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2017-06-02-04 DE – Gelsenkirchen - Amphitheater
 

 3-days Festivalpass + Camping: 108.40 Euro
3-days Festivalpass: 86.90 Euro

Friday: 39.00 Euro (incl. fees)
Saturday: 45.00 Euro (incl. fees)
Sunday: 49.00 Euro (incl. fees)

 

Blues Pills - Candlemass - The Dead Daisies - Mantar - Robert Pehrsson's Humbucker - Dust Bolt

Behemoth - D-A-D - Exodus - Asphyx - Skyclad - The Nightflight Opera - Ketzer - Monument

Opeth - Dirkschneider - Fates Warning - Ross The Boss - Demon - Secrets Of The Moon - Blood Ceremony - Night Demon

 

[BRT] Our family reunion at the wonderful :: Amphitheater :: in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The weather is great, just a few refreshments from above, a diversified program and many, many friends and good people around… Yes, we are ready to get the party started ;) And so I did. Already on Thursday. With a party in the parking lot that saw many friends stopping by and getting wasted at the party tent. Well, you can do so. Or not. Headaches were guaranteed anyway. At least I managed to get my wristband before the demon alcohol took over.

:: Stories :: Friday :: Saturday :: Sunday ::

:: Pics :: Friday :: Saturday :: Sunday :: Fans ::

[Sui] Weekend, sunshine and 30°C in the shade – there is nothing like the anticipation of the upcoming ROCK HARD FESTIVAL while I was stuck in the umpteenth jam between Cologne and Gelsenkirchen, being simmered at low heat and slowly realizing that I again would miss the opening act. Once getting the dust of Gelsenkirchen under my feet I just scanned the stalls, noticed that the Porta-Potti got replaced by a freely visible plastic urinal and then queued to get my festival wristband.

[Psycho] Weather forecasts for the Pentecost weekend were rather mediocre but who would be scared? It’s the annual ROCK HARD FESTIVAL. Additionally, a slowly concept change took effect: diversification. While in the past especially the Friday was thematically sorted, the RHF crew now created a musically diversified program for all three days, which I personally found much more interesting and thrilling. Unfortunately, the drive was much jam dominated. Additional delays for unexplainable reasons at the press both let me miss DUST BOLT, while Elke and Dajana were already in. Bothering…

[Dajana] Woohoo, yeah, here we are again :) The long Whitsun weekend = the first summer open air = ROCK HARD FESTIVAL, a weekend full of excellent music, friends and brewski. Well-knowing the problems with traffic jams on this weekend and the queues at the press both on the first festival day I hit the road early. Very early. And made it smoothly to Gelsenkirchen. Ok, getting my wristband was a tough matter either…

As Psycho already mentioned, the running order was quite mixed this year, to counter the crowd draining. Tactically smart. Though, none of the days of this year’s ROCK HARD FESTIVAL edition was sold out.

From an organizational point of view nothing has changed that much. Ticket prices once again increased, but not that much than last year (4.90 Euro to be exactly). As for that, drinks got noticeably more expensive: Prices for beer now (0.4l cups) 4 Euro, plus 1 Euro deposit, water 0,4l for 3 Euro (which lies in hands of the operating company of the location). Prices for food remained the same. And there were no special conditions for the parking garage anymore (10 Euro instead of 4.50 Euro the years before), in return, the RHF opened an additional parking for 5 Euro each day (which was quite empty) just a few meters ahead the parking garage.

Once again the Rockpalast streamed at least the Friday and Saturday. On Sunday I didn’t see anybody from the crew, except for the OPETH show.

[Dajana] Of course, the terror warning Friday evening at the Rock am Ring festival left its impact on ROCK HARD FESTIVAL too. On Saturday, safety precautions were increased and bags scrupulously checked. After the London attacks on Saturday evening, safety precautions on Sunday were even levelled up. The gates to the last festival day opened almost one hour later, right before NIGHT DEMON entered the stage, who, in fact, played in front of an empty arena. Nonetheless, we had a great, well-organized, peaceful and safe festival weekend :)

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL crew, to the Rock Hard Magazine, the one and only :: CCS Security ::, and all the busy helpers, assistants, volunteers, contributors and helpings hands around, from the stage crew up to the cleaners. Thank you for a great festival and a great party :)

 

story • Psycho, Sui, BRT, Dajana • pics © Dajana & Dajana Winkel • Photography