Verslag: BOSPOP 2015 – Weert, Dag 2 Zondag 12 Juli

Bospop 2015
Weert Noord
Dag 2 – Zondag 12 Juli

Tekst en foto’s: Markus Hagner – Markus Hagner Photography.

Summer & warm weather had faded away for Day 2 of Bospop 2015. It was raining and everybody outside was feeling ugly. The exciting line-up specially for classic- and progressive rock lover could not have been the reason that Petrus – the weather God was grumbly.

Pauw were the ideal opener for hippie, retro music and stoner rock lovers. The mélange of levitating keyboard sounds, doomy, wavy drums and bass, freaky guitar solos and sweet, dreamy chant was spreading the impression of a big musical planetary journey. Pauw – The Holland Space Lords.

FM next were a fascinating deal for classic rock lovers in the tent. They made one of their rare appearances in the Benelux in promotion of their hooky cd “Heroes and Villains”. They were really “Digging Up The Dirt” with this song and by their groovy rhythms, stadium-.rock guitar solos and specially the explosively rockin’ voice of Steve Overland. The fans loved to head-bang and the end applause for the boys in the band was a blast. Well rocked – FM!

The London Souls were to rock’n-funk’n-soul-roll next on stage. They were playin’ a really heavy dynamite booze and this only as two man armada. Tash Neal was by his strong voice, look and outfit a bit like the young Lenny Kravitz. Chris St. Hilaire was his hippie duet-partner on vocals, a wild one. The London Soul kicked ass this early Sunday afternoon and latest by their show everybody was fully awake again after the nightly parties.

The Netherlands have been always a renowned country for famous sea-captains. So from the oceans of the world arrived in the harbor of Weert next The Gentle Storm with their goddess-canto female skipper Anneke von Giersbergen. It was a pity that her congenial songwriting and guitar partner Arjen Lucassen did not join her for that special festival show. Anneke started the set by her a-capella-vocals of “Endless Sea”. By the second track “Heart Of Amsterdam” the fantastic band set in and all the zealous fans got aware that live the music is presented much harder. The mixture of metal, orchestral and folk-music was live really “Over The Rainbow”!. On background-vocals there was Marcela Bovio from Stream Of Passion and by “The Brightest Light” she sang a heavenly duet together with Anneke. The too short gig ended by “The Shores Of India” and the tremor end applause was alike a real storm.

From his crypt in Valhalla was rising Zakk Wylde with his Black Label Society. He had the most impressive stage-build-up of the whole festival with big Marshall amp-towers and a gigantic big backdrop with the BLS-logo and skull surrounded by Chinese dragons. The lord of the doom-metal loves skulls and daggers so his micro stand was ornated with these relics. The opening ceremony worship was “The Beginning… At Last”. It was Sunday afternoon and the wolves and wolvines were invited to the special mass by “Funeral Bell”. The solos of Mister Wylde were from “Out Of Space”, like a shiny comet by its orbit-travel. The metal-head and guitar-freaks were totally loosing control by themselves by “Bleed For Me” and Zakk was hammering at the end wildly on his best like a metal gorilla.. His voice was so torrid. His bandmates were heavenly virtuoso, Dario Lorina on guitars, John DeServio on bass and Chad Szeliga on drums served at the peak and pride to the assistant of the devil. The extended shred-axe-excellency by Zakk after “Damn The Flood” was non-plus-ultra and never boring. (At least to guitar maniacs and heavy metalleros, haha…) The ride ended like a speedy hellhound-trainride with brakes by festival-time-limit already by “Stillbourn”. Sunday’s meditation was over, Black Label Society were acclaimed with a demoniac loud-blast back to Satan, who needed his beloved string-servant for the nocturnal party. Black Label Society & Zakk Wylde – A Demoniac Orgasmatorn*****

Danko Jones played an energetic show and the absolute topper was “Play The Blues”. He was though kind of aggressive and very pissed off by Mister Wylde, as he had extended his show. He yelled severely at a fan wearing a BLS-shirt and screamed to watch him out the whole show. Very alternatively grooving as highlight was “Cadillac”.

Everybody worldwide knows Jools Holland by his “Later” show. If he calls the stars they are hot to appear there. He proved what a versatile key player he is on his grand piano. From boogie-woogie to jazzy. There was a real big band on stage, all most excellent musicians, but it was specially Mark Flanagan on guitars to enthuse by his solos. Gilson Lavis was too play an extended drum-solo. Jools declared it as the best one ever performed at Bospop, uh very complimentary. His singing was to lark, but nothing really special. Therefore he had some stars with him and the show really started to get exciting when Marc Almond was to hail on stage to sing as second title “Tainted Love”, the blues-jazzy arrangement was really special. A sultry show of Jools Holland even pleased “Lady Sun” to shine a bit, besides the dancing visitors.

Dizzy Miss Lizzy are pretty big in their home country Denmark, to many spectators they were relatively unknown. But whilst their show full of energetic alternative rock DML really teased them, specially by the powerful voice of Tim Christensen and by his guitar solos. Highlight definitely was “Waterline” by the balladesque intro and the heavy jam-part in the middle. Dizzy Miss Lizzy were a good proof why Bospop is always exciting to explore new musical horizons and bands.

Europe had the big backdrop with the cover of their opus “War Of Kings” monstrously in the background. They started by the title track and the vocals of Joey Tempest were glorious. He was storming wildly all over the stage and twirling his micro-stick up and down. He looked ever so good, he has the grace somehow of eternal youth. His anti-pole was the quiet master of the axe John Norum, but by his guitar-solos he was ever so fervid, specially by “Superstitious”. Mic Michaeli was the man with the cowboy hat and taking care of a keyboard sound making the legend Jon Lord to be remembered. They really were to “Rock The Night” as culmination song. The close out was majestically by their super-hit “The Final Countdown”. Europe were at Bospop 2015 not only the kings of chess but really the kings of musical hearts of all fans hailing the band by the tornado-end-applause. Europe – the real headliners on the big stage.

Thunder from the U.K. started next in the tent by their intro of “Thunderstruck” and the freaks were yelling the “Thunder” refrain louder than hell. Since their comeback they really were so much beloved by their fans and their new masterwork “Wonder Days” was a top entry in the hard-rock charts, so it was ideal that they started by the title track. It was ever so good to experience that Ben Matthews on guitars and keyboards is back after his cancer treatment. He looked good, played very vital and enjoyed by his many smiles to be back on the holy grail of the stages worldwide. His axe-duels together with congenial Luke Morley were so starry again. Chris Childs on bass and Harry James on drums were the heavy hittin’ boom-boom rhythm aces. On top there was the non-plus-ultra charismatic Danny Bowes on demoniac vocals specially by “The Devil Made Me Do It”, or better his canto was so powerful to keep the devil away, haha… Absolute highlight was “Backstreet Symphony”. By “Dirty Love” the show was already over, acclaimed by thunderous applause. Thunder would have played on by joy “From Dusk Till Dawn”.

Dream Theater next were very impressive on stage by their musical virtuosity, light-show and sound. There was the big aha-effect when they started their show by “Afterlife” and musical playing freaks were enchanted from the very first chords. James LaBrie on vocals, John Petrucci on guitars, John Myung on bass, Jordan Rudess on keyboards and Mike Mangini on drums are all divine, extraordinary vocal and instrumental personalities, but their solos were for many normal fans a bit way too extended and exaggerated although exorbitant good. The complicated highlight of the show was definitely “Bridges In The Sky”. Dream Theater – The Magicians Of Progressive Power Metal.

Anathema next as final headliner in the tent were manifesting by their show how to combine musical artistry, thrilling song constructions and individual instrument-skillness. They started by “Anathema” and the alternating changes of slow to prog-rockin’ parts were to put a spell on the fans. The bell-bright voice of Vincent Cavanagh and in contrary the rocking voice by Lee Douglas were harmonizing so perfectly together. The creative light-show was to array the musicians into the right glare and intensified the atmosphere. Guitar maestro Daniel ‘Danny’ Cavanagh thrilled by his string-solos from fairytale sweet to sorcerous hard. They concluded their extravaganza show by “Distant Satellites” and were solemnized by their fans.

Steven Wilson is definitely a great, creative mastermind and musical multi-instrumentalist, but to be the close out headliner of Bospop 2015 on the Main Stage was a bit of a critical evaluation. His gig was impressive and like a mixture of a musical cinema opus with theme based projections on the big led background-screen, but his music like the opener “First Regret” or “Lazarus” as highlight were too complicated for the late hour of day two and many fans were somehow not anymore ready for it. By many fans his proclamation of “Cheerful music making him depressive and sad music making him happy” did not find lovers at all. His show in the smaller packed tent and having gathered his real fans there would have been a far better option.

Bospop Day 2 was a great day full of . Next year perhaps again with a real intoxicating and rockin’ headliner, like it would have been Europe…

There was only one negative aspect to claim for the whole two days and this was the wasteland of plastic, paper and other shit caused by the festival visitors. Everybody just dropped the waste on the floor and let it remain there. Perhaps containers to drop it in would be a possibility. At least and very positively a waste recycling company was one of the co-sponsors and taking care of their business for cleaning the territory till the next day…

Bospop 2015 was a extraterrestrial diversified musical feast. Everybody was excited for the edition next year again and about the bands line-up. Thank you for the organizers for the perfect and stylish organization.

See You Healthy & Happy @ Bospop 2016!

Read our review of day 1 here.

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