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Wacken Open Air (20th Aniversary), July 30th - August 1st 2009 Review & Photos By Dar Larizadeh (of Reign of Avarice) Click here for more of Dar's Wacken 2009 pix at FaceBoook Day 0 I stepped off the Ryannair jet in Bremen, Germany knowing full-well that even though I began my day in the beautiful seaside town of Sopot, Poland -- I still had quite a journey ahead of me; a lone American in a foreign land, trying his hardest to make it to the metal holy land that is known as Wacken.  Initially my plan was to meet up with some friends in Bremen or Hamburg and drive to the festival, but at the last minute, plans were changed -- and I had to do it on my own.  The "Metal Bus" which went straight to the festival from the airport was nowhere to be seen.  That would have been too easy.  Luckily, I bumped into two other wayward metalheads from Italy who were nearly as clueless as I was.  So we teamed up, an Italian couple who spoke no English and an American who spoke no Italian -- not one of us speaking a lick of German. We shared a taxi to the main Bremen train station and bought our tickets to Hamburg Altona, but decided as a group to board the wrong train.  At the very last minute we began seeing other metalheads board another train across the platform and quickly grabbed our bags and hauled ass to the other train.  The best part of the hour long trip was chatting with my new Italian friends about all things metal and feeding on each other's anticipation of the days to come.  Upon arriving at our destination, a rift occurred within the group; the Italian faction wanted to take the subway to a record store where another Metal Bus was supposed to be, and I wanted to catch the train to Itzehoe.  After some serious consideration, we decided to part ways.  I was sad to see them go, and never saw them again -- but I am sure that they made it to Wacken, and even more sure that they had an amazing time like me. I was on my own again, but confident that I was on the right path.  The train to Itzehoe began filling up with more and more metal heads at each successive stop on the way.  We finally made it to Itzehoe at around 6pm.  Wacken signs were scattered all over the place; I was getting close.  I secured a seat on the next shuttle to the city of Wacken.  The van winded its way on back country roads for half-hour.  Nothing but farmland as far as the eye could see.  We finally arrived at around 7pm.  I dragged my ridiculously heavy suitcase for about a mile and collapsed in front of the main merch booth in the town.   I called my friends and told them where I was.  It took them almost an hour to get to me from the campsite which meant that it would take at least that long to get back.  Suitcases don't roll well in the mud -- I know that now, and I know to not pack so much next time.  By the time we reached the campsite I was delirious from exhaustion and yet my second wind was upon me in no time.  A hop, skip, taxi ride, plane ride, another taxi ride, two train rides, a shuttle ride, and a 2-mile hike -- and I was finally there.   My friends had already pitched a tent for me -- albeit a tiny sarcophagus type structure.  They had several hours of partying behind them which meant I had to play catch-up; that's what Jaeger and Whisky is for.  It was a surreal scene, tens of thousands of tents spread out in every which way; everyone partying, having a great time -- with virtually no security or police in sight, and no drama or fighting among the festival goers.  By around midnight, I was ready to crash.  Minutes after squeezing into my tent it began to rain -- which it did on and off throughout the night.  But I didn't care.  I was at the 20th Anniversary of Wacken! Day 1 The next morning I was supremely glad that I decided to bring my own (bigger) tent, which was promptly set up with the help of my friends.  We all enjoyed a "Finnish breakfast" -- a hearty meal consisting of a beer followed by a heaping portion of beer.  Then three of us went on what seemed like a never ending journey to find the ever elusive all area access pass for our friend (Kasperi from Amberian Dawn).  We literally walked for hours trying to find the right place, picking up people along the way who were searching for their own passes.  At long last we found the spot, got the pass and returned to our campsite to rest a bit before heading into the festival area.  Entering through the Metal Market was quite the thrill -- a terrifically huge area peppered with store after store peddling clothing and all manner of other related merchandise from sex toys to Viking collectibles -- and probably even collectible Viking sex toys.  We didn't stop to look around much, but we would return soon enough.  Once through the market we passed the outdoor metal movie theatre which played various clips from old Wacken shows and at night would play features like Iron Maiden's Flight 666.  Beyond that was the main entrance/security area; having just been to a metal festival in L.A., I was surprised at how lax the security measures were there and yet everyone, all 80,000 plus people, seemed to be able to keep their cool. We caught the very tail end of D-A-D at the Party Stage and decided to get some food and drinks.  One didn't have to go far for either.  A great selection of food was available including steak sandwiches, currywurst, doner kebabs, pizza, pasta, you name it - and pretty reasonable (all under 5 Euros).  Plenty of Jaeger and beer stands all over the place; Beck's beer vendors would even weave their way through the crowd selling beer out of the pony keg on their back.  And if one was truly lucky, he or she would be among the hundred or so people that were chosen to go up in the floating Jaegermeister Bar which was held in place about 150 feet above the ground by a massive crane.  The view overlooking the festival would have been spectacular. The legendary German pirate metal band Running Wild had announced months prior to the festival that their Wacken show would be their very last.  And they did not let the huge crowd down.  To be honest, I had never heard of them before, but I was anxious to see their show.  My 2 friends and I were right up front for most of the show - which featured little pirate battles on stage.  The highlight of their set was "Jolly Roger" - which I even began singing by the second chorus, and of course watching them say goodbye for the final time in their storied career was something I was glad to witness firsthand.   By that time my two friends decided to go back to camp, but I wanted to experience and see as much music as I could so I stuck around -- and good thing I did because Heaven and Hell took the stage soon after.  Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice -- 'nuff said.  These seasoned pros brought their brand of metal to the masses at Wacken -- and we were grateful.  Highlights of their set were Heaven and Hell and Vinny Appice's drum solo.  At the end of the show a mass exodus to the camp grounds was underway.  It was amazing watching how music brings people together from all walks of life; one could hear a different language every few steps.  In fact, I don't think I encountered a single American at all -- but people were sure blown away when they found out I came from Hollywood. Day 2 More Finnish breakfast, but on this day we also decided to indulge in a Metal Breakfast which was offered at various locations around the campgrounds.  Piping hot coffee, eggs, and toast was a great way to start off our long day.  We finally hit the festival area in time to catch the end of Gamma Ray's set.   Our friend Kasperi was excited to see them since he had played with them for a brief stint on their Majestic tour in 2006.  After their set we walked through the Metal Market again looking at the never ending band t-shirts and merch.  Airbourne was about to take the stage, so we headed back towards the Wacken Black Stage where a good majority of the attendees had congregated to witness these rockers from Australia deliver one of the most spirited sets of the festival.  They played nearly every song off of their debut album -- the highlight was during Running Wild when lead singer Joel O'Keefe climbed the side of the stage with his guitar on his back.  He would stop at certain points, lock his legs in the truss and bend backwards and tear through some leads.  He continued his climb until he was nearly at the top of the stage -- a good 100 feet above the stage.  He finally climbed down and finished the song with his band mates -- the crowd in awe of this display of reckless abandonment.  It was truly awesome!! Next up at the Party stage was New York's own Coheed and Cambria.  I had never seen this band live before, but had been a moderate fan -- but after seeing their performance, I was a full convert to their blend of prog metal.  The highlight of their set was Welcome Home and watching lead singer Claudio Sanchez singing his heart out.  Day 2 was living up to the Wacken standard, I was having a blast meeting cool people everywhere I went, drinking, eating great food -- and the weather had been perfect for the most part.  After Coheed and Cambria's set, I sauntered over to the True Metal stage to check out Motorhead.  I had been standing all day and enjoyed their set from a seated position -- enjoying a beer and a brat.  Highlights of their set were the two encores: Ace of Spades and Overkill. Gaining my second wind, I began making my way back to the Party Stage to get a nice spot near the front for Epica.  A friend of mine had given me two of their albums and I had been looking forward to hearing them perform live.  This Dutch symphonic (gothic) metal band proved to me that they are the real deal; Simone Simons is an absolute knockout.  Her operatic voice contrasted with Mark Jansen's grunting style make for a beautiful sonic concoction.  Their set was filled with dramatic moments accentuated by huge pyro effects.  Highlights included The Obsessive Devotion and Menace of Vanity.  After their show, I made my way over to the Wacken Black Stage in anticipation of seeing what would be the highlight of the festival for me...  Amon Amarth. While waiting for the Swedish melodic death metal band to take the stage, Doro was performing on the True Metal Stage.  The crowd really seemed to be digging her a lot -- especially during her rendition of Judas Priest's Breaking the Law.   Right before Amon Amarth took to the stage Blind Guardian's Bard Song Video was played on the big screens and over the P.A.  Amon Amarth hit the stage running with what seemed like a blazing fast version of Twilight of the Thunder God -- the title track off their most recent release.  Other highlights included Guardians of Asgard, Cry of the Black Birds, and the Viking battles that took place on stage during their performance.  Lead singer Johan Hegg looked most fierce singing (growling) atop the Viking ship onstage.  This turned out to be my personal favorite performance of the festival even though I got kicked in the head by one of the hundreds of crowd surfers that were floating towards the front rail.  Day 2 turned out to be even better than Day 1.  As I returned to the campsite well after midnight amid the throngs of people doing the same, I sensed a singularity with all those around me.  We all got it; life was too short -- and to not enjoy it in all its wonder would be a sin. Day 3 I woke up fully rested for my last day at the greatest metal festival in the world and spent the better part of the morning and into the noon hour eating, drinking and hanging out with the group at the campsite.  We finally moseyed on over to the festival area and caught most of Testament's mid-day performance.   I had never seen Testament before, but had been a fan of their music.  Highlights included Into the Pit and watching the Wall of Death.  Day 3 was more of a relaxed day with more time spent at the biergarten and at the campsite just hanging out having a good time.  But I still had plans to see a couple more bands that evening. First up was Machinehead performing on the Black Stage.  I had been a fan of Machinehead since my freshman year in college up at U.C.  Davis; a friend in my dorm let me borrow Burn My Eyes, and I never returned it.  Never really got into their later releases that much, and was really happy that they played some of their older material like Davidian, Old, and None but My Own.  The pits that were sprouting up were pretty intense and the main one in the front was gigantic -- probably the biggest pit I had ever seen in my life with hundreds, if not thousands of people getting caught in the mosh.  Lead singer Robb Flynn seemed really humble as he exclaimed "WOW!" several times while gazing out into the sea of people -- a sea that could be violent at times, and at other times calm, but again that singularity seemed to rear its head in my mind.  We were one.  What a life changing experience I was having.  That's Wacken. The last band I would see at Wacken was folk metal legends Korpiklaani -- and what a fitting note to end on.  I had been a fan since I had shared the stage with them at the Sundown Festival in 2007 and had seen them recently at the House of Blues in Hollywood - so it was nice to see them on a bigger stage in front of a huge crowd.  One cannot resist having a good time while listening to this Finnish band's brand of party and drinking music.  Highlights included Journey Man, Kipumylly, Happy Little Boozer, and Beer Beer.  At the end of their set, I went back to the campsite to get some last minute partying in with my friends back at the campsite -- for it would be a while until I would see them again.   The next day I packed up my gear and had one last breakfast with my friends.  We said our goodbyes and I was off to catch the bus back to Itzehoe where I would catch the train back to Hamburg - 2 days later I would be back at home in Hollywood with memories that would last a lifetime. Up until a year ago, I had never heard of The Wacken Open Air Festival.  A friend of mine who I met while on tour turned me on to the whole phenomenon and even bought my ticket.  Thank you Sanne.  Now that I have experienced Wacken, I cannot imagine missing next year's -- regardless of who is on the bill; the old Wacken motto still applies: "The festival is the headliner, and the bands perform their best of program -- We're here to celebrate heavy metal." Faster, Harder, Louder, Dar Larizadeh Photos and Review by: Dar Larizadeh (of Reign of Avarice) More of Dar's Wacken 2009 pix at FaceBoook Event: Wacken Open Air 2009 Locations: Wacken, Germany