so Pearl Jam is Jul 4 then

Great day for an american band like Pearl Jam

[Kaboom Boxer]

Interestingly their e-mail newsletter doesn't have them listed as a headliner:

Quote

On Friday, July 5, the eccentric Italian group Måneskin will rock the Festivalpark with their exuberant guitar music. Their latest album, 'RUSH!', has soared to the top in 15 countries, securing the #1 spot on the US Billboard Alternative Albums chart. The album has just been re-released with five new tracks, including the hit single "Honey (Are U Coming?)". Don't miss the Måneskin experience! 

 

Both Foo Fighters and Dua Lipa are specifically referenced in the same e-mail as headliners:

Quote

Just a week ago, we announced Foo Fighters as the first headliner for Rock Werchter 2024.

Quote

On Saturday, July 6, Dua Lipa takes the spotlight as the headliner at #RW24! Having recently released "Houdini", the single has been overloaded with rave reviews. Rolling Stone hails it as euphoric, while Billboard describes it as just magical. This track marks the beginning of a new chapter in her career following the 2020 blockbuster 'Future Nostalgia'. To our great delight, that new chapter includes a passage at the Festivalpark in Werchter. 

 

 

Adds some credence to the co-headliner theory!

Edited November 15, 2023 by Kaboom Boxer

[Floyd_Ams]

5 minutes ago, Kaboom Boxer said:

Interestingly their e-mail newsletter doesn't have them listed as a headliner:

 

Both Foo Fighters and Dua Lipa are specifically referenced in the same e-mail as headliners:

 

Adds some credence to the co-headliner theory!

I wouldn't read too much into that, it's clearly stated on their website:

But yeah...they absolutely need a strong co-headliner!

 

 

[Archi]

I confirms we gonna have a strong co-headliners that day. Could be Queens Of The Stone Age?

[ParanoidTourist]

21 minutes ago, Archi said:

I confirms we gonna have a strong co-headliners that day. Could be Queens Of The Stone Age?

QOTSA would be a very fitting co-headliner to Måneskin, I think. I still haven´t ruled out Blur as a co-headliner either, but it might be wishful thinking. 

[49Lawson]

I still think with the reports earlier on that Pearl Jam might be playing Friday could be right. Would really help Maneskin be elevated a bit if they're on the same line as PJ, no one is going to be too bothered about Maneskin taking a high slot if they have a certified headliner alongside them either, and in 2022 and 2023 the poster had the top two acts of each day on the same line (with Pearl Jam and The War On Drugs occupying the Thursday on 2022).

[Floyd_Ams]

I really hope that you guys are right and that we'll get someone like PJ, QOTSA or Blur to co-headline with Maneskin (any of the three would be "my" headliner for the night).

But if that were the case I find it hard to believe that they would choose to announce Maneskin first and separately as headliners for the day. Especially if PJ are next to them (Blur would have a higher chance).

My expectation is that PJ will headline on Thursday and that we'll see a band of the size of Ghost co-headlining with Maneskin. 

[Kaboom Boxer]

12 minutes ago, Floyd_Ams said:

But if that were the case I find it hard to believe that they would choose to announce Maneskin first and separately as headliners for the day. Especially if PJ are next to them

Perhaps they thought that announcing Maneskin first would give the band the boost and make them look more big time in order to justify the spot.

[VCF]

Blur are not that unlikely, are they?

No dates yet but Beauregard Festival organisers said that the band would be on the road in 2024 and they were already trying to get them back after their late cancellation this year.

https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/culture-loisirs/festival-beauregard-record-battu-en-2023-blur-espere-en-2024-9957711

Beauregard is the same weekend as Werchter.

They got two headliners announced. Bring me the Horizon on Thursday and LCD Soundsystem on Saturday.

Werchter gets Blur on the Friday in a combo with Maneskin. Beauregard gets them on Sunday to close their festival. And we are all happy.

Also they played Lokerse last year and if they were to play again in Belgium this summer I don’t see them playing Live is Live.

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by VCF

[Nicklord]

I think people were saying Blur's show in Belgium this year didn't even sell out (or sold out very late) and it's a 12k capacity or something

[ParanoidTourist]

9 minutes ago, Nicklord said:

I think people were saying Blur's show in Belgium this year didn't even sell out (or sold out very late) and it's a 12k capacity or something

Fair enough but Blur are far more popular outside Belgium (they played Wembley twice last year). Given that Rock Werchter has many foreign visitors I think they would fare very well as a co-headliner. In any case, they are a fantastic live band. 

[Ferda]

4 minutes ago, ParanoidTourist said:

Fair enough but Blur are far more popular outside Belgium (they played Wembley twice last year). Given that Rock Werchter has many foreign visitors I think they would fare very well as a co-headliner. In any case, they are a fantastic live band. 

Blur day wasn't sold out at Flow festival either, while Lorde managed it for her day. As much as I love Blur, their commercial appeal is decreasing I am afraid. My only hope is that Dua and FF are strong enough pull by themselves.

[IBCanon]

What percentage you give to this bands/artist for playing this 2024?

Imagine Dragons

Avril Lavigne

GreenDay

The Offspring

Blink 182

Anne Marie

Pearl Jam

The Killers

Limp Bizkit 

Artic Monkeys

Turnstile 

Sam Fender

[SonicSleuth]

2 hours ago, Kaboom Boxer said:

Interestingly their e-mail newsletter doesn't have them listed as a headliner:

 

Both Foo Fighters and Dua Lipa are specifically referenced in the same e-mail as headliners:

 

Adds some credence to the co-headliner theory!

Good point! Maybe a QotSA or The Smile or Blur or Depeche Mode type... something that doesn't necessarily sell a ton of tickets but generally everybody likes and respects?

[49Lawson]

18 minutes ago, IBCanon said:

What percentage you give to this bands/artist for playing this 2024?

Imagine Dragons

GreenDay

Blink 182

Arctic Monkeys

I have absolutely no inside knowledge whatsoever but for various reasons (already on tour that weekend, not on tour at all next year, or all dates announced already) I would say these ones are at around 0% or as close as possible to that

[Floyd_Ams]

15 minutes ago, IBCanon said:

What percentage you give to this bands/artist for playing this 2024?

Imagine Dragons

Avril Lavigne

GreenDay

The Offspring

Blink 182

Anne Marie

Pearl Jam

The Killers

Limp Bizkit 

Artic Monkeys

Turnstile 

Sam Fender

90% for Pearl Jam and 0% for Imagine Dragons, Green Day, Blink-182 and Arctic Monkeys.

For the rest, it's anyone's guess but I hope Avril Lavigne and Sam Fender will stay away.