Open Air festival Germersheim 10.09.
Sept 11, 2022 19:51:58 GMT
Isaac Ryan, mortified, and 2 more like this
Post by snakelady on Sept 11, 2022 19:51:58 GMT
Last night we finally, FINALLY got the chance to see Quo live again. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the big Grün island festival, an open air concert was staged at the very same location with three of the bands that took part in '72 as well: Uriah Heep, Nazareth and Status Quo as the head liner.
Only these days the whole of the island belongs to Mercedes and their after sale logistics compound. Upside - no more muddy meadows, tickets were sponsored and relatively cheap (56€) and parking for free in an actual parking lot.
Downside was that before and between bands on the big screens we were tortured with one and the same 10min. Mercedes ad over and over again - which included Another Brick In The Wall, a tune I hate on the best of days. Basically a reason not to buy a Mercedes. At least with us that ad backfired big time.
With the line-up and just a 15min. drive from home there never had been a question that we (me, my kids plus a friend instead of hubby) would attend.
Weather forecast confirmed right up till we left that no more rain would fall for the rest of the night so clothing was chosen accordingly.
When I noticed the order the bands were supposed to play I wasn't exactly convinced that's what was going to happen. The festival was going to end at midnight and I can't even remember the last time Quo played that late. Francis wants to be in bed come midnight so that's what happened last night as well. Quo took second spot, which led to Nazareth going first and left the thankless task of going on after Quo to Heep.
So Nazareth started at 7.30pm still in daylight and under a more or less blue sky. They were good, not great, but the delivery of their songs was nearly spot on, the singer filled Dan's boots well, although he looked like a late 70s John Lawton, even including the make-up and my oldest remarked that the bass player was outstanding (something I got to admit I'm unable to notice). There weren't many breaks or banter and the performance was well received. I merely knew the three most popular songs - This Flight Tonight, Dream On and the Don McLean cover Love Hurts - but I enjoyed all three of them.
Then half an hour break to get the stage set up for Quo, meaning the band took to the stage at 9pm and played what's a full set these days for 1 1/2h.
I used ear protection for Nazareth and Heep, but Quo weren't quite as loud and it suited me just fine. I thoroughly enjoyed the gig and although the set list wasn't exactly innovative it was great to see the band again. Every member apart from Leon had lead vocals and their share of the limelight, the band was tight and the performance top notch. It was obvious that the guys were so much fitter than their contemporaries from the other bands. Newer songs (relatively ..) were The Oriental, Beginning Of The End, Cut Me Some Slack and Liberty Lane, which IMO is a great live song and TO is always well received. Nor so keen on the other two.
No encore, so no Paper Plane, sadly. Francis banter was really enjoyable, he kept making remarks about '72 and that due to age he kept forgetting stuff, different to his usual quips, his age survey and 'I hate you' to the under 25ers .
While it was still dry during Rain (2nd song) about 1/2 an hour into the Quo set one almighty downpour set in and only stopped once the whole festival was over. Maybe 2/3s of the audience had cleverly brought rain gear, but we got drenched like the rest of that 1/3. And I actually didn't mind. Throughout the entire Quo set I kept singing and dancing in the rain and didn't even put on my sweatshirt. During the next break it got cold quickly though and I was tempted to leave early. The boys wanted to stay to the end though, so that's what we did. Same as most of the audience - I gotta say, I was impressed.
At 11pm Heep took to the stage starting with two rather unknown songs which didn't exactly help the atmosphere. Followed by Gipsy, which I was rather unimpressed by. Same goes for the whole Heep gig actually. I am used to Mick's gesturing, but Bernie's singing was a tad over dramatic and he spent more time in his chair beside the stage than on the stage despite the band shouting a short good night after 40 short minutes, at least 10 of which were spent with Bernie talking. The part of the audience that didn't leave by the time half heartedly shouted for an encore and the band returned for an acoustic Lady In Black plus after another 5min. break renditions of Sunrise and finally Easy Living.
Overall I very much enjoyed Quo, thought Nazareth (whom I'd seen for the first time) were ok though once was enough and was rather disappointed with Heep. Maybe if they'd gone on first as originally planned it would've been different, but after Quo they were simply not good enough.
There's just one vid from the gig on yt for now, which I'll include here:
Only these days the whole of the island belongs to Mercedes and their after sale logistics compound. Upside - no more muddy meadows, tickets were sponsored and relatively cheap (56€) and parking for free in an actual parking lot.
Downside was that before and between bands on the big screens we were tortured with one and the same 10min. Mercedes ad over and over again - which included Another Brick In The Wall, a tune I hate on the best of days. Basically a reason not to buy a Mercedes. At least with us that ad backfired big time.
With the line-up and just a 15min. drive from home there never had been a question that we (me, my kids plus a friend instead of hubby) would attend.
Weather forecast confirmed right up till we left that no more rain would fall for the rest of the night so clothing was chosen accordingly.
When I noticed the order the bands were supposed to play I wasn't exactly convinced that's what was going to happen. The festival was going to end at midnight and I can't even remember the last time Quo played that late. Francis wants to be in bed come midnight so that's what happened last night as well. Quo took second spot, which led to Nazareth going first and left the thankless task of going on after Quo to Heep.
So Nazareth started at 7.30pm still in daylight and under a more or less blue sky. They were good, not great, but the delivery of their songs was nearly spot on, the singer filled Dan's boots well, although he looked like a late 70s John Lawton, even including the make-up and my oldest remarked that the bass player was outstanding (something I got to admit I'm unable to notice). There weren't many breaks or banter and the performance was well received. I merely knew the three most popular songs - This Flight Tonight, Dream On and the Don McLean cover Love Hurts - but I enjoyed all three of them.
Then half an hour break to get the stage set up for Quo, meaning the band took to the stage at 9pm and played what's a full set these days for 1 1/2h.
I used ear protection for Nazareth and Heep, but Quo weren't quite as loud and it suited me just fine. I thoroughly enjoyed the gig and although the set list wasn't exactly innovative it was great to see the band again. Every member apart from Leon had lead vocals and their share of the limelight, the band was tight and the performance top notch. It was obvious that the guys were so much fitter than their contemporaries from the other bands. Newer songs (relatively ..) were The Oriental, Beginning Of The End, Cut Me Some Slack and Liberty Lane, which IMO is a great live song and TO is always well received. Nor so keen on the other two.
No encore, so no Paper Plane, sadly. Francis banter was really enjoyable, he kept making remarks about '72 and that due to age he kept forgetting stuff, different to his usual quips, his age survey and 'I hate you' to the under 25ers .
While it was still dry during Rain (2nd song) about 1/2 an hour into the Quo set one almighty downpour set in and only stopped once the whole festival was over. Maybe 2/3s of the audience had cleverly brought rain gear, but we got drenched like the rest of that 1/3. And I actually didn't mind. Throughout the entire Quo set I kept singing and dancing in the rain and didn't even put on my sweatshirt. During the next break it got cold quickly though and I was tempted to leave early. The boys wanted to stay to the end though, so that's what we did. Same as most of the audience - I gotta say, I was impressed.
At 11pm Heep took to the stage starting with two rather unknown songs which didn't exactly help the atmosphere. Followed by Gipsy, which I was rather unimpressed by. Same goes for the whole Heep gig actually. I am used to Mick's gesturing, but Bernie's singing was a tad over dramatic and he spent more time in his chair beside the stage than on the stage despite the band shouting a short good night after 40 short minutes, at least 10 of which were spent with Bernie talking. The part of the audience that didn't leave by the time half heartedly shouted for an encore and the band returned for an acoustic Lady In Black plus after another 5min. break renditions of Sunrise and finally Easy Living.
Overall I very much enjoyed Quo, thought Nazareth (whom I'd seen for the first time) were ok though once was enough and was rather disappointed with Heep. Maybe if they'd gone on first as originally planned it would've been different, but after Quo they were simply not good enough.
There's just one vid from the gig on yt for now, which I'll include here: