Hello,
First of all, I would like to explain my reality. My name is Jesús and I am Spanish. I study Software engineering in a university in southern Spain, where I live. After some years of assist to some local festival, the past august my girlfriend and me decided that this year we would assist to Wacken Open Air 2017.
Although my girlfriend has a degree in law, for those of you who may not know the unemployment rate in Spain is about 50% in ages under 30 so both of us works as waiters during the weekends. In addition, I would like to remark that get 440€ for the tickets (we aren't counting the trip expenses) in Germany is much easier in Germany that in Spain.
Ok, so we made the sacrifice, "worth it" I said to her and we bought the tickets last September. By then there was about 30 bands confirmed Powerwolf, Sonata Arctica, Avantasia... we had seen then in Spain but not bad; I wanted to see Amon Amarth, checking Candlemass and Lacuna Coil was quite good and Saltatio Mortis sounded great. It wasn't bad at all to get started.
After that the times goes by, month after month, celebration after celebration, we paid the flight, the hotels and save for the trip. Meanwhile confirmations follow each others in Wacken and other European festival (some of then in Spain).
After New Year Eve those who appear to be the head are confirmed, yes I mean Volbeat. "Well, there are like 60 bands to go, let's wait before panic", I said.
With all my respect to Volbeat fans, I don't have nothing against this band, but we should admit that there is no comparison between them and Iron Maiden or Metallica.
We started to read the festivals Facebook page comments. There were some people disappointed too. Some of the BIG bands was preparing tours but none of then were confirmed in Wacken. When I write BIG I mean bands like Guns'N'Roses, Rammstein, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, SOAD or Scorpions... People started to ask "Why X band is not in wacken if they are in tour?" so the staff wrote some in the line of "They would be stupid to play festivals in summer 2017, because they have to sell tickets for their own shows in autumn and winter 2017...".
Now I think that the only one who is really stupid in here is myself. All of the bands aforementioned are confirmed in one, or more than one European festival.
Spaniards are used to being fooled (every one can read it in the Spanish newspapers) but we never though that the stab in the back could come from here.
The fact is that (I wish I were wrong) right now, march the 9th the head of the WOA 2017 is Volbeat, there are about 20 bands to go and It does not look like it's going to get better. The worst of it is that we could be satisfied with a good number of second row bands like Blind Guardian, Korpiklaani, Eluveitie, Arch Enemy, Rapshody, Alestorm, Running Wild, In flames, Dropkick Murphys, Iced Earth, Doro...
I'm not saying there were no good second-row bands between confirmations, what I'm saying is that there aren't enough.
I don't know whats the reason why "Mecca of Metal" has going down this year. Maybe the staff has become incompetent or maybe it has become greedy, but wouldn't think twice if I could refund the tickets and go to another festival (including the Spanish ones).
Of course, this is not possible due to at this point the festival is not sold out and the bands are what they are so the possibilities to resell the tickets without lost a lot of money (I would give up flight and hotels) is null.
SO, THE FEELING I HAVE ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS THAT I HAVE BEEN CHEATED, THAT THE STAFF HAS REFORMED THE INSTALLATIONS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE FOOLS THAT HAVE PAID THE TICKETS TRUSTING IN THE QUALITY OF THE FESTIVAL AND THAT LAST YEAR I PAID HALF THE PRICE FOR A FESTIVAL WITH MUCH MORE QUALITY.
THE WORST OF ALL IS THE DISAPPOINTMENT AFTER ALL THIS YEARS WISHING TO ASSISTS WOA AND THE ILLUSION WASTED IN THE TRIP ORGANIZATION (AND THAT I NEVER GOING TO WIN A DEBATE WITH MY GIRLFRIEND ANYMORE).
There are about 20 bands to go.
Nothing would make me happier that you would prove me wrong.
Thanks for your attention,
J.
First of all, I would like to explain my reality. My name is Jesús and I am Spanish. I study Software engineering in a university in southern Spain, where I live. After some years of assist to some local festival, the past august my girlfriend and me decided that this year we would assist to Wacken Open Air 2017.
Although my girlfriend has a degree in law, for those of you who may not know the unemployment rate in Spain is about 50% in ages under 30 so both of us works as waiters during the weekends. In addition, I would like to remark that get 440€ for the tickets (we aren't counting the trip expenses) in Germany is much easier in Germany that in Spain.
Ok, so we made the sacrifice, "worth it" I said to her and we bought the tickets last September. By then there was about 30 bands confirmed Powerwolf, Sonata Arctica, Avantasia... we had seen then in Spain but not bad; I wanted to see Amon Amarth, checking Candlemass and Lacuna Coil was quite good and Saltatio Mortis sounded great. It wasn't bad at all to get started.
After that the times goes by, month after month, celebration after celebration, we paid the flight, the hotels and save for the trip. Meanwhile confirmations follow each others in Wacken and other European festival (some of then in Spain).
After New Year Eve those who appear to be the head are confirmed, yes I mean Volbeat. "Well, there are like 60 bands to go, let's wait before panic", I said.
With all my respect to Volbeat fans, I don't have nothing against this band, but we should admit that there is no comparison between them and Iron Maiden or Metallica.
We started to read the festivals Facebook page comments. There were some people disappointed too. Some of the BIG bands was preparing tours but none of then were confirmed in Wacken. When I write BIG I mean bands like Guns'N'Roses, Rammstein, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, SOAD or Scorpions... People started to ask "Why X band is not in wacken if they are in tour?" so the staff wrote some in the line of "They would be stupid to play festivals in summer 2017, because they have to sell tickets for their own shows in autumn and winter 2017...".
Now I think that the only one who is really stupid in here is myself. All of the bands aforementioned are confirmed in one, or more than one European festival.
Spaniards are used to being fooled (every one can read it in the Spanish newspapers) but we never though that the stab in the back could come from here.
The fact is that (I wish I were wrong) right now, march the 9th the head of the WOA 2017 is Volbeat, there are about 20 bands to go and It does not look like it's going to get better. The worst of it is that we could be satisfied with a good number of second row bands like Blind Guardian, Korpiklaani, Eluveitie, Arch Enemy, Rapshody, Alestorm, Running Wild, In flames, Dropkick Murphys, Iced Earth, Doro...
I'm not saying there were no good second-row bands between confirmations, what I'm saying is that there aren't enough.
I don't know whats the reason why "Mecca of Metal" has going down this year. Maybe the staff has become incompetent or maybe it has become greedy, but wouldn't think twice if I could refund the tickets and go to another festival (including the Spanish ones).
Of course, this is not possible due to at this point the festival is not sold out and the bands are what they are so the possibilities to resell the tickets without lost a lot of money (I would give up flight and hotels) is null.
SO, THE FEELING I HAVE ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS THAT I HAVE BEEN CHEATED, THAT THE STAFF HAS REFORMED THE INSTALLATIONS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE FOOLS THAT HAVE PAID THE TICKETS TRUSTING IN THE QUALITY OF THE FESTIVAL AND THAT LAST YEAR I PAID HALF THE PRICE FOR A FESTIVAL WITH MUCH MORE QUALITY.
THE WORST OF ALL IS THE DISAPPOINTMENT AFTER ALL THIS YEARS WISHING TO ASSISTS WOA AND THE ILLUSION WASTED IN THE TRIP ORGANIZATION (AND THAT I NEVER GOING TO WIN A DEBATE WITH MY GIRLFRIEND ANYMORE).
There are about 20 bands to go.
Nothing would make me happier that you would prove me wrong.
Thanks for your attention,
J.
