
And so we make it to the 3rd and final day. The line-up just to remind you:
1. Paleface Swiss
2. Alchemists
3. Feuerschwanz
4. Rave the Reqviem
5. Thy Art Is Murder
6. Montreal
7. The Interrupters
8. Hanabie
9. ††† Crosses
10. Underoath
11. Kraftklub
12. Bury Tomorrow
13. Green Day
Photos by Andy, and the review also by Andy:
After two days of music and revelry, the fatigue is evident among the audience, and the third day begins a bit sluggishly, before everyone near the main stage is abruptly “awakened” by the brutality of the Zurich-based band Paleface Swiss. Their no-frills death-core is a punch in the face. I must admit that the band wasn’t on my radar before I noticed their presence on the bill of the “Sick New World” festival in Las Vegas (an incredible festival with 80 bands and 4 stages that takes place in a single day!), but it’s nice to see that Switzerland continues to produce newcomers of this caliber with the ability to make a mark abroad.
To keep the audience’s attention high, the Germans Feuerschwanz and their “Medieval Folk Comedy” take the stage. The name says it all. The group offers carefree and fun medieval rock. On stage, they dance, and the audience has a great time. A band that shouldn’t be taken too seriously but knows how to engage the festival-goers.
After the dance atmosphere created by Feuerschwanz, the death-core of Thy Art Is Murder seems decidedly out of place. The Australian group is undoubtedly impactful sonically, although a bit static visually. Despite the singer Tyler’s various attempts to engage the audience, most of the crowd seems to remain rather passive. A pity. A performance on the secondary stage would likely have been more successful.
But with The Interrupters, we return to more cheerful and festive vibes. Their ska punk seems more accessible to the audience than death-core. Singer Aimee, with her smile and cheerful, positive attitude, immediately won over the crowd (and perhaps some of the men!), who reciprocate by singing, dancing, and jumping. They are also an interesting discovery.
We move again to the second stage for the performance of the Japanese band Hanabie. Seeing them take the stage so gracefully and smiling, in their pretty colorful dresses, the first reaction is to smile and add a slightly sarcastic “how cute.” Yes, until they start playing. The four musicians from Tokyo and their metalcore hit hard! And you wonder how a slender being like singer Yukina can produce such intense growls! The only slightly off note for me is the singing in Japanese and the various clean vocals and choruses with voices that seem to come from a video game. This doesn’t seem to bother the packed audience, which at this point is the largest seen at the second stage so far!
We head back to the main stage to watch the performance of Crosses, a side project of Chino Moreno from Deftones. Let’s forget about the sound of the latter, except for some clean vocals by Moreno. Here we are talking about an electronic duo, between dark wave, EBM, and synth pop. Despite the efforts of the singer from San Diego, their musical proposal doesn’t seem to catch on, and the audience gradually leaves the main stage. The duo’s particular atmospheres might have been more suitable as a late-night special on the secondary stage.
At first, I wondered what Kraftklub with their indie-rock meets rap had to do with the Greenfield Festival. Mind you, various crossover and nu-metal bands with rap vocals have already performed here, but I was curious about how the audience would welcome the pop aspect of the group. Well, the answer is simple: splendidly! Kraftklub offered a great concert, engaging and fun, with singer Felix not stopping for a moment, dancing and constantly interacting with the audience. A particular moment was when the band left the stage to venture into the crowd and sing “Kein Liebslied” there in the middle. Very impressive. While the rest of the band returned to the stage at the end of the song, Felix and Till stayed among the fans to perform “500 K.” The concert ended after 15 pieces with “Songs für Liam” and an enthusiastic audience.
And now it’s time for the festival headliners, Green Day, celebrating 30 years of their breakthrough album “Dookie.” Over the years, the band has gone from the most obscure clubs in the world to arenas, and for a couple of decades now, they’ve even filled stadiums, highlighting the enormous success the three Californian punks have achieved. The next day in Milan, 80,000 fans will be waiting for them, for one of their biggest concerts held in Europe. But let’s go in order. After a series of intro songs, including Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” sung at the top of the audience’s lungs (quite impressive!), the band takes the stage full throttle with “The American Dream Is Killing Me” followed by “Dookie,” one of their biggest hits. The band is pumped, especially Billie Joe, but the audience is no less. We’ve now embarked on a journey that will last over 2 hours (American Idiot will be almost entirely performed, with only “Extraordinary Girl” missing, if I’m not mistaken). The space in front of the main stage is incredibly packed, and people are moshing and dancing even beyond the mixer, for a mass involvement rarely seen at Greenfield. You may not love Green Day and their melodic punk (I would never listen to them at home), but you have to admit that they know how to hold a stage and put on a top-level concert. After 28 songs, the band says goodbye with “Good Riddance,” concluding another Greenfield with great audience success. With adrenaline at level 1000 and charged like Duracell batteries, many fans head to the various tents to party until morning, while we bid farewell in anticipation of the 2025 edition!
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