Getting Ready
Spending your summer holidays at festivals will always be exciting. But there usually are boring days in between. One way to combat this is to become part of the festival crew. That’s what I’ve been doing for years. So, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I drive to Oschersleben to help set up the stage, the infield and the stalls before the festival starts on Thursday 25 June. I will show you what was going on between Monday morning and Thursday evening. I can tell you, it was damn hot at 40°C in the shade, but there was no shade. Still, we made it through. And we still found the time for the tree planting challenge at Kita Anne Frank early Wednesday morning when temperatures still were bearable.
It was exhausting for some, pushing them well beyond their limits, so they needed a break the next day. Some worked tirelessly, as if there was no tomorrow, and we especially have to thank Ralf, our all-round craftsman on the road, who is a carpenter, joiner and roofer. You did an amazing job!
THURSDAY
Now, let’s move on to the event itself. On Thursday afternoon at 17:00, the infield had been open for a few hours, so it is time for some fresh draught beer, whisky or long drinks. First of all, the organising association, Made For Kids e.V., honours four long-term members for their incredible work. Well deserved, my friends, well deserved. Oliver Behrens of CC’n’G had a surprise for us, he made a not so small donation which he collected for Made for Kids e. V., THANK YOU!
At 17:30, the opening act FATUN will take to the stage. After a 15-year break, they are back on stage for a year, and it feels like yesterday that the first chords broke the silence. Punk metal from Haldensleben takes over and the band plays as if there had never been a break.
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MORBID APPROACH will follow at 18:40, once again impressing with their hard yet melodic sound. They already played at RMD’z two years ago — well, Brunswick is not too far away. The sound of 1980s and 1990s glam rock hits you right between the eyes in the afternoon heat.
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The festival’s house band, RMDZ, will take to the stage at 20:10, by which time the temperature will have cooled to around 30°C. The five musicians of Lesson in Violence, MystericA, Ravenfield and Wanted Inc., who formed last year, will perform their own covers of well-known songs, including “Westerland” by Die Ärzte, which will be the funniest moment of the evening.
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At 21:40, a legend takes to the stage — nothing more, nothing less. MASTER, Paul Speckmann and his two bandmates, take to the stage. Seeing them on stage is amazing and electrifying. Their live performance is magical and incredible. As a side note, Paul is unbelievably modest backstage: so humble, nice and pleased to be at this small festival. He is indeed a legend for good reason, not undeservedly so.
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A few hours earlier, I picked up vocalist Felix for a small whisky tasting at our whisky and rum lounge. He likes quality bourbon, so he was a willing victim. He is now entering the stage at 23:20 with his band, CREMATORY. The temperatures are still far from chilly, as are the band and the crowd. They play an interesting set of gothic and melodic death metal. Shortly after midnight, they play the final chord, completely exhausted.
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For the audience, it is time for last orders at the beer stall and whisky lounge. For the crew, it is time to prepare for the next day and relax in the backstage area, discussing the bands that have already played and the day itself. Some bottles of Pfeffi play an important role there, and it won’t be any different in the coming days.
