25 August 2002

Day One

The 12th and 13th of July 2002. It's that time of year again, when the weather's fine (if you're lucky), and it's safe to sit in a field with a couple of thousand other music lovers and enjoy what musical talent there is to offer. Not being a fan of the "mass" concert and huge crowds of people, but at the same time like it busy enough so there's an atmosphere, I find Bospop is a good combination and always seems to come up with a winning formula. This year was no exception, though the choice of bands was somewhat different this year.

Friday is normally for Dutch acts only, with an international to pull the crowds. This year, friday was a mix of national and international bands with two major acts to close things off: Toto and UB40. To be honest, if they'd had a heavier band to close, this would have been a good contender for a saturday line-up. However saturday this year  was a mix of mainstream rock and metal bands, with the closing act, Bush, certainly not in the same genre as the likes of Alice Cooper or Megadeth who have had this honour in the past.

So why the change? My theory is the fact that Holland's biggest metal only festival, Dynamo Open Air, are still looking for a permanent home after being forced to leave Eindhoven a couple of years ago. After last year's bad luck of being cancelled due to the foot-and-mouth outbreak, and still not having a permanent location, the organisers of Bospop have let Dynamo use the festival site on the sunday. In order to complement Bospop's program with Dynamo's, saturday was turned into a halfway house, with just enough heavy acts to attract some of the Dynamo go-ers who wanted to make a long weekend of it, and at the same time interesting the pop and rock fans who came on friday. I can understand the promoter's position in wanting to pull in the punters. However in doing what they did, they left power metal and progressive rock acts out of the program, at a festival that is about the only place that caters for these genres in this country. Another obvious abscence was the blues tent. There was still reason enough for me to go, but I sincerely hope this is not a permament change on the part of promoter Mojo.

This year wasn't only different in the fact that the line-up had been altered. I managed to convince a couple of friends that it was worth coming with me and having a look too. Patrick, being a Toto fan (not unlike myself) didn't take much persuading. Linda, who was a festival virgin and a little less enthusiastic at first, finally took the plunge and was glad of it too, after hearing that Willy Deville and Kane would be making an appearance.

As we made our way to the site, friday was turning out to be warm and sunny, in contrast to last years drizzly showers. Before we even got through the gates, it was clear it was going to be busy inside, judging by the masses of parked cars already assembled. As we came through the entrance, I stared in shock at the masses of people. This was normally what it was like on the saturday, before the major acts take the stage. I got a gut feeling that everyone had come to see Toto and it was still early in day. The queue for the drink tickets was ridiculous, and with only one kiosk available we decided to try again later. We found a spot to sit and caught a couple of numbers of Fools Fatal, who were already playing as we came in. For some reason, I remember this band the least of all those that I saw that weekend. Not that they played badly, but maybe it wasn't original enough. They would have made a good opener for Van Dik Hout who would be on later, but Di-rect were starting in the rock tent so we decided to take a look there instead.

Di-rect are bunch of very young guys, who play contemporary, music-of-the-moment, rock. The attitude is a little punk in places too, which livens it up a bit and makes them stick out above the usual chart pulp. They've scored a couple of chart hits here, and I was curious to see what they sounded like live. They basically ran through most tracks of their new CD Discover, but their enthusiastic stage presence, not least by the lead guitarist, went down well. They could have done without playing "On the Farm", a song about bestiality in the barnyard, but at least they played their version of The Who's "My Generation", which I was hoping for. As we were coming out, Van Dik Hout were on the main stage. This is the second time I'd seen these guys, as we queued up for drink tickets. I say seen, but it was more like ignored this time. They played their hits, and I've no doubt their fans would have enjoyed it, but they have too little variety in their songs for my ears.
 
Rosemary's Sons on the other hand were in a different class. I was curious to see what they would be like, after seeing a couple of songs on Dutch music television. Mainstream, energetic pop-rock was on offer. I got the impression that they were very comfortable on stage and how they communicated with the crowd. The songs were well arranged, and there was definitely some good single material in there. The tent was almost full by the end of the set and for the first time since arriving, I was starting to get into the festival atmosphere. Definitely a band to watch out for.

Late afternoon sunshine and Californian harmonies. Venice were on last year at about the same time, the family Lennon and co. sounding like a 21st century Crosby, Stills and Nash. They have a new label (Sony - wise move?) and a new CD out soon, which got a good few plugs while they were on. I don't know if it was the sound quality, but the harmonies didn't come across anywhere as clear as they did last time I saw them. A little dissapointing then, but I don't know if it was entirely in their hands.

At any festival, you have to decide on priorities, like which band are you going to miss so you can grab a drink or have a look at the market. Osdorp Posse rapper Def P and the Beatbusters were assigned a lower priority today. Interesting for some of the chart loving pop fans in the audience (though a couple of heavy guitar chords were spotted in between), but not my choice for a festival of this kind. So a little later, there we were on the grass enjoying Willy Deville while eating pizza. Willy has some kind of cult following which I've obviously missed. I can only remember two chart hits, including the Jimi Hendrix cover "Hey Joe". Even so, everyone seems to know who he is, so maybe he was a bigger hit here than in England. A nice combination of spanish grooves and bit of blues with his distinctive, gravelly voice. Still didn't grab me though. I think his style was a little too laid back for the audience. A pleasant show but not a memorable one.

After bumping into Michel, a work mate who'd come to see Toto, we were faced with another choice. I would really have liked to have seen Dan Baird (did he play any Georgia Satellites material I wonder), but one of my main excuses for being here today would hit the main stage and we had to guarantee little Linda a good view of Toto. We got a pretty good spot about a third of the way from the stage to the tower. And waited in antici-pation. Toto hit the stage with a number I didn't recognise, but later found out to be "Bodhisattva" by Steely Dan. I probably wasn't the only one who didn't recognise it, but they got a warm reception when they'd finished, another indication of just how many of those here had come specially to see them. Next up was "Goodbye Girl" which I'd had playing in my head for days beforehand, so I was glad to be able to release it. The crowd were warming up nicely. Steve Lukather, a veteran of the Bospop stage, referred to their upcoming release "Through the Looking Glass", the fact that it contained cover versions and how much he liked UB40. Toto then surprised us with a cover of Bob Marley's "Could you be loved". An obvious delight for the reggae fans in our midst. The rest of the set was filled with hits, "Africa", "Georgy Porgy" and "Rosanna" showing themselves, plus tracks from the Joseph Williams era (the guest guitarist handling vocal duties - too much for Bobby?) and the compulsory solos. However material from the previous release "Mindfields" seemed to be lacking. "Jake to the Bone" was not only dedicated to the late Jeff Porcaro but also to any musicians in the audience (I think some audience members were lying). A notable inclusion in the set was "I Won't Hold You back", which after Steve had indicated had been sampled by Roger Sanchez and turned into a massive dance hit, caused a loud murmor of disapproval from the crowd. "Hold the Line" had to be played, but the set ended with the surprise "Home of the Brave", the closing track from "The Seventh One". As the band came out to take the final bow, David Paich was seen not be wearing his usual dark suit, but a black T-shirt bearing the message "Spear Britney". Nice one!

It was starting to get dark by this time. We ventured off to the market for a look round, which felt really cosy in the lights. Patrick spotted a must-have Atari T-shirt, while in the background we could hear Fish, the only truly progressive rock act of the entire weekend. Could have done with more along those lines as far as I was concerned, especially since we've had the likes of Spock's Beard, Pendragon and Arena in the past. Then it was time for UB40, who'd assembled a nice backdrop of golden masks and green lights. Unfortunately, with neither of us being reggae fans, we decided to call it quits after a few numbers, and hit the cafe for a drink and review the day. While Patrick downed yet another liter of cola, we agreed that it had been a most enjoyable day. I was curious as to what kind of turnout we'd have for day two, and whether I'd be lucky enough to bump into the likes of Steve Lukather back at the hotel.
 

Day Two

Breakfast at the hotel and contrary to previous years, no celebrities in sight. Never mind Steve, maybe next time eh? I left the hotel getting on for midday. It was no real surprise to see that it was a lot less busier today in the parking area and I didn't have to queue to get in. Raging Speedhorn were on as I arrived. I took my chance to buy drink tickets while the queue was small and went and had look to see what they had to say. Most bands in the rap/grunt metal genre seem to come from the US of A, but these guys come from the British Isles. A good band to set the scene for the day, with hard guitars and two vocalists. Not bad, but not what I would call original either. In the current scene of "new metal" and a slight return to punk influences, they actually sound like they've arrived too late on the scene. I wish them luck.

Brainstorm were up next in the rock tent, the only power metal band of the weekend. They had a hard job with the audience though, and they wouldn't be the only ones. It was early in the day, the tent wasn't even half full and some would have been up all night.  Try then, as a German newcomer to get the crowd raising hands and singing. Musically it was a return to classic 80s metal and operatic vocals reminiscent of Iron Maiden or early Queensrcyhe. The vocal mix could have done with being a bit higher, perhaps then people might have paid more attention.  I found them in a bit cliched in their style, though the overall performance was good, proving that power metal is by no means dead. I don't think they could have done any better, but they probably left feeling they'd just played to a bunch of corpses.

Silkstone had already taken to the stage as I left the tent. They were lightest act of the day and as far as I was concerned would have been better off playing the day before. Their sound was american influenced guitar rock but with acoustic instead of electric guitars and could be compared to the likes of Hootie and the Blowfish as regards song style. I liked their variation in songs which made their set more interesting to listen to, certainly for newbies like me. It was in their favour that they played early, because I wonder if they would have been so tolerated.

I had to cut my stay at the main stage short to see Pro-Pain in the rock tent. This is normally an act that would appear at Dynamo, not Bospop, but it was apparently a good decision judging by the interest from the public. Pro-Pain reflect the hardcore scene in New York and have been around for about ten years now. The mix was the best I'd heard in the tent for a while, and it wasn't long before the slam dancers had taken position before the stage (not including yours truly). Of all the acts I saw that day, Pro-Pain were musically by far the tightest and delivered enough energy to bring life to the rock tent that was lacking earlier in the day. If I wasn't awake before, I certainly was as I left the tent. A great performance.

By this time the main stage had been set up to look like something from the middle ages, complete with gallows. A fitting set for In Extremo from Germany. If you've never heard metal with bagpipes, now's your chance. The band apparently use centuries old melodies as a basis for their songs and use the original instruments to play them (bagpipes, flutes, harps etc). Add traditional metal guitar, drums, bass and vocals and you get the picture. Certainly an original concept. Personally I think their show would go down better in  the atmosphere of a small hall rather than a festival. Furthermore, I found the novelty wore off after a while. They sing in German in a Rammstein kind of style, which restricts the vocal capabilities and there were too many songs of the same tempo. It's also sad when I think one of the memorable moments was when one of the instrumentalists broke his stick while pounding a huge drum at one side of the stage. I think if they concentrated on instrumental work and added more variety to the tunes they'd be more interesting to listen to.

Return to the rock tent for the last part of Bigelf. They were supposed to play last year but had to cancel due to a band member having an accident and falling into coma. The band look and sound like something from the early 70s Hawkwind era, with swirling Hammond organs and semi-Black Sabbath guitar riffs. One for the lovers of Monster Magnet and other retro-rock acts that seem to have made an appearance in the last half decade. This is not really my cup of tea, mainly because I get the feeling I'm missing the point unless I'm supposed to partake in some kind of mind expanding drug at the time.

So back outside again to see Moonspell, a gothic metal band from Portugal. I heard some of their work a couple of years ago and I wasn't blown away by it, though some friends of mine were. Judging by their performance today, they've definitely progressed. Some varaiation in the vocal style and strong guitar lines keep the listener interested. Made me think back to last year and Paradise Lost's abysmal performance. Moonspell carry on from what they left behind. Overall a good live performance.

My final visit to the rock tent before the name acts hit the main stage was for The Quill. The closest relative of this bunch is Badlands, the band started by ex-Ozzy guitarist Jake E. Lee in the early 90s. Their vocalist is a dead ringer for the late Ray Gillen in places. Unlucky for them, apathy had returned to the tent, and the crowd was even smaller than that for Brainstorm. Many people were outside eating or waiting eagerly for the main stage acts. However, I think they fell victim to the half-and-half line-up policy that dominated the second day. A shame, because they performed well and their slightly retro, classic melodic rock style suited my tastes better than most other acts this day. In case they're reading, I was one of those who _was_ clapping.

Next up was Suicidal Tendencies. After a few years out of the picture, Mike Muir decided to breathe new life into the band with a completely new line-up and put on a few pounds too from the looks of things. Luckily they're still playing the songs that brought them to the public's attention in the late 80s. As well as some early material like "Fascist Pig", "War inside my head" and "Subliminal", the likes of "Lovely", "Can't Bring Me Down" and "Send Me Your Money" from their breakthough "Lights, Camera, Revolution" got an airing. We also got an enthusiastic Mike skipping back and forth from one side of the stage to the other, in contrast to the other rather less animated band members. The band  weren't as tight as Pro-Pain and I could have done without Mike stroking his bald, bandana covered head, spouting  "they're screwing with your mind" speeches before every single song. But it was a lot of fun and my first chance to give my vocal chords some exercise.

It was at this point I discovered someone had been trying to reach me for the last couple of hours, as I had 18 unread messages on my mobile. Linda and Patrick had arrived later on in the day and had been trying to locate me. I had managed to obtain position at the barrier and called them over before it got too busy, as Kane were about to hit the stage. Within less than two years, Kane have come from nowhere to achieving major chart success nationally and support slots abroad for established names as Simple Minds. I think the key to Kane's success is simply that there is no-one is doing what they are at the moment. The combination of strong melodies and lyrics, with distinctive vocals in a rock/pop outfit is in stark contrast to the teener-pop and overdose of rap and R&B dominating the charts at the moment. Not to say that it's original. Lead singer Dinand admits to being influenced by U2 and this can be heard in the songs. Indeed, maybe their success has a lot to do with U2's return to form with their last album. In any case, quite a crowd had assembled to see them. The set was a combination of hits and album tracks, that nearly all went wrong at the start of the second number when a beer landed at Dinands feet. I suppose after following on the heels of Suicidal Tendencies, something like this could have been expected. Luckily it didn't rain down on them after a cautionary comment to the audience and they carried on with a well received set , which had me letting my hair down by the closing number "Rain on Me". It's always good to see that a band which got popular through music television can also play live. This was a much better performance than the last time they were here, largely due to Dinand not suffering from flu symptoms and a more receptive audience. It would have been even better if they'd played friday, but I suppose it's another sign of how popular they've grown in such a short time - a well deserved success if you ask me.

After grabbing a bite to eat and drink, we assembled for Therapy? at the main stage. Although I haven't really followed them, I haven't heard anything much from these guys since "Diane" which must be about ten years ago now. In England their first album was an overnight success. It seems they have been busy in the meantime and still have a loyal following judging from the crowd response. The band got started and instantly clicked with the audience. As well as hits like "Going Nowhere" and an electric version of "Diane", we were teased with intro's from metal classics from Metallica and Judas Priest. This coupled with a genuine sense of enthusiasm and a few jokes kept everyone on their toes. They were far better than I had expected and the set was over far too quickly.

Time for a quick nosebleed at the end of Therapy?'s set, before having a quick glance at My Dying Bride in the rock tent. These are another British gothic-metal act but tend to be more down tempo. For some reason someone had cranked up the high frequencies at the mixing desk, so there was a constant wall of high-end noise. We couldn't see much either, with the stage having been blasted with a smoke machine. What we could hear wasn't offering me very much either. I'm all for a band having a particular style but there is a threshold in this genre where numbers just start sounding the same. The Gathering suffered from this when they got big. We stuck it out for a couple of numbers, but the mix was so unpleasant we decided to leave. Get a new sound engineer.

A quick visit to the CD stand before the closing act, Bush. An interesting choice for a closing band on the staurday. Bush are definitely on the heavy side of mainstream rock, but they are not a metal band, classic rock or progressive or even melodic rock. Another indication of the mixed line-up this year. I like some of their hits, but I'm not really a fan and their post-grunge style doesn't hold my attention for long enough. Needless to say we remained for about four or five numbers before deciding we'd seen enough.

Although we left early, looking back it turned out to be a better weekend than expected. Friday was much busier than saturday, with around 9000 for day one. I don't think it would be a good idea to have many more than that, since it might taint the relaxed atmosphere which has given Bospop such a good name.  I miss the blues tent and hope that this is not a permament omission. A lack of progressive rock and power metal bands made day two less interesting for me. Having said all that, I probably enjoyed day one and two just as much. The weather really couldn't have been better and no doubt contributed to the large turnout. Linda and Patrick seemed to have enjoyed themselves and might even consider doing the same again next year. A weekend of music does wonders for my soul and provided the organisers don't do anything too drastic with the line-up, I hope to be back in Weert next year, rain or shine.