Why I Stopped Going To Wacken Open Air (World's biggest metal festival)

Wacken is an experience. i have discovered some incredible bands there that I have never heard before. I have seen band there that I grew up with. Wacken is much more than just a music festival. Wacken is a gathering of tribes. Faster, Harder, Louder. Wacken rule.

I had a great time at KnotFest in 2019. Behemoth, Gojira, Volbeat, and Slipknot. Best time I’d ever had at a concert.

lol, havent gone to wacken yet but 3 times on 70k, plus going next year, easy 2 and a half hour flight. Also messe des morts in montreal in two weeks

Sounds of the underground was my FAVORITE tour back in the day!!!

The thing about hellfest....ive seen all those bands here in america...yeah it may have been at separate times but what incentive do i have to spend all that money and travel all that way for bands i can see here

Bruh im tryna go to Glastonbury next year to see the Spice Girls then Metallica..

I started my journey at Somerset, Wisconson. What We would now call, a "Wisconson death trip" R.I.P. Wayne Static. so Ozzfest 99". I was a freshmen in high school. like 9-th grade. Saved up all summer. and bought a campsite. 8 people x-2. 3 showed up. so there's a grand out the window right out of the door. still had a amazing time. this is just one of the couple years we went to Float-rite/Sunrise. I could tell you some stories. So then after that. cleanse the pallate. worked for a bunch of hippies. not going to name any wookie's stuff got weird , kids ended up missing. karen drove a suburban off a cliff wtih fam in the back. Stuff like that will traumatize. Cheers Brother. Thank you for keeping it Real and telling the TRUTH. Out of all the cults and communities I've ever been a part of. I love you metal headz and Juggalos. we look out for each other. like a family. i love each and every single one of you. Pick somebody up out of a mosh-pit. give them a hug. FAMILY. It's getting nautical. I still love you. Chaeers. See you at the next one. Blue Felix.

it's been a great development for festivals to include more shower options. It's definitely an upgrade and feels so good after a long few hours in the pit.

I saw your video just now, I totally agree with your points (just to put it in perspective, I'm from germany so I don't have to plan as much). It's just getting more and more "basic" if that makes sense?
There is just the charme that you usually don't get anywhere else than Wacken but I do guess we're getting older. Either way, I'd rather pummle in mud instead of just vibing in some fancy ass hotel :)

I imagine that their recent inclusion of Venom was reason? Great band- in the 80s...

I feel you. I've been into Wacken since 2009 11times. After so many Years, i ve seen a ton sh*t of Bands. Great Times and hard times. But as you said. We're going older. Work began to affect our Bodys. For me it's the point that i have to miss a Band to see another. 8 Stages is too much for me. And meanwhile Wacken becomes too big for me, even with their new great Area setup. Metalplates and easier Ways. But walking to the Stage an pass the Wackenplaza and Wackingerland, there are sooooo many Brands to present thier product. Annoying. I stopped going to Wacken now, cause its not worth it for me anymore. I prefer Festivals around 30-50k People. Less Stages.

Wacken 2012 was too much rain? LUL 2015 and 2023 were hard. but 2014 was so f*** hot. Dusty like a Desert. The other years between 2009 and 2022 were ok. some rain, some sun. Anyway, Stay heavy \m/ greetings from Germany

It's not the biggest METAL FESTIVAL 😅😅

And Wacken, this years weather was the most intense 😂

2019 WOA was dry and not dusty. People said it was the best weather they had ever had there. Temps were amazing, 23 - 27 Celsius with a nice breeze. It lightly rained in the very early morning keeping the dust away.
Won’t ever go again though 🤣

I've seen metalheads in their 50s still camping out at "traditional" festivals. Being filthy and drunk and uncomfortable (especially filthy) is a huge part of the festival experience, and a significant part of the big "fuck you" to the rules that rock and metal is supposed to be.
Rock and metal music always existed to rebel against societal norms (everyone's supposed to have their own room? Fuck that, we'll cluster in tents and even share em! You're not supposed to stink in public? Fuck that too, we won't shower for a week!) so of course festival living will also be a big middle finger to societal norms of living and comfort!

The older you get...the more often you got to piss.....so you need to have more restrooms NEARBY...fact.

You get old and used so its doesnt matter the bands cause you saw them already several time and thats not magic itself anymore

Being Bavarian, my first festivals were Rock im Park (which is not metal anymore, since decades. My last one was in 2001, I think, with Linkin Park and Static-X but also Outcast) and Summer Breeze. I went to Wacken three times in the 2000s and it was rather disappointing. Far too big, too much "classical" metal for my taste, too many non-metalheads just going there for party and often bad weather. Don't call me a sissy, but four days of rain, max 17 degrees celcius and mud all over kill the mood pretty fast.
Summer Breeze also changed a lot, but it is much more relaxed, with less party tourists and a better band selection. The weather also tends to be better. Well in 2014, it was a bummer. Bitter cold and rain all the time.
Today I would be able to afford a camper van, but i still sleep in my pop up tent (I am 43) because I don't want to be on the van camp ground. I enjoy meeting people and Summer Breezes "green camping" made me meet some of the coolest people ever. Although I am something like a festival grandpa getting drunk with twenty years younger people.
Even though I can afford it: I just can't imagine 70000 tons being as cool as a real festival. Maybe i'll change my mind when im 63.

2012 ffs dangerous when Scorpions were on electrical storm and we asking people to leave outfield

Just subscribed to your channel cheers

2011 dry 2012 wet 2014 too hot 2015 biblical rain my girlfriend didn't see one band and we stayed in private accommodation

Great video loved it

Now attracting Slipknot Steel Panther etc

2011 2012 2014 2015 my Wackens, the problem is same rota of bands every 2 years .
Now way too expensive compared with festivals in Czech Republic etc

Psycho Las Vegas! Ur in a giant resort the whole time. You can shower daily, eat at an array or restaurants and if you need to take 5 for a moment of silence, you can!

metalfestival on a cruise ship? that sounds like the commercial nightmares the us provides.

I've been to Wacken 2012 and it was soo much fun. What are you complaining about the mud all the time? :D I've been to festivals where it's too wet, too cold, to warm,... Adapt and have fun.

yeah...the weather... this year it was raining for weeks... the conditions where so bad, that only 50.000 people came to the camp. The rest got the mones back and left. And guess what? For 2024 they where sold out in 4 hours...new record. Metalheads are crazy:-)

I went to several “cow fields” metal festivals and you’re totally right, this is exhausting. Traveling, camping, etc. 🫠 All hail the cruise ship!

I've been to Wacken this year for the first time. What a fucking joke haha. Never seen so unorganized event as this one, i had much beter expectations from germany (we were looking for 2 hour for our camping spot, nobody from organization could help us with that). Lineup is a joke too, only 4, 5 good bands on the main stage, during 5 days. Graspop, Hellfest of even Resurection fest is much, much beter option!

If you getting older? Come on - Grandpa... 😁😁

Haha, hearing you talk about the rain is especially funny thinking about Wacken 23. :D

I'm German and have never been to Wacken, just Summer Breeze as biggest festival. Wacken too me is too big, too expensive, too much "metal tourist" like. Never tempted me.

It's so funny, as a German I'd love to go to Hellfest for example but it's "too far".😅

Most of them are just your moms, dad's coworkers just dressed up in black like it's karnaval. It's fake af. Real metalhead headbang in a barn in sweden.

I missed seeing Wacken by literally days. I was stationed in Kellinghusen, just a short trip to Wacken. I left Germany in August 1989. I returned to Germany in 1995, but I was stationed in Schweinfurt in the south. I didn't know about Wacken that second time living there.

For you which one are the festivals with the best weathers??? The sun in hellfest is as Hard as they say? Great podcast man!

Very relevant this year 😂

I get that this is a very american point of view but I tow my camper to these festivals and have no lack of comforts and rest, possibly a small limit of showering but usually not an issue. Comparing a metal cruise to camping in a tent is a bit off.

Fucking hate that festival only for posers

This video turned out to be fucking prophetic

I was at masters of rock and Sziget Festival but I was never in Wacken. The dirt/rain problem also occurs on Nova Rock in austria for example and I think it all has to do that we are old tards now. Drank jaegermeister in Litres and puked in Litres but it was fun. Nowadays I would still attend Sziget because it was really nice and also comfy back then (having a centered milk bakery/shop/takeaway thing and it was great. Nothing better than Jaegermeister at night and warm fluffy yummy stuff in the morning.... oh yeah.
I also heard that it changed in the meantime but i hope that is not true.
Europe's rail systems are not really connected and getting bus tickets from one country to another can be very difficult even if you are living here. It is a nightmare since the train companies do not use the same system and also do not put all the trains into the system they should/are actually using.... What you get is confusion. oh nice video by the way.

Looks like you made the right call...

That’s why Wacken is only for the toughest guys

Wacken is overrated these days. Way to expensive for them to give not a single fuck about weather issues and the lineup getting weaker every year.

I've been going to Summer Breeze for the past few years and I like it a lot more. Lineup is more interesting/diverse and loaded with more of the heavy shit (I listen to Black Metal primarily) and the weather is usually a lot better. Although last year it was also a mudfest, it was not nearly as bad as Wacken, where I sometimes nearly lost the will to even stay for the entire weekend because yph could literally not move. I guess some people will say it's all part of the true Wacken experience but to me it always seemed like more of a meme. I'm primarily there to hang around with my friends and listen to bands I like, not hold paper signs on the campground and outjerk other edgelords about who is the hardest and trvest metalhead.

I've also started going to green camp exclusively. Over the day we hang out in infield and beer garden and then in breaks and later at night we chill at our place, share a bluetooth speaker, drink beer and talk about life, without getting annoyed every 10 minutes. And you don't even need earbuds to sleep properly or rummage through other people's trash constantly, while also meeting some nice people to chat with. Best of both worlds for me.

the last half of the video I was busy having my hands full and earphones in, not being able to turn it off and it kept repeating the same story over and over. The first half was a nice story 😂😂

Ref your opine regarding the festival mud tolerance level. We all have to face the truth that eventually we will all "age out." So do whatever you can while you can, because one day you will age out. You'll still love the music, but how you want to experience will inevitably change. It's just a shift in paradigms with the passing of time. ;)

I've been to a lot of festivals and visted wacken 3 times. The biggest problem i got with the festival is the size. Its just too big. I figuerd out, for myself the bigger the festival the less fun i have. You just spend half of the time waiting. Wait in traffic wait at the entrance wait in the line of infield wait for a drink wait to pee wait in traffic again when leaving. Now i just travel to way smaller festivals. Im not seeing the BIG headliners im fine with it.

I do wonder what is nice about 70.000 tons though.........as a metalhead I would probably prefer to go on a dance cruise or something as I don't think bearded black leather guys are the ones I'd like to be around in in a pool or carribean island or something.......

I have been to Dynamo Open Air (yes, the 1995 edition also), Waldrock, Wacken, Graspop and Hellfest. Hellfest. Hellfest. Nothing compares to Hellfest. It is the most beautiful, best organised, greatest festival I have ever seen. This is because Hellfest owns the grounds where they organize the festival. Everything is so well done, there are no "hired fences" etc, it's all made there to last. If you go to the Hellfest grounds in december, the Lemmy statue is still there, all the beautiful art is still there, you realize that it's metal through and through. The city Clisson has a welcome sign all through the year saying Clisson Rock City. The people of Clisson embrace the festival. For me, nothing comes close. I have zero interest in going to any other festival anymore. Hellfest has won. They are number 1.