Rock Werchter 2025

[Karlos12345]

They key here also is perspective. The bigger acts from today are the smaller acts from yesterday. Bands we‘ve seen on festival headlines in the past have grown bigger and might play big headline shows instead now. If you‘ve grown up with those bands like us you might forget that they‘ve been smaller in the past. I bet there‘ve been people who have questioned bands like Muse, Coldplay, etc. when they got their first headline slot at festivals. You cannot have the same bands all the time headlining the same festivals.

 

Fender might be a stretch but objectively he is an act that is worth the risk and the push to the headline as he is constantly growing.

 

Different story for Kravitz, I also have no idea why they put hin in the headline! 😄

[Ohad]

1 minute ago, Karlos12345 said:

They key here also is perspective. The bigger acts from today are the smaller acts from yesterday. Bands we‘ve seen on festival headlines in the past have grown bigger and might play big headline shows instead now. If you‘ve grown up with those bands like us you might forget that they‘ve been smaller in the past. I bet there‘ve been people who have questioned bands like Muse, Coldplay, etc. when they got their first headline slot at festivals. You cannot have the same bands all the time headlining the same festivals.

 

Fender might be a stretch but objectively he is an act that is worth the risk and the push to the headline as he is constantly growing.

 

Different story for Kravitz, I also have no idea why they put hin in the headline! 😄

Agree, but I guess it's all about balance and context, isn't it? Booking 2 Fender-sized, younger headliners still leaves enough room (3-4 slots) for some more familiar headliners.

 

It feels like a bigger deal than it is just because right now Sam is 50% of the lineup 🙂

[northernangel]

21 hours ago, sisco said:

You were talking about… I said you were aiming far too high 😂.   I’m sure it’ll be great anyway

I agree, that doesn't change what my perspective basis was on attending though. 

[sisco]

Wonder what everyone’s getting to moan about next week.   3 more weeks till ticket sale so I’m guessing, 1 headliner next week, 1 headliner the week after and then a package of maybe 8-10 acts a few days before the sale starts 

[thetime]

58 minutes ago, sisco said:

Wonder what everyone’s getting to moan about next week.   

 

I've been going to festivals for over 30 years, I can't remember many when people haven't moaned about the lineups. 

 

That's what forums are all about. 😃

Edited November 2 by thetime

[Nikky]

Kravitz is r'n'r legend. Fender doesn't have 1% of his accomplishments/status. 

[Karlos12345]

53 minutes ago, Nikky said:

Kravitz is r'n'r legend. Fender doesn't have 1% of his accomplishments/status. 

Didn‘t want to say he isn‘t. But he is no headliner material for Werchter. But Fender has the potential.

[thetime]

59 minutes ago, Nikky said:

Kravitz is r'n'r legend. Fender doesn't have 1% of his accomplishments/status. 

 

Hopefully they follow the trend and book Bjork as headliner. 😃

[Codhead]

Fender probably has more hits at this early stage of his career than Lenny in total.

 

Edited November 2 by Codhead

[ParanoidTourist]

28 minutes ago, Codhead said:

Fender probably has more hits at this early stage of his career than Lenny in total.

 

I disagree. Kravitz has at least 5 singalong songs that people know in general whereas I can´t recall anything by Fender. Furthermore, Lenny has way more plays on Spotify than Fender in terms of commercial popularity. Then of course, Lenny is obviously past his prime.

Edited November 2 by ParanoidTourist

[thetime]

18 minutes ago, ParanoidTourist said:

Then of course, Lenny is obviously past his prime.

 

You could argue most of werchters traditional headliners are past there prime. Muse, RHCP, Metallica, foi fighters etc. 

 

 

[ParanoidTourist]

1 hour ago, thetime said:

 

You could argue most of werchters traditional headliners are past there prime. Muse, RHCP, Metallica, foi fighters etc. 

 

 

That's very true though I think many of them are still a better live band than their younger peers. 

[MrTobs]

1 hour ago, Codhead said:

Fender probably has more hits at this early stage of his career than Lenny in total.

 

That's a very british take I'd say. He doesn't have a single song that even got into the charts in my home country germany, only one Top 40 solo song in the UK aswell. Obviously that's not all to it, but if you'd ask people on the streets here if they know him, you'd get mostly "No's", while lots of people know Lenny Kravitz at least by name. 

He seems to be a bit bigger in belgium/netherlands compared to the rest of the world (except UK), but I'm still surprised he is headlining. I think it could still work well in a co-headline structure though and if his new album performs well.

[northernangel]

2 hours ago, Karlos12345 said:

Didn‘t want to say he isn‘t. But he is no headliner material for Werchter. But Fender has the potential.

 

Right now there is nothing to say Fender has potential there, 

It would be like the streets or tdcc headlining the Pyramid here.

2 hours ago, Codhead said:

Fender probably has more hits at this early stage of his career than Lenny in total.

 

 

Not a chance. 

1 hour ago, thetime said:

 

You could argue most of werchters traditional headliners are past there prime. Muse, RHCP, Metallica, foi fighters etc. 

 

 

 

It's not even an argument, but those bands produced better music than virtually all of the newer indie rocks bands. If they made good enough music then we wouldn't be stuck with the rotation of the TDCCs etc rotating around every couple of years that didn't make the top.

[johnybegood]

In Spain everybody know who is Lenny Kravitz but Sam Fender had 4 bands over him a couple of years ago at Mad Cool (Nathy Peluso, TDCC, Natos & Waor and Jack White). 99% of Spanish people cannot name a single SF song, I am sure about it. Let’s see if MC books him again.

[thetime]

5 minutes ago, johnybegood said:

In Spain everybody know who is Lenny Kravitz but Sam Fender had 4 bands over him a couple of years ago at Mad Cool (Nathy Peluso, TDCC, Natos & Waor and Jack White). 99% of Spanish people cannot name a single SF song, I am sure about it. Let’s see if MC books him again.

 

They might know who Lenny Kravitz is, but how many have listened to an album or know more than 3 songs. 

 

They both are not headliner worthy for Werchter. If it was the late 90s then maybe. 

[strudd3rs]

On 11/1/2024 at 5:02 PM, sisco said:

My last guess before we get too many more names

 

Thursday:

Linkin Park, Vampire Weekend,  Fontaines DC

 

Friday:

Green Day ,Fall Out Boy 

 

Saturday:

 

Sam Fender, Jack White 

 

Sunday:

 

Olivia Rodrigo, OATW

 

(of course the caveat as always is I may not have how popular these people are in Werchter)

Vampire weekend would be a poor opener for Linkin Park 😕

Is there anything to suggest FOB are about next year? Would love that!

[thetime]

1 hour ago, ParanoidTourist said:

That's very true though I think many of them are still a better live band than their younger peers. 

 

Has to be said RHCP are shite live, in my top 2 worse sets of all time.

[sisco]

19 minutes ago, strudd3rs said:

Vampire weekend would be a poor opener for Linkin Park 😕

Is there anything to suggest FOB are about next year? Would love that!

Been announced for a couple of Mexican/US fests earlier in the year 

[charlierc]

20 minutes ago, thetime said:

Has to be said RHCP are shite live, in my top 2 worse sets of all time.

I've not seen them before and I have no idea which is winning it - the fact that I like quite a few of their songs or the fact their reputation is so hit-and-miss, particularly given they charge top dollar for their headline sets and inexplicably have Can't Stop (their best song) as a rotation rather than a staple.

[ParanoidTourist]

25 minutes ago, thetime said:

 

Has to be said RHCP are shite live, in my top 2 worse sets of all time.

They were excellent last time around though=) 

[tmolvik]

7 hours ago, Karlos12345 said:

They key here also is perspective. The bigger acts from today are the smaller acts from yesterday. Bands we‘ve seen on festival headlines in the past have grown bigger and might play big headline shows instead now. If you‘ve grown up with those bands like us you might forget that they‘ve been smaller in the past. I bet there‘ve been people who have questioned bands like Muse, Coldplay, etc. when they got their first headline slot at festivals. You cannot have the same bands all the time headlining the same festivals.

 

Fender might be a stretch but objectively he is an act that is worth the risk and the push to the headline as he is constantly growing.

 

Different story for Kravitz, I also have no idea why they put hin in the headline! 😄

 

Everyone started somewhere, but the problem is that it's still the bands that started before 2000 that draw crowds. Those that started a few years ago will never be as big, and they will never last for the same amount of time. Therefore stadium bands and festivals are slowly dying out, because you'll soon not have the likes of Pearl Jam, Metallica, Springsteen, Stones, McCartney ++

I've given the challenge before, and I can do it again. Give me a band that started after 2000, that also will sell out festivals and/or stadiums, 30 years after. With the exception of Taylor Swift, I can't really think of anyone. If you draw the line 10 years laetr there are probably none (and by stadiums I don't mean the 25k ones). There are those that maybe have a 5 year peak or so after a decent album or two (like KOL), but none that lasts. And there won't be either, because of how the music industry works now. 

[thetime]

10 minutes ago, tmolvik said:

I've given the challenge before, and I can do it again. Give me a band that started after 2000, that also will sell out festivals and/or stadiums, 30 years after. With the exception of Taylor Swift, I can't really think of anyone. If you draw the line 10 years laetr there are probably none (and by stadiums I don't mean the 25k ones). There are those that maybe have a 5 year peak or so after a decent album or two (like KOL), but none that lasts. And there won't be either, because of how the music industry works now. 

 

Arctic Monkeys

Do Coldplay count? 

Edited November 2 by thetime

[charlierc]

50 minutes ago, johnybegood said:

In Spain everybody know who is Lenny Kravitz but Sam Fender had 4 bands over him a couple of years ago at Mad Cool (Nathy Peluso, TDCC, Natos & Waor and Jack White). 99% of Spanish people cannot name a single SF song, I am sure about it. Let’s see if MC books him again.

There's a lot of regional variations with these things tbf. Editors headlined Werchter and an arena concert in Antwerp at their peak in Belgium, while here in England they've always been about 2k theatre level at best.

[ParanoidTourist]

24 minutes ago, tmolvik said:

 

Everyone started somewhere, but the problem is that it's still the bands that started before 2000 that draw crowds. Those that started a few years ago will never be as big, and they will never last for the same amount of time. Therefore stadium bands and festivals are slowly dying out, because you'll soon not have the likes of Pearl Jam, Metallica, Springsteen, Stones, McCartney ++

I've given the challenge before, and I can do it again. Give me a band that started after 2000, that also will sell out festivals and/or stadiums, 30 years after. With the exception of Taylor Swift, I can't really think of anyone. If you draw the line 10 years laetr there are probably none (and by stadiums I don't mean the 25k ones). There are those that maybe have a 5 year peak or so after a decent album or two (like KOL), but none that lasts. And there won't be either, because of how the music industry works now. 

 

How about Arctic Monkeys, Jack White, The National, Arcade Fire, Eminem, System of a Down, Muse, Gorillaz etc.?