ROCK AM RING 2024 with GREEN DAY, BABYMETAL, ELECTRIC CALLBOY and many more. (Part 2/3)

Saturday, June 08, 2024 – Endorphins are spreading

The journey back to the Nürburgring was already a source of happiness. The blissful rock-at-the-ring feeling was inevitable. The winding route through the fabulously beautiful landscape of the Volcanic Eifel was entertaining. As the concerts didn’t finish until late at night, the starting shot was fortunately fired at a pleasant lunchtime. To begin with, we embarked on a short journey through time. The organizers always manage to engage bands that you hardly ever get to see. Even if the line-up doesn’t quite meet your expectations at first glance, you can be sure of one or two new discoveries at this festival. Hidden treasures lurk here on all stages.

Remarkable fountain of youth

In the nineties, the crossover band 311 attracted attention. I’ve never seen the guys from Nebraska live before. This should now change. When the band climbed onto the Mandora stage, I could hardly believe my eyes. How good of shape can a 54-year-old singer be in? Nick Hexum’s hair was now shining silver in the sunlight, but his bright smile and shining eyes, together with his muscular body, made him look much younger. With their mix of rock, hip-hop, reggae and ska, 311 radiated wonderful nineties vibes. As before, the second singer S.A. Martinez enriched the songs with his committed chanting. But her brand new single “You’re Gonna Get It” was also extremely well received by the audience. “The next one goes out to all the beautiful disasters out there.” The single from 1997 had a smooth and pleasant effect on the visitors’ well-being. Of course, the band’s hit was not to be missed. “Down” brought back memories of that carefree time. While Nick played his guitar, he jumped powerfully into the air several times and then shook his head wildly.

Hollywood star up close

Dogstar – this band name was not at all familiar beforehand. Apparently, this was also the case for the Ringrockers. The space in front of the second stage was not as full as one might have expected. But watch out, the trio from Los Angeles has a very familiar face on bass: Keanu Reeves! The security staff were accordingly on the alert and prepared for the worst. Female fans may have fainted by the dozen or used a crowdsurfing wave to be closer to the world star for a moment. It felt like 95% of the photographers suddenly found themselves in the photo pit. For them, it was time to go for the Hollywood man. The trio entered their venue together. With short-cropped hair, a partially graying beard, a simple black V-neck shirt and dark jeans, the superstar suddenly stood right in front of us. This moment seemed unreal at first. He played his blue bass casually and seemed focused on his instrument. With their moderate alternative rock, the Americans let their sound work its magic. Keanu jammed with frontman Matt Domrose and in between he also took a look into the audience – but only very briefly. Were the Securites called upon? Oh yes, but only to keep nudging a blue beach ball back into the audience. While the track “Glimmer” was enchanting, the men occasionally hit the strings harder. Keanu radiated a pleasant and authentic modesty, but thawed out more and more in the course of the set and actually came to the fore laughing during the bass-heavy closer “Breach”.

On my way back to the main stage, a bizarre picture presented itself. The Donots had just played their last song there. And where was their singer Ingo Knollmann? He sat happily on a small pink children’s car and let himself be carried over the crowd. Anything is possible on the Ring.

The eternal song

Meanwhile, long queues formed at the starting grid. Electric Callboy fans were waiting for the green light to flood the front breakwater areas and start the wildest party of the day. The combo from Castrop-Rauxel ignited their “Tekkno Train” with colorful confetti. Originally, their music comes from metalcore, but together with their extravagant shows, their direction could rather be declared as partycore. One thing is clear: wherever the band performs, everyone goes wild. Growls, electro sounds and high-pitched voices were joined by bursts of fire and countless pits. An impressive Wall of Death was not long in coming either. As is customary at the Ring, the “shit grandstand” also got its comeuppance. With almost every band that plays on the main stage, the loud choirs briefly form to give the press, VIPs and handicapped visitors, who can watch the hustle and bustle from the gallery, the imaginary middle finger with a wink. Electric Callboy also joined in: “Does the champagne taste good? Is the hair still down? Cheers, you bastards!” However, they had warm words for their fans and received a storm of cheers: “It doesn’t matter where you come from, who you love, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, what other music you listen to. It’s so cool to have you in front of the stage every time. A big thank you to everyone for supporting us. You make it possible for us to live our childhood dream at Rock am Ring.” For their smash hit “Hypa Hypa”, the party boys dressed up in colorful clothes and mullet wigs.

Creative pit variants

Fortunately, the guys also took the opportunity that Babymetal played here shortly after them. Half disco balls adorned the heads of Electric Callboy. For their joint banger “Ratatata”, they received a high-profile visit from the three popular Japanese women. With their choreography and singing, they fired up the fans in addition to the rising flames. And both bands clearly enjoyed the collective performance. Electric Callboy declared the infield a “dancefloor” for their metal version of the hit song “Hurrikan”. Lots of “couples” formed in the pits and spontaneously performed a discofox dance. In general, people were inventive. In addition to the well-known rowing packs that formed, some party rockers even kept fit with push-ups in their circles. For their grand finale with the chart topper “We Got the Moves”, the crazy callboys pulled out their famous mushroom head wigs. The crowd partied like there was no tomorrow. Streamers and sparks danced around together with the released endorphins and left the boys with a pure feeling of happiness “I’m so glad I’m so wet and sweaty so you can’t see my tears.”

What’s the catch with big festivals? Overlaps! It was therefore with a heavy heart that Pendulum ‘s performance fell through for me. Fortunately not for our photographer. The Australian-British band enriched their gifted mix of electronic music, rock and metal elements with an impressive light show and a rousing performance. For many visitors, the quintet was one of THE new discoveries at Rock am Ring.

A strong bond

Billy Talent continued on the main stage with a great atmosphere and lots of energy. A bustling upheaval was taking place in front of the stage. The visitors were practically jostling for position, as the metalheads wanted to get over to the Mandora stage and the rockers made their way to the Canadians. But the veteran Benjamin Kowalewicz was in no way unsettled by this. His many years of stage experience came into their own here and he quickly had the fans on his side. With 20 songs, Billy Talent offered their audience a successful cross-section of their works from the last 20 years. They deliberately focused on their own skills and dispensed with any special effects. “Take care of each other”, the frontman announced. In the most beautiful sunset, the focus here was on togetherness and the fans loved their band for that. Classics such as “Rusted from the Rain”, “Fallen Leaves” and “Red Flag” were celebrated just as much as the band’s more recent releases. In front of and on stage, the affection for each other was clearly noticeable.

Absolute perfection

Meanwhile, on the second stage, the fans waited eagerly for Babymetal. Some of the girls next to me were almost bursting with excitement – they had already seen the trio live several times and knew exactly what to expect. They also had to prove that they were 100% confident with their lyrics. In an intro, an endearing male voice explained the imaginative history of Babymetal. At the end we were asked the crucial question: “Are you ready to headbang? Now is the time for the metalverse with Babymetal!” They climbed the specially constructed gallery on the stage in unison. Thousands of forks of chips were held aloft around me. The trio opened their set with the song “Babymetal Death”. Their choreography was perfect from the very first moment. They were surrounded by the wild guitar playing of their fellow musicians. Their faces were covered in devilish silver masks, giving them an eerie look. Suzuka Nakamoto aka “Su-Metal” made a direct announcement: “Rock am Ring, show me a big circle!” And the singer should get it. An expansive circle pit developed and the fans had a great time. “Everybody jump up!” And even while the three Japanese women were jumping up, they incorporated dance moves at the same time. There was a lot of headbanging to “BxMxCx”. And Babymetal also had special guests on hand. Electric Callboy didn’t miss the opportunity to pay the young ladies a visit during their performance. “Ratatata” the second. The party was already in full swing again. This time Babymetal ‘s performance seemed really exuberant. Her band buddies embraced her during the song. “Gimme Chocolate!!!” then picked up the pace. Sound and vocals seemed to almost overflow in the verses and yet even the hardcore fans were able to keep up – respect! The trio’s kawaii metal simply put you in a really good mood. Together with all the visual effects and numerous special effects, we were treated to a concert in a class of its own. It’s not for nothing that Babymetal are so far ahead internationally. “We’re so happy to be back here. Thank you Rock am Ring. We promise to come back. See you.”

Not a bit quieter

Once again, the Ring was hit by a severe cold spell during the night. Fortunately, people moved close together in front of the stages. Back to the Utopia Stage, here Green Day were ready to rock! Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” was the intro to the Ramones’ song “Blitzkrieg Bop”. And who was the first to storm the gigantic stage? Well, the aging bunny who opens every show of the band: Drunken Bunny. He enthusiastically ran towards the edge of the stage and fired up the crowd. He was followed straight away by the US-Americans who performed “The American Dream Is Killing Me”. Unfortunately, the photo rules at Green Day were very strict. Apart from a handful of authorized photographers, no one was allowed to take a professional photo of the band – not even from the stands. With his dyed blonde hair, Billie Joe Armstrong looked as if time had stood still. Although Green Day are celebrating a double anniversary this year – 30 years of “Dookie” and 20 years of “American Idiot” – the frontman has clearly not aged. Their drummer Tré Cool also still had blue hair. Remarkable. Back to the music. By the time “Basket Case” came on, we were all young again inside. Billie shouted: “Get your hands up!” – and the never-ending crowd parried. Flames went up in front of Tré Cool’s drum set and sparks also flew between the punk rockers and their fans. “I need someone to come on stage right now.” Billie picked out a young man. He was allowed to let off steam on stage to “Know Your Enemy” and get very close to his idols. When the “shitty grandstand” was once again hailed, Billie countered cheekily: “I guess that means: I love you!” He already had the full attention on his side again. In general, Billie was in a great mood and constantly scored sympathy points. In between, the singer even picked up a harmonica and surprised the audience with an unexpected talent. Green Day presented us with a total of 29 songs that night. They were vocally supported by their fans for almost the entire concert. The encore “Good Riddance” was the icing on the cake. Some people actually had a lump in their throat and the second day could not have ended more appropriately for us when Billie sang: “I hope you had the time of your life.”

Text: Nadine Kloppert
Photos: Michael Gamon

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