Experienced live: Hurricane Festival 2024

In 2024, the Hurricane Festival once again attracted thousands to the racecourse on the Eichenring in Scheeßel. Even though the weather forecast was not quite so good in the run-up to the event and the camping areas were already very wet in places before we arrived, we braved the weather and made our way to the site. Packed with everything needed for such a festival weekend, rainproof clothing was a must this time.

When the #HurricaneSwimTeam opened the colorful hustle and bustle on the first day of the festival, the sky was grey in grey. It was still dry, luckily for Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, who stormed the Forest Stage directly after the opener. Well – “storming” is only partly true, because while the Rattlesnakes were in a hurry to finally get on stage, Frank Carter came on stage at a leisurely pace, blew a kiss to the audience and started without much ado. Even though the first song was chosen to be a little quieter to warm up a little, the second song, “Kitty Sucker”, really kicked it up a notch and Frank Carter couldn’t hold anything back on stage. He quickly made his way through the crowd and the singer found himself in the middle of the action. This was immediately followed by the “Happiest Moshpit Ever” – a “ladies only” pit. They moshed their way through the history of the band’s work – always with full physical commitment and an unbridled energy that is second to none. When the day starts like this, not much can go wrong, can it?

Setlist Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes:
“Can I Take You Home” – “Kitty Sucker” – “Wild Flowers” – “Self Love” – “Devil Inside Me” – “Brambles” – “Man of the Hour” – “Crowbar” – “My Town” – “I Hate You”

The clouds over the area became darker and darker and more threatening. Eventually the heavens opened all the floodgates and it became so uncomfortable that performances on the River Stage even had to be canceled because the entire stage was flooded. The other stages also had to be drained again first, but this was done so quickly that the program continued as normal.

Day two, the Saturday of the festival, started with sunshine. There was a lot of nostalgia during the headlining hour on the River Stage. None other than Avril Lavigne, who has shaped the fashion and music of an entire generation, performed today. And then she stood on stage in a miniskirt, patchwork hoodie and high heels, still with ultra-long hair and dark make-up in her eyes. Felt a bit nervous and sang “Girlfriend” and then “Complicated”. By then at the latest, she had the audience in the palm of her hand and seemed less excited. With a feature by Simple Plan, namely a joint performance of the song “Addicted”, there was also a special appetizer served before the regular set ended with the uber-hit “Sk8er Boi”. Of course there were two encores with “Head Above Water” and “I’m with You” – and in keeping with the song line “…There`s nothing but the rain…” it started to drizzle slightly.

Setlist Avril Lavigne:
“Girlfriend” – “What the Hell” – “Complicated” – “Here’s to Never Growing Up” – “Video Interlude (Let Her Go era)” – “My Happy Ending” – “He Wasn’t” – “Don’t Tell Me” – “Losing Grip” – “Addicted (Simple Plan cover)” – “Bite Me” – “Love It When You Hate Me” – “Sk8er Boi” — “Head Above Water” – “I’m With You”

Finale: By the Sunday of the festival, the rain had completely given way to a blue, slightly cloudy sky, a light breeze was blowing and ensured that it didn’t get too warm. Perfect festival weather and also ideal for taking down the tents. So there was already a lively atmosphere when we arrived at the site. Many used the first bands of the day to stow everything away in their vehicles so that they could set off straight away later. Nevertheless, the site felt fuller today than the other two days.

The Editors did the honors quite early in the day. This was a sound experience that got under your skin. Singer Tom Smith probably had one of the most powerful, best voices of the whole festival. This was less about escalation and partying, and more about taking a deep breath, reflecting and enjoying. Nevertheless, the band left their audience with very intense impressions. A perfect balance between classics and new tracks, which flowed seamlessly into each other, showed how versatile the Editors ‘ sound can be. All too soon you were pulled out of this beautiful dark melancholy cloud and landed back in the otherwise rather colorful world of the Hurricane Festival, somewhat confused but with a smile.

Setlist Editors:
“Strawberry Lemonade” – “An End Has a Start” – “Sugar” – “Bones” – “Karma Climb” – “The Racing Rats” – “Picturesque” – “Killer (Adamski cover)” – “A Ton of Love” – “Munich” – “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors” – “Papillon”

It was a colorful mixture of sun and rain, dust and mud, punk rock and indie that makes your heart beat faster every time. This year, as a bonus, there were performances that took you back to your youth – what more could you want than to look forward to next year and hope for a similarly good selection of bands?

Text and photos: Mina Wagner