Rock Werchter 2024

[SonicSleuth]

7 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

There will be another stadium rock act in the next five years. Even with the shift in genre appreciation, the love for the communal power of rock music on that level will survive.

It just may not be someone completely new. It was only ln the last two years that The Killers and Arctic Monkeys made the step-up to full stadium runs.

I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Huh?

Arctic Monkeys became a stadium act and headliner on the basis of AM, which came out a decade ago, spawned six radio releases, won a ton of awards and went platinum. In fact, they headlined their night at Werchter five years ago... and so did The Killers. Who have been headlining festivals since long before then. In face, The Killers were a festival headliner and stadium act in 2013, when Arctic Monkeys made it big with AM.

[tmolvik]

1 hour ago, Kaboom Boxer said:

There are a bunch of artists aged between 20 and 40 that are big enough to headline. 

1. The 1975
2. Drake
3. Lana Del Rey
4. Fred Again
5. Beyoncé
6. Rihanna
7. Kings of Leon
8. Imagine Dragons
9. Bad Bunny
10. Bruno Mars
11. Paramore
12. Vampire Weekend
13. The Weeknd
14. Travis Scott
15. BTS
16. Harry Styles
17. Frank Ocean
18. Olivia Rodrigo 
19. Post Malone
20. Lady Gaga
21. Billie Eilish
22. Kendrick Lamar

The closest ones to headline alone are maybe Billie Eilish, Drake and Kendrick, but the latter one was planned during Covid and had the weakest selling day. A few of them are over 40, like KoL and Beyonce and most are third ones down at the most. That doesn't mean that a festival won't try to pull something, but they should not be considered to headline anything at a festival of RW's size in a normal year (which might have to be a past-tense soon).

[NorthernSoul52]

51 minutes ago, SonicSleuth said:

Huh?

Arctic Monkeys became a stadium act and headliner on the basis of AM, which came out a decade ago, spawned six radio releases, won a ton of awards and went platinum. In fact, they headlined their night at Werchter five years ago... and so did The Killers. Who have been headlining festivals since long before then. In face, The Killers were a festival headliner and stadium act in 2013, when Arctic Monkeys made it big with AM.

Full stadium runs. Doesn't matter that they were festival headliners already. My point is that it was only with the tours behind The Car and Imploding the Mirage began playing stadiums en-masse.

Finsbury Park one-offs? A lone gig at Wembley Stadium? Naturally, crowning achievements. But it has only been in the last few years both have become "full" stadium acts, regardless of their status as a massive draw. (And yes, AM probably could have tackled stadiums around 2014 if they had chosen to.)

Now that they've headlined Old Trafford twice, would we consider Courteeners a "full" stadium act? I think not.

[SonicSleuth]

8 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Full stadium runs. Doesn't matter that they were festival headliners already. My point is that it was only with the tours behind The Car and Imploding the Mirage began playing stadiums en-masse.

Finsbury Park one-offs? A lone gig at Wembley Stadium? Naturally, crowning achievements. But it has only been in the last few years both have become "full" stadium acts, regardless of their status as a massive draw. (And yes, AM probably could have tackled stadiums around 2014 if they had chosen to.)

Now that they've headlined Old Trafford twice, would we consider Courteeners a "full" stadium act? I think not.

I think perhaps you're limiting your worldview WAY too much if that's what you're considering, but even then, you're wildly, outrageously off if you think these bands achieved that status in the last two years. 

[NorthernSoul52]

1 hour ago, SonicSleuth said:

I think perhaps you're limiting your worldview WAY too much if that's what you're considering, but even then, you're wildly, outrageously off if you think these bands achieved that status in the last two years. 

I'm being literal with the words I myself used and which you reacted to, that's all.

My contextual point is that there may well be bands who have been plenty big in the past ten years who emerge to become full stadium bands, not necessarily festival headliners.

Case in point; Fall Out Boy across the United Kingdom. I don't think it will happen, but they could feasibly move into stadiums in the next four to five years. They're already festival headliners, but they are merely just an arena act right now.

Anyway, we're getting wildly off-topic.

[Kaboom Boxer]

10 hours ago, tmolvik said:

The closest ones to headline alone are maybe Billie Eilish, Drake and Kendrick, but the latter one was planned during Covid and had the weakest selling day. A few of them are over 40, like KoL and Beyonce and most are third ones down at the most. That doesn't mean that a festival won't try to pull something, but they should not be considered to headline anything at a festival of RW's size in a normal year (which might have to be a past-tense soon).

Beyoncé I’ll give you as over 40, that’s fair enough. KoL is a 50/50 split between members over 40 and members under 40 so fair enough I think. The rest are all under 40. 

The Weeknd, Gaga, Swift, Styles, Rodrigo, BTS and Rihanna are all comfortably big enough to headline along with Drake, Eilish and Kendrick like you said. I think the others could easily co-headline too. 

Edited November 19, 2023 by Kaboom Boxer

[sisco]

Do we think there’ll be something tomoz as Primivera is Tuesday isn’t it?

[NorthernSoul52]

It'd be nice to think so.

[matrainertje]

17 hours ago, sisco said:

Do we think there’ll be something tomoz as Primivera is Tuesday isn’t it?

Hoping the Thursday name is something they share with Primavera.

[Floyd_Ams]

1 hour ago, matrainertje said:

Hoping the Thursday name is something they share with Primavera.

Are Pearl Jam expected at Primavera then? 😉

Btw...Two years ago, during the PJ performance, Eddie came on stage with a Black Pumas t-shirt and said how big of a fan he is. With a new album out, I expect them to be there this year too.

And let's add Parkway Drive as very probable too since they won't be at Graspop as it seems. 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Floyd_Ams

[PintoMcGuinness]

1 hour ago, Floyd_Ams said:

Btw...Two years ago, during the PJ performance, Eddie came on stage with a Black Pumas t-shirt and said how big of a fan he is. With a new album out, I expect them to be there this year too.

Black Pumas were annouced this morning for Nos Alive so they are around at the right time.

[NorthernSoul52]

Aye, that Nos Alive confirmation looks like it could be useful.

Parkway Drive? That'd be a good shout.

[sisco]

What festivals does Rock Wercher normally share acts with? 

[Floyd_Ams]

3 hours ago, sisco said:

What festivals does Rock Wercher normally share acts with? 

Pinkpop and Mad Cool are two festivals that usually have a few names in common with RW.

[sisco]

3 minutes ago, Floyd_Ams said:

Pinkpop and Mad Cool are two festivals that usually have a few names in common with RW.

Someone has just said the Mad Cool headers are Dua, Foos, Pearl Jam and Billie Eilish… so that makes sense considering 3 are expected at RW too

[Floyd_Ams]

35 minutes ago, sisco said:

Someone has just said the Mad Cool headers are Dua, Foos, Pearl Jam and Billie Eilish… so that makes sense considering 3 are expected at RW too

Yep! They'll probably share a considerable part of the undercard too.

[NorthernSoul52]

Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam for the dads-and-lads crowd.

Make it so.

[ParanoidTourist]

Some nice names from Prima Vera that I would like to see at Werchter: 

Lana Del Rey, Pulp, Phoenix, PJ Harvey and Beth Gibbons, 

[sisco]

4 minutes ago, ParanoidTourist said:

Some nice names from Prima Vera that I would like to see at Werchter: 

Lana Del Rey, Pulp, Phoenix, PJ Harvey and Beth Gibbons, 

Did they share many big acts last year? 

[ParanoidTourist]

15 minutes ago, sisco said:

Did they share many big acts last year? 

Some but definitely not all. 

[sisco]

4 minutes ago, ParanoidTourist said:

Some but definitely not all. 

Just looked, Fred, Rosalia as barn headers was pretty much it I think

[Floyd_Ams]

1 hour ago, ParanoidTourist said:

Some nice names from Prima Vera that I would like to see at Werchter: 

Lana Del Rey, Pulp, Phoenix, PJ Harvey and Beth Gibbons, 

I would add: Deftones, Chelsea Wolfe, Brutus, Disclosure (were there in '22 though).

[sisco]

I’d like Vampire Weekend and Lana from that announcement but won’t hold out too much hope.  Hoping there’s a few more names coming soon 

[polnico]

Probably already mentionned in here earlier, but listening back to Overmono's set from Boiler Room WHP (they played the same at AB), this is really a shoe-in for a late Klub-C act, a la Blaze 2019. Too small for The Barn for now, but they will defo turn the tent into a big party. Opposite Maneskin would be nice (for me at least!)

[NorthernSoul52]

I reckon there could be some very robust crossover here. We'll find out soon enough.