Day 1
When you are going to visit such a big festival there are two roads to follow: the first is to try to watch every single band that is your cup tea and literally run from one stage to another with minimal pauses and the second is just go and breathe the nice festival air and enjoy the Metal atmosphere. Well, the first approach needs super stamina and agility that is usually found in Olympic athletes so, it is rejected by its definition. The second -at least I believe- is the best to enjoy some Metal filled days and gather as many experiences as possible. So, let me tell you what I experienced during the 'Graspop Metal Meeting' festival days.

The first day started after our exit by the really comfortable parking lot located nearby the festival grounds. The landscape was very beautiful and this made us forgot the hot as hell sun that was beating us from above. After escaping (using the Greek craftiness) the long wait in the human cue to get our festival wrist bands we entered the camping site that was flooded by metalheads from all around Europe. It is really impressive to see that a festival can host that many people without causing trouble and irritations.

After passing the main gate we entered Marquee 2 to watch the ending of LAAZ ROCKIT's setlist. The sound was powerful and clear but the humidity was very high making you sweat without moving a muscle. Nevertheless, the reunited Thrashers seemed to be in top mood pleasing the sweating metalheads who had filled the place. Michael Coons was in constant motion communicating with the crowd in a way that he deserved every single applause that day.


Next, were DRAGONFORCE who were already on the main stage while we were exiting Marquee 2. I have to admit that the distance between the stages was quite long and thus there was absolutely no sound-overlapping but after a couple of routes we felt the additional energy drain. The British band has made some steps forward and I believed that they managed to fill the big the stage. Last time I have seen them supporting IRON MAIDEN were a little bit disappointing since they were weak and could not earn the big crowd. The guitar duo was relentless as always doing all the stage props while playing the finger melting riffs. The new tracks from Inhuman Rampage sounded better than the CD but I still enjoyed more the 'classics' My Spirit Will Go On and Valley Of The Damned. The thing with DRAGONFORCE is that you can only enjoy 30 minutes of their show. After that, it feels overloaded and if you are not a die-hard fan you can find their songs similar to each other. Fortunately for us, the time was close for the mountain king to get on stage so we moved quickly to the front rows (ok not that front) of Marquee 1.


JON OLIVA'S PAIN took over the stage with a big smile on their faces and some of them with additional pounds (Matt LaPorte has changed weight category). The first song of their hearty mainly SAVATAGE setlist was City Beneath The Surface from the The Dungeons Are Calling EP. Jon has reduced the alcohol consumption (at least on-stage) and has gained part of his beautiful voice. But whoever has attended a SAVATAGE or a JON OLIVA'S PAIN concert then knows that his aura is simply breath-taking. And I am not talking only for Jon; the entire band seemed to enjoy the live and gave 100% to the crowd that responded spontaneously. The time schedule was really tight and the band did not lose time and moved to Sirens raising the indoor heat even more. Everyone was dancing and singing the classic SAVATAGE lyrics and during the hair raising Believe I did see some metalheads with tears in their eyes… The 45 minutes went by really fast (yes the theory of relativity does apply here) and while the band was waving goodbye to the ecstatic crowd I was once more grateful that the persona of Jon Oliva is still with us!
 
JON OLIVA'S PAIN setlist:

01. City Beneath The Surface
02. Sirens
03. Through the Eyes Of The King
04. Chance
05. Gutter Ballet
06. Believe
07. Jesus Saves
08. Hall Of The Mountain King

A short rest after the highlight appearance of that day (and probably of the entire festival) and up again to catch the first songs from PAPA ROACH's set. I never was into their music but after the 'Crue Fest' appearance in Chicago (US)and their latest release I kind of changed my attitude towards them. The time spent with MOTLEY CRUE and their sound producer have taken PAPA ROACH in a higher and more appealing level. The band was looking more Metal while the full of energy performance went hand-in-hand with songs like Hollywood Whore, Lifeline and Getting Away With Murder to name a few. But it was time again to choose sides and eventually SAMAEL did earn us.


So, off to Marquee 1 where the Swiss band was already playing Solar Soul. Last time we saw SAMAEL was in their Greek gig hosted in a basement-like venue. There, despite the poor conditions the band was super tight. But in 'Graspop' it felt that they were lost in the big stage. The big video wall in the back did not help much and I did see people leaving Marquee 1 looking quite apathetic. Fortunately, Into The Pentagram hit the crowd hard and some additional movement was observed (yeah the flaming pentagram was on the video screen). My Saviour was the last song that accompanied us while exiting the stage on our way to W.A.S.P.'s gig.


Despite the love we all have for Blackie we more or less agree on the fact that maybe this band has reached the end of the road. The previous and excellent 'Crimson Idol' tour should be their swan song but on the other hand who can say no to a 'best of' setlist? No one, so On Your Knees and Inside The Electric Circus were the welcoming songs.

Blackie with some additional pounds was quite energetic moving up and down the stage. The only complaint I can make is that he frequently skipped singing by leaving more 'room' to the backing vocals and by asking the crowd to step in. Nevertheless, W.A.S.P. is W.A.S.P. and so L.O.V.E., Idol, and I Wanna Be Somebody made us move and sing our lungs out. Overall, it was a decent to good live show with the classic hits we all love to listen. Let's see what the band's next step would be…


The beating heat along with the fatigue hit us hard after W.A.S.P so, we move slowly towards the main stage to watch SOULFLY conquering Belgium. I know that many of you keep your fingers crossed for a future SEPULTURA reunion. After watching SOULFLY many times on stage I can say that this is (or should not) not going to happen. I mean, Max has managed to create a solid lineup and has produced very good albums making the name of SOULFLY stronger than before. So, why sacrifice this success for an uncertain reunion? The Brazilian band took over the stage with their trademark 'in-your face' attitude and Blood Fire War Hate along with Sanctuary. The band was merciless -like the beating sun- and delivered a nice Thrash groove package with songs like Prophecy and Back To The Primitive until Refuse/Resist blew everything and everyone away. The sound was kind of muffled by this did not affect the front rows where two giant mosh-pits were created proving the bands massive energy flow. Max is a killer frontman and looks like he enjoys every single gig he is playing. I guess his honest attitude has made him one of the most powerful figures in the Metal scene. Marc Rizzo did his 'Capoeira' looking stuff while Bobby Burns was looking less Punk-ish. In Last of the Mohican the band threw a Raining Blood (SLAYER) excerpt and did two more SEPULTURA songs (I will not call them 'covers') the classic Desperate Cry and the tribal Roots Bloody Roots. So, SOULFLY in their one hour performance managed to squeeze 19 tracks satisfying everyone and wrecking the already tired necks.

While the crew was clearing the stage from the SOULFLY explosion we crawled to Marquee 1 to get a taste of BLIND GUARDIAN before taking a bigger break and eat something solid. I never understood why the German band got on the tour bus while the new album is not went ready. Ok, it is good to keep contact with your fans and add the new song Sacred in the setlist but I would prefer something more than a 'best of' compilation. On the other hand, the Germans are always good on stage and their die hard fans create an explosive atmosphere. We definitely enjoyed Time Stands Still, Another Holy War, and Traveler In Time just before the so-needed break and the visit to the market located inside the festival grounds.

After having filled our stomachs with greasy food and having a couple of t-shirts, we once again moved towards the main stage where HEAVEN AND HELL would appear. I may sound blasphemous here but I have to admit I was bored during their set. Actually, the boredom infection had come after my first HEAVEN AND HELL concert in Greece. Although the band comprises some of the bigger parts of Metal history but visually this is not something special. Dio has still an impressive and Iommi still delivers the classic riffs but something is missing. I cannot say what, but sure it is an essential element to enjoy a concert. From The Devil You Know the legends of Metal did Fear and Bible Black while leaving the rest of the already known Dio era setlist intact. And this means The Mob Rules, the excellent Children Of The Sea and Falling Off The Edge Of The World. Dio is the only connection between the band and the fans since he does all the talking while Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice did their stuff in the bass and the drum kit, respectively. The regular setlist ended with an extended version of Heaven And Hell that personally I felt it was over-extended; I think they could add another song instead of stretching this one. Well, the band did return on stage and gave us Country Girl (what a killer guitar riff that is) as an intro for Neon Knights. And that was it; 11 songs and 75 minutes on stage presence that I think satisfied only the ones who saw HEAVEN AND HELL for the first time.


The HEAVEN AND HELL appearance gave us some time to relax and gather all the remaining energy since the first day of the festival was coming to a powerful end. The first of the last two bands of that night was DOWN. Firstly, I have to clarify that I am not a PANTERA fan and that I think Phil Anselmo is overestimated at least as a singer. And I say 'at least' since Phil is an excellent frontman and the moment the band set foot on the stage he established a strong connection with the audience communicating in the Metal way. So, we had headbanging, mosh-pits and more than usual clouds of weed. After all, this was a Stoner gig so this things made smile (or was the weed's fault?) DOWN seem to be in a top form hitting hard with a massive sound and a great deal of groove. Without being familiar to DOWN discography I really enjoyed New Orleans Is A dying Whore, Lifer and of course Stone The Crow. Actually, this was the last song for us since we made our way to the main stage to find a good spot for the upcoming MOTLEY CRUE's show.


This was not my first time with MOTLEY CRUE since I had the pleasure to see them on the Chicago date of the 'Crue Fest' upon US soil. I am mentioning this for showing off but to back up my judgment on the 'Graspop' show. I was expecting a different setlist and the full scale show with fireworks but I wasn't not satisfied. MOTLEY CRUE brought in Europe the same setlist with 'Crue Fest' but without the stage show. There were no fireworks or fires but two wide screens showing -mainly- beautiful women doing kinky stuff. The band entered with the excellent Kickstart My Heart but to my surprise the audience did not react as expected. There was a general numbness that after a while affected the band. Maybe this was due to the crowds accumulated fatigue but hey, this was the headlining act! After this reaction I came to the conclusion that Europe is not the hottest place for MOTLEY CRUE. The metalheads were just watching the show and in moments were clapping in the rarest occasions were singing a couple of verses. But the band gave a good performance giving me (agian) the goose bumps with Wild Side, Dr Feelgood, Girls, Girls, Girls and Motherfucker Of The Year. I still think that Vince sounds good live and generally he has no major differences from the albums. Ok, he has a higher pitch but he is not the awful singer described in several live reports. The band chose to finish the set with Home Sweet Home which was a turn off for all the metalheads who only knew the MOTLEY hits. I really enjoyed this tune and once again I will say that this on stage party feeling is a solid hope for the band's discographic step.

MOTLEY CRUE setlist:

01. Kickstart My Heart
02. Wild Side
03. Shout At The Devil
04. Saints Of Los Angeles
05. Live Wire
06. Motherfucker Of The Year
07. Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
08. Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)
09. Primal Scream
10. Girls, Girls, Girls
11. Dr. Feelgood
Encore
12. Home Sweet Home

So, at about 01:30 the first day of 'Graspop Metal Meeting' came to an end. Although we were full of live music and totally exhausted we left with a giant smile on our faces. The organizers did very well and things moved smoothly without surprises. During the way to the exit there were many places to seat and have something to eat and listen to Metal music! There were two official parties organized inside the festival territory for anyone who did not have enough music that date and I can tell there were a lot of them! Stay alert for the day two report…

PS: Sorry for the distant photos but you cannot cover this massive festival with just two people and no photographer. Next time will be better I promise!