Day 1 – Thursday 11 June
June traditionally marks the beginning of the open-air festival season and, as we have done for several years now, we head to the idyllic Berner Oberland to attend the GREENFIELD FESTIVAL, Switzerland’s largest festival dedicated to the heavier side of music.
This year once again boasts another great bill, featuring established headliners alongside a number of rapidly rising acts that we are sure to hear much more about in the near future.
Even during the performance of the local alpine horn ensemble ALPENHORNBLÄSER, the crowd is already substantial. The desire for live music and the joy of gathering together are palpable in the air.
American punk rock veterans ZEBRAHEAD, opening the main stage (the so-called Jungfrau Stage), make the most of the enthusiastic atmosphere. Thanks in part to their extensive experience, their melodic punk rock immediately connects with the audience, who waste no time in launching the festival’s first circle pits.
ICE NINE KILLS have spent the past few years relentlessly touring the world, including lengthy runs supporting heavyweights Metallica. The experience they have gained is evident on stage. The band is tight, confident, and completely at ease in front of the crowd. Fans will know that their stage show is heavily inspired by horror cinema, featuring various actors, theatrical skits involving murders, serial killers, and similar macabre themes, very much in the tradition of Alice Cooper, the godfather of shock rock. Under the right circumstances, with carefully designed lighting and stage production, the show can be highly engaging. At 4:00 PM in broad daylight, however, much of the theatrical aspect feels somewhat confusing and ultimately serves more as a distraction. Musically, though, the band delivers a top-level performance.
The mood changes completely with ALTER BRIDGE and their powerful brand of hard rock. Formed from the ashes of Creed (before the latter reunited once again), the American band brings a wealth of experience to the stage. Their combination of memorable melodies, Myles Kennedy’s outstanding vocals, and Mark Tremonti’s crushing riffs proves highly effective. The band appears to be in good spirits, although they are perhaps a little static on stage, particularly Myles, who seems somewhat detached. With limited time available, the set focuses primarily on material from the band’s first four albums, along with a couple of tracks from their latest self-titled release. A special mention goes to “Blackbird”, an extraordinary and deeply emotional song taken from an equally exceptional album.
A DAY TO REMEMBER, with their blend of metalcore and punk rock, seem to have an even easier time winning over the audience, especially the younger fans gathered at the front of the stage. Frontman Jeremy McKinnon quickly gets the crowd involved, prompting the customary mosh pits and circle pits almost immediately.
THE OFFSPRING need no introduction. Veterans of the Californian punk scene, they achieved major commercial success throughout the 1990s and have been filling arenas around the world ever since. Compared to some of their previous performances, the band appears to be in particularly high spirits. Singer Dexter Holland jokes with both the audience and guitarist Noodles, even teasing snippets of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne songs. The crowd responds enthusiastically, helped by the sheer number of classic hits at the band’s disposal, including “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)”, “The Kids Aren’t Alright” and “Self Esteem” to name just a few.
The atmosphere shifts once again with SABATON, another familiar presence at Greenfield Festival. With the Swedish power metal giants, you know exactly what to expect: hugely impactful and unapologetically epic metal accompanied by a spectacular stage production filled with flames—lots of flames. For this summer’s festival run, the band has left behind the castle set from their recent arena tour and replaced it with a gigantic tank that occupies a significant portion of the stage.
While I personally find their musical approach a little too bombastic and pompous, there is no denying that the band knows exactly what it is doing. The musicians are highly skilled, sympathetic, and constantly interacting with the audience. The sound is powerful, and the show is worth the price of admission both in terms of its visual spectacle and its duration. The band performs a total of nineteen songs, providing an extensive overview of its catalogue.
After a first day of this caliber—helped also by favorable weather despite concerns in the days leading up to the festival—some attendees head to the various party tents to continue the celebrations, while others simply drag their exhausted bodies back to bed. After all, the festival has only just begun.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.