Rock Werchter 2024

[49Lawson]

Looking at the last two years of Werchter posters since the pandemic, regardless of the size of the bands they've put the top two on the main stage side by side regardless of their size. This leads me to think that they will be doing the same next year, so regardless of who is up there with Maneskin they'll be side by side I think.

All this talk of Blur, Pearl Jam, LCD and Depeche Mode has got my hopes far too high now haha.

[ParanoidTourist]

45 minutes ago, Ferda said:

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.

True, but they sold out in many other big venues last summer. And they still headlined 10 festivals. 

[ParanoidTourist]

42 minutes ago, SonicSleuth said:

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?

Exactly! I´d be very happy if any of those you mentioned showed up. 

[Floyd_Ams]

51 minutes ago, SonicSleuth said:

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?

8 minutes ago, ParanoidTourist said:

Exactly! I´d be very happy if any of those you mentioned showed up. 

While any of these bands being there would make me extremely happy, Depeche Mode don't really belong in that list. They 'd definitely be announced as headliners first and they do move a ton of tickets by themselves, especially since they are not touring that often. 

That's why I'd give 0% for them to play that day unfortunately.

[johnybegood]

1 hour ago, ParanoidTourist said:

True, but they sold out in many other big venues last summer. And they still headlined 10 festivals. 

And Blur is not so expensive now as it was 10 years ago...

[Festi46]

Do you think we could see Paramore as they’re supporting Taylor Swift on her eras tour playing in Amsterdam that weekend

[SonicSleuth]

1 hour ago, ParanoidTourist said:

Exactly! I´d be very happy if any of those you mentioned showed up. 

 

1 hour ago, Floyd_Ams said:

While any of these bands being there would make me extremely happy, Depeche Mode don't really belong in that list. They 'd definitely be announced as headliners first and they do move a ton of tickets by themselves, especially since they are not touring that often. 

That's why I'd give 0% for them to play that day unfortunately.

Perhaps, but they co-headlined a day at Mad Cool in 2018 with Queens of the Stone Age... and they haven't gotten any bigger, while Queens did. It's not saying they're chopped liver to co-headline a day at Rock Werchter, but they're not selling the tickets that Pearl Jam, Foos, or Dua might. I still love them, but they don't really come close to selling out basketball stadiums (14k-18k tickets usually) in the USA, for instance. And neither would Maneskin, while... PJ/Foos can stage shows with 3x that attendance with little trouble. 

Or maybe I'm just hoping! I'll throw Nine Inch Nails in the mix, since I'm dreaming, they played in the tent in 2018 and absolutely crushed. I don't think they'll be touring, though.

[49Lawson]

6 hours ago, Ferda said:

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.

One potential counterpoint I would say on this, I was having a look at Flow Festival’s line up and as someone who was shopping around other festivals last year to try and make a trip out of seeing Blur before ultimately settling on Newcastle City Hall when they announced that, Flow would not have pulled me in as the rest of the line up didn’t really click with booking Blur if that makes sense?

Think it just supports a point myself and a few others have made over the years, festivals like Glastonbury and Primavera get away with massively diverse line ups for one reason or another, but the fact that a lot of festivals have tried to appeal to so many people they’ve ended up effectively reducing their ticket sales because people could look at it and go “oh wow, I could go here and see Blur + all these artists” and instead go “hmmm, I like Blur but I don’t care about afrobeats or trip hop so I’m out”

*obviously I have nothing against those genres, just two things that jumped into me head which helped me try and say what I was trying to say 

[Floyd_Ams]

4 hours ago, SonicSleuth said:

Perhaps, but they co-headlined a day at Mad Cool in 2018 with Queens of the Stone Age... and they haven't gotten any bigger, while Queens did. It's not saying they're chopped liver to co-headline a day at Rock Werchter, but they're not selling the tickets that Pearl Jam, Foos, or Dua might. I still love them, but they don't really come close to selling out basketball stadiums (14k-18k tickets usually) in the USA, for instance. And neither would Maneskin, while... PJ/Foos can stage shows with 3x that attendance with little trouble. 

Or maybe I'm just hoping! I'll throw Nine Inch Nails in the mix, since I'm dreaming, they played in the tent in 2018 and absolutely crushed. I don't think they'll be touring, though.

I don't know how popular DM are in US tbh but in Europe they are selling out those basketball stadium size venues within minutes throughout their entire '23/'24 tour. And with multiple dates in most cities due to the high demand. 

All I'm saying is that there is no way that RW has Depeche Mode booked for the first time in 10 years and decides to announce Maneskin first as the headliners of that day. 

NIN are taking a long break from touring unfortunately as Trent is not interested in doing it anymore. Hopefully he'll change his mind in the future before they get too old.

[polnico]

Apparently The Streets should play two shows in Amsterdam at the beginning of July (2 and 3). Feel like a shoe-in for Werchter, especially after the 2022 cancellation.

[Ferda]

9 hours ago, 49Lawson said:

One potential counterpoint I would say on this, I was having a look at Flow Festival’s line up and as someone who was shopping around other festivals last year to try and make a trip out of seeing Blur before ultimately settling on Newcastle City Hall when they announced that, Flow would not have pulled me in as the rest of the line up didn’t really click with booking Blur if that makes sense?

Think it just supports a point myself and a few others have made over the years, festivals like Glastonbury and Primavera get away with massively diverse line ups for one reason or another, but the fact that a lot of festivals have tried to appeal to so many people they’ve ended up effectively reducing their ticket sales because people could look at it and go “oh wow, I could go here and see Blur + all these artists” and instead go “hmmm, I like Blur but I don’t care about afrobeats or trip hop so I’m out”

*obviously I have nothing against those genres, just two things that jumped into me head which helped me try and say what I was trying to say 

Very valid and interesting point. I guess some festivals got trapped in the middle, trying to appeal to too many audiences, reducing their appeal in the end. To be fair, it seems to be affecting 'old' festivals who try to attract younger people but still book traditional/rock headliners to top the bill 

With Flow, I ended up there for Blur day as this was the only date of their 23 run which suited me. It was ok day, as I managed to catch Caroline Polatchek, High Vis and Sudan Archives, but fully got your point. Blur was the only reason for me coming there, and them not playing at Werchter made me skip 23 😀 I would be very happy with them playing 24 but I doubt it

[tmolvik]

On 11/15/2023 at 8:03 AM, Mondo-kun said:

RIP

Me and my pillow are still trying to process this, but are still unable too. I've said a long time that festivals this size will slowly die, expecting smaller and more genre based festivals taking over within the next 10 year period, but now it seems it might be happening quicker than I anticipated. Not just because of Dua Lipa/Måneskin, but a previous poster had a good point in stating that the lack of headliners means promoter needs to spread them out more, making most festivals weaker and it harder to find a stellar line up. That will again slowly kill the bigger and most expensive ones as people lose their trust in them coming up with great line-ups. 

RW has probably done a smart thing, putting them in on Friday/Saturday which will probably sell out anyway, but I will be really eager to see the amount of people turning up for these concerts. I don't mind fresher acts to take over, if they manage to pack the field and sell out, good on them, but I'm amazed if these will. It would have been interesting to see a Thursday based on Måneskin headlining. I've always said that I don't care much about the headliners and I still don't, as it means I can head home earlier, but they are still the ones inflating the ticket cost. So if the undercards becomes the main event, there will be many opportunities to see them at other festivals at a much lower price. 

Anyway, I'm in my grumpy mid 40's, so even though I see myself with many years of festival life still left in me, maybe I'm not in RW's target audience anymore. In that case it will be interesting to see the revenue flow on those festivals when the crowd becomes much younger. That has at least killed a few festivals in my home country as they don't spend as much on-site. I guess the next headliner and the first undercards will show. If there's one thing we know it is that the wind has a tendency to change it's direction quickly 😉 

[Nicklord]

I get it's not everyone's cup of tea (I don't love love Dua Lipa and Maneskin either, I'm waiting for the rest) but Maneskin sold out their arena tour so fast, they could've probably add one or two more arena dates everywhere.

Dua Lipa sold out 2 arenas in Belgium as well (42k people) last year and she only got bigger since then. She's also probably the most "rock" oriented pop star since Pink and Werchter loved Pink.

[VCF]

Yeah the field will be packed for both, I have literally zero doubts about that.

I mean look at that Maneskin crowd at 4 pm in 2022.

[Hammerfest]

The field will be packed for both but curious to see the risk of an increase in demand for day tickets at the loss of combi ticket demand.  Will Dua Lipa/Maneskin fans want to attend days for Foo Fighters/Pearl Jam, and vice versa.  Also festivals have to keep their core customers in mind - these booking will surely bring new fans to the park, but will they carry over to coming in future years regardless of these pop-ier headliners being booked? Curious things to consider...

[SonicSleuth]

11 minutes ago, Nicklord said:

I get it's not everyone's cup of tea (I don't love love Dua Lipa and Maneskin either, I'm waiting for the rest) but Maneskin sold out their arena tour so fast, they could've probably add one or two more arena dates everywhere.

Dua Lipa sold out 2 arenas in Belgium as well (42k people) last year and she only got bigger since then. She's also probably the most "rock" oriented pop star since Pink and Werchter loved Pink.

The only downside of Dua is spending the money and slot on her instead of someone others might have personally wanted. Her music is pretty engaging, it doesn't sound like someone moaning over an EDM track like a lot of pop music does, she's hot (as in very popular, she has lots of hits and is in several big films as well now) and also hot (as in everybody likes to look at her while she's singing, or acting, or waiting for a bus), and she has an interest in putting on a show that will convert us rock dorks into huge fans. 

In the grand scheme of things, as an American rock and roll person, if we still get PJ on Thursday and another subheadliner on the Maneskin/Dua days that engage the rock nature of the festival, I'll be super happy. Maneskin was entertaining in 2022, Dua was the same at Mad Cool in 2018. We can have nice things.

Just, Rock Werchter, stay away from mush-mouther Lil Wayne rapper types if you can. It's really tough to relate to that. Everybody likes a Rihanna or Pink when they walk onto the stage, though, it's just balancing out losing that million dollars that could have been Radiohead instead.

[tmolvik]

1 hour ago, VCF said:

Yeah the field will be packed for both, I have literally zero doubts about that.

I mean look at that Maneskin crowd at 4 pm in 2022.

I'll come over with a beer when you're standing there alone 😉

[NorthernSoul52]

9 hours ago, Nicklord said:

Dua Lipa sold out 2 arenas in Belgium as well (42k people) last year and she only got bigger since then. She's also probably the most "rock" oriented pop star since Pink and Werchter loved Pink.

I'd argue Olivia Rodrigo, but still very much an in-line point. There's crossover appeal to be had.

Pink has always had a great rock voice about her. Could properly go mid-era Pat Benetar on her next record and smash it.

[ParanoidTourist]

1 hour ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

I'd argue Olivia Rodrigo, but still very much an in-line point. There's crossover appeal to be had.

Pink has always had a great rock voice about her. Could properly go mid-era Pat Benetar on her next record and smash it.

I agree! Olivia Rodrigo actually have a few dirty rock tracks up her sleeve. 

[NorthernSoul52]

14 minutes ago, ParanoidTourist said:

I agree! Olivia Rodrigo actually have a few dirty rock tracks up her sleeve. 

I know she drew plaudits for her last run, but I'd be delighted if she eschewed the traditional high-tech razzle-dazzle of a pop show - dancers, costume changes, interludes and the like - and just hit the stage with a crack band and went for it.

As soon as Taylor Swift twigs she can charge the same prices and simply play the music in a back-to-basics approach on a much cheaper budget, she'll be absolutely coining it in.

[VolkIreland]

15 hours ago, tmolvik said:

Me and my pillow are still trying to process this, but are still unable too. I've said a long time that festivals this size will slowly die, expecting smaller and more genre based festivals taking over within the next 10 year period, but now it seems it might be happening quicker than I anticipated. Not just because of Dua Lipa/Måneskin, but a previous poster had a good point in stating that the lack of headliners means promoter needs to spread them out more, making most festivals weaker and it harder to find a stellar line up. That will again slowly kill the bigger and most expensive ones as people lose their trust in them coming up with great line-ups. 

RW has probably done a smart thing, putting them in on Friday/Saturday which will probably sell out anyway, but I will be really eager to see the amount of people turning up for these concerts. I don't mind fresher acts to take over, if they manage to pack the field and sell out, good on them, but I'm amazed if these will. It would have been interesting to see a Thursday based on Måneskin headlining. I've always said that I don't care much about the headliners and I still don't, as it means I can head home earlier, but they are still the ones inflating the ticket cost. So if the undercards becomes the main event, there will be many opportunities to see them at other festivals at a much lower price. 

Anyway, I'm in my grumpy mid 40's, so even though I see myself with many years of festival life still left in me, maybe I'm not in RW's target audience anymore. In that case it will be interesting to see the revenue flow on those festivals when the crowd becomes much younger. That has at least killed a few festivals in my home country as they don't spend as much on-site. I guess the next headliner and the first undercards will show. If there's one thing we know it is that the wind has a tendency to change it's direction quickly 😉 

Well, that's a bit of a grim outlook. Happy Friday, at least!(?)

[willsmith700]

Morning Festival Hive-Mind.

I have a quick query regarding Rock Werchter. In short, I wondered how this compares to Pinkpop! I'm 70% sure I'll be going to Pinkpop again, as it is a festival that ticks all the boxes, and is impossible to have a bad time regardless of who plays haha! No long queues, beer available with no waiting, easy access, fun and safe camping, great atmosphere, value for money, no rubbish or litter and no troublemakers, great mix of artists / sound quality / production, and generally a festival which feels so easy going. Hence why we return. 

That said, I have always been curious about Werchter and wondered how the things I love about Pinkpop compare? 😄 I'm semi-tempted to take the dive this year (Graspop also on my radar). 

Appreciate peoples thoughts! Sell Werchter to me :D!!!!

[NorthernSoul52]

45 minutes ago, VolkIreland said:

Well, that's a bit of a grim outlook. Happy Friday, at least!(?)

I think festivals this size can survive, but there will undoubtedly be changes. It's going to be a shift in the landscape, that's for certain.

[Daniel Ferreira]

31 minutes ago, willsmith700 said:

Morning Festival Hive-Mind.

I have a quick query regarding Rock Werchter. In short, I wondered how this compares to Pinkpop! I'm 70% sure I'll be going to Pinkpop again, as it is a festival that ticks all the boxes, and is impossible to have a bad time regardless of who plays haha! No long queues, beer available with no waiting, easy access, fun and safe camping, great atmosphere, value for money, no rubbish or litter and no troublemakers, great mix of artists / sound quality / production, and generally a festival which feels so easy going. Hence why we return. 

That said, I have always been curious about Werchter and wondered how the things I love about Pinkpop compare? 😄 I'm semi-tempted to take the dive this year (Graspop also on my radar). 

Appreciate peoples thoughts! Sell Werchter to me :D!!!!

When I went to RW there was no queue for beers. 

Festivals here in Portugal and what to expect for Beer. But they are also cheaper than other festivals in Europe.

[willsmith700]

Just now, Daniel Ferreira said:

When I went to RW there was no queue for beers. 

Festivals here in Portugal and what to expect for Beer. But they are also cheaper than other festivals in Europe.

Yeah, it seems a pedantic point on the beer, but Download, Slamdunk and many British festivals you now spend more time waiting for beer than you do drinking it 🤣