Features
‘We Turned Something Limiting To Something Positive’: 63,000 At Werchter Parklife
Joris Bulckens – Werchter Parklife.
View from the stage.
After being forced to cancel for a second year running, the promoters of Rock Werchter decided to put on a 28-concert series at the festival park, which attracted 63,000 people July 1 through Aug. 1.
The last “mini festival,” as promoters described it, took place yesterday, with Belgian rock acts Killthelogo, Stake, Equal Idiots, Brutus and Black Box Revelation taking the stage.
Joris Bulckens – The audience was placed in bubbles of four at 1.5 meters apart, arranged in a semi-circular arena design.
The maximum capacity each night was limited to 2,500, which is a stark contrast to the 88,000 capacity that’s usually attracted by the main event, Rock Werchter festival. But the team around festival founder and head of Live Nation’s Belgian operations, Herman Schueremans, made it work, generated revenues for artists, crew and suppliers and turned decent profit.
“The audience was happy, the artists and crew were happy as they were able to play in perfect conditions in front of their fans. Our team was happy as we were able to connect people via music,” Schueremans told Pollstar, “At the same time, we fueled some some money into the business, PA, lights, security companies, etc. I’m very happy about that.’
And he added, “There’s an expression in Flemish, [which translates as] ‘better to have one bird in your hand than 10 birds in the sky’. We all dream of big festivals. It’s not possible this time, and we made the best out of it. And it worked. We stayed connected with our audience, which was a wonderful feeling.”
The concerts turned a profit, “even a good profit,” according to Schueremans, who explained, that the high number of concerts was the key. Setting up the infrastructure on the festival site for one weekend, and at 2,500 capacity, wouldn’t work. “But if you spread your costs over 28 shows,” and with sponsors involved, “then it’s possible,” he said.
Joris Bulckens – Happy to see and hear live music again.
The audience could sit or stand on their wooden platforms.
63,000 attended in total. Every day was dedicated to a different genre, performers included almost only local acts, of which Belgium boasts a great variety, and some artists from the Netherlands, who could travel between the countries easily.
During July, outdoor gathering in Belgium were limited to 2,500, which Werchter Parklife maxed out. The audience was placed in bubbles of four on unobtrusive wood platforms on the ground, placed at 1.5 meters apart, arranged in a semi-circular arena design.
“We turned the bubbles from something limiting to something positive. They all felt like VIPs. They could park on the festival site, you could order food and drinks via app, there was table service,” Schueremans said, adding that people consumed much more than during normal times.
A promoter statement summarized: “Was Werchter Parklife a success? Absolutely. Did we enjoy it? Definitely. Will it be repeated? Probably not. Despite the return of live music to the Festivalpark, there was always a feeling that something was missing, that something was lost in the ongoing restrictions. Werchter is the home of the major festivals Rock Werchter, TW Classic and Werchter Boutique. These are huge gatherings, grand experiences. Werchter Parklife was good for now, but next year it’ll be back to normal!”
Joris Bulckens – There was a lot more space for each individual on the Festivalpark ground.
Normally, during Rock Werchter, some 88,000 fans roam the site.
Schueremans broke down the current state of restrictions in Belgiums and a potential outlook for the autumn. Since this month, the outdoor capacity has been increased to 5,000, from Aug. 13, the cap on outdoor events is supposed to be lifted. The timeframes during which both PCR and antigen tests remain valid were reduced fro 72 to 48, and 48 to 24 hours respectively, which effectively caused another major Belgian event, Pukkelpop, to cancel its 2021 edition at the eleventh hour.
“We received some instructions for the autumn last weekend. We’re trying to figure out the ins and outs, because it’s not simple. The conclusion is, they all promise a hell of a lot, the politicians, but in the end, it changes all the time,” said Schueremans.
Live Nation, like in all territories, has an enormous amount of pent up tours waiting to hit the road in Belgium. “They are all lined up, most of the shows have already been postponed for the fourth or the fifth time. The autumn will be the warm up, a sort of rehearsal time, mainly with local acts, some Dutch acts, some French acts, some rare British acts.
“I think from from mid-Jan, end of Jan 2022 onwards, it will be all hands on deck. It think it will be extremely busy. For next summer, Rock Werchter is already 95% lined up.
“The frustration of having to wait during one-and-a-half years will turn into two very hectic two years in 2022, 2023, so we better be ready, and we will.”
Dates for Rock Werchter 2022 have been set, from June 30-July 3. Pearl Jam, Metallica, Twenty One Pilots and Faith No More are part of the confirmed lineup. TW Classic has been announced for June 25, 2022, with a lineup including Placebo, Sleaford Mods and Whispering Sons, headlined by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.