#1 FEB 2024 The morning after Kiss For the first time in Bogotá Three sisters and their family life on tour The power of black shirts Amon Amarth frontman Johan Hegg played his first show at the W:O:A 25 years agovery year, the bullhead sits majestically en- throned between the Faster and Hard- er Stage. It is not only an eye-catcher, but also THE inter- national landmark of the Wacken Open Air. That’s why there couldn’t have been a better namesake for a new W:O:A magazine than this iconic bull- head. And so we present to you the first edition of “The Bullhead”! We are looking forward to being able to offer our Wacken family even more than in the past with “Fes- tival Today”. Instead of just during the fes- tival, we will now also provide you with “The Bullhead” before and after the Wacken Open Air with insights into the W:O:A universe that you won’t find anywhere else, exclusive stories and conversations as well as special reports from the world of heavy metal. We’re there when the Metal Battle par- ticipants compete in Bogotá for their tick- et to the northern German province, talk to music greats like Johan Hegg from Amon Amarth and Gene Simmons in one of his first in- terviews after Kiss’ final show and take a look at the pro- duction of the most coveted W:O:A ac- cessory, the timeless festival shirt. Last but not least, we use our short line to the two Wacken bosses to find out the background to the most important innovations – as well as what DJ Hübi prefers to play and why Thomas had slightly teary eyes last year. “The Bullhead” is your free AAA pass into the world of the Wacken Open Air, shortening the wait until the next W:O:A. Just click, browse and read. Have fun! Andrea Leim Editor in chief “The Bullhead” Cartoonist and AC/DC fan Oli Hilbring draws the figures with the big noses W:O:A boss Holger Hüb- ner explains: “We trav- elled to festivals a lot in the mid-eighties. But there weren’t any classic metal festivals yet, ‘Mon- sters of Rock’ was only a one-day event, and there wasn’t much going on here in the north anyway. That’s why we always travelled to Roskilde in Denmark. But of course there was no internet yet, so we had to go to the trouble of finding the in- formation. We went to a bookshop in Kiel, where there was a large flyer about Roskilde. It had a hotline number on it, and if you called it, you could hear which bands had been confirmed. Ev- ery year, this flyer also had the slogan: ‘See you in Roskilde – Rain or Shine!’ A few years later, as you know, we started our own little festival and I thought about what we could put on our flyers. Because I liked Roskil- de’s slogan and it suited us well in terms of the weather, I simply adopt- ed it. Curiously, it was no longer to be found on the Roskilde flyers from the following year onwards.” IMPRINT “The Bullhead” is a product of WOA Festival GmbH, Schenefelder Straße 17, 25596 Wacken Managing directors: Thomas Jensen, Holger Hübner / Project coordination: Peter Klapproth / Editor in chief: Andrea Leim Design/Layout: arne__creates / Contributor: Timon Menge / Editing & Translation: Christof Leim Wacken wisdom credits: Wacken Open Air, privatsoccer fields. That is the size of the area that becomes the capital of worlwide metal ev- ery year. If you wanted to hold the German Football League on it, you could take a new field for every game for almost two years. However, this huge total area – all 423 hectares with infield, camp- sites and roads – can’t just lie around for the rest of the year... After the festival, the W:O:A grounds are by no means silent and untouched until metalheads finally par- ty on them again. Most of the time, the Holy Ground is not so “holy” in the sense of holy heavy metal: “The festival occupies our land for two weeks a year,” explains farmer Sönke Trede. “After that, we use it for grazing or cultivation.” The land is there- fore continuously tilled in the truest sense of the word – but in a way that is specifically geared towards the open air. “The aim is to achieve a viable sward every year,” says Trede. He owns most of the areas where the W:O:A takes place, including the infield. And as the surname suggests: Trede is the son of the legendary and sadly deceased farmer Uwe, who rented out the first field to Holger Hübner and Thomas Jensen over 30 years ago. With- out him, the Wacken Open Air would probably never have ex- isted. To explain this to anyone who knows as much about agriculture as a cow knows about noisy music: a sward is the continuous growth of grass- es and herbs on the ground, which is held together by the closed plant population and the roots. In other words, the more the plants take root in the soil, the stronger and more stable the sward becomes. In order for this to happen, farmers usually grow barley, rye or grass on the land immediately after the festival and usually use special mixtures that root particularly well. However, the very wet year 2023 brought a number of chal- lenges, explains Jan Struve, Di- rector Operations at ICS Festival Service GmbH. “The so-called black areas, which were com- pletely muddy after the open air, first had to be levelled out again and cultivated with harrows. They were then reseeded.” Before this could hap- pen, however, the massive amount of woodchippings that had been distributed due to all the rain first had to be removed. “Everything that is driven onto the field has to be taken down again,” Sön- ke Trede explains. “The wood- chippings are organic matter. If they were left in the ground, they would soak up water like a sponge. They would start to de- cay, which would mean that the plants could not grow, could not take root and develop no viable sward.” But the 16 farmers who own the W:O:A land have managed that too. They usually manage to mow the field grass two or three times before the next summer. The more often the grass can grow, the deeper and more over- grown the roots are. And this leads to a strong sward. Roots mighty roots! The Wacken field in green perfection credits: Wacken Open Air Turning the field into the Holy Ground The infield full of mudThe two organizers of the Wacken Open Air Holger Hübner and Thomas Jensen on difficult decisions, humility and important innovations Thomas Jensen (l.) and Holger Hübner (r.) on the snowy Wacken field. The pictures of the two Wacken bosses were taken by star photographer Pep Bonet, who has been photographing at the festival for many yearshe summer of 2023 will surely go down in W:O:A history. Never before have the weather conditions been so bad that a travel ban had to be imposed. But never before has there been such a massive wave of solidarity. Holger Hüb- ner and Thomas Jensen look back and, of course, to the fu- ture. Hand on heart: How close were you to cancellation in 2023? Holger: It was tight on Tuesday and we had to hold internal crisis meetings with the authorities to discuss the necessary measures. Our team, our crew simply did a great job of implementing everything we gave them. For us, however, giving up is not an option and we will see it through as long as life and limb are not in danger. We stick to our motto: Don’t just talk - do it! Thomas: That’s basically always been our story: two crazy people doing something that’s actually impossible. And then it works out. If nothing else works, Wacken always does! How would you personally summarise W:O:A 2023? Thomas Jensen: It was a rollercoaster of emotions. I’ve never felt as extreme as I did last year. But there were also a lot of moving moments during the difficult hours, so I definitely had quite teary eyes at one point or another. The support we received from all directions was unique – be it from fans, friends, people here in the region, but also from artists and even other festivals. I’m not a big fairground fan, but 2023 was the most intense carousel you can imagine. Holger Hübner: The year can also easily be filed under the heading “Faith, Love, Hope”. On the one hand, there was our infinite faith in our team, which rocked the huge challenges of 2023. As well as the authorities, who supported everything. Secondly, the love for our fans, who on the one hand saved the festival by staying at home and on the other - when they were there - partied with us, so that it turned out to be a great week after all. And then there’s hope: that always dies last with us. That’s why we did everything we could to ensure that the Wacken Open Air could take place. What was the most difficult moment for you? Holger: Definitely the night from Monday to Tuesday. Thomas: Definitely! Holger: Due to the heavy and persistent rain, we had to make the decision on Tuesday that more than 60,000 visitors were not possible on the site. That’s why we had to stop admission. It only worked because we have the best fans in the world. We can only say ‘thank you’ again and again! Thomas: We also had the feeling that we were letting our fans down with the decision. It was a very emotional challenge. Did you expect the huge support and solidarity after the decision? Thomas: The support was incredible and I have to say that I didn’t quite expect it. Holger: I don’t just feel grateful, but also very humble. Also because we have been allowed to organise this festival for the fans for decades. The fact that it’s so popular spurs us on and, of course, it’s also an obligation. A festival is never finished and must always continue to improve. We are constantly working on this. What is the financial balance sheet for the past year? Thomas: A year like 2023 is obviously not easy for us financially. First and foremost, it was important for us to quickly pay back the fans, our “heroes”, who stayed at home. We’ve managed to do that. However, the rest is not yet finalised, which is why we can’t draw a final balance yet. What has definitely helped us is the loyalty of our fans. The fact that we were sold out again for 2024 after such a short time is not only fantastic, but has of course also given us a lot of planning se- curity. Following the W:O:A, you immediately worked on ensuring that a situation like last year would not happen again. What are the main changes for 2024? Holger: The most important change is, of course, our travel and arrival concept, which helps us to be well organised during the arrival process Thomas Jensenregardless of the weather. The most important thing is that our visitors can all get to the site safely and as quickly as possible next summer. The Access Pass and the route selection will help us immensely. We are also opening the grounds on Sunday to make traveling to the event even easier. The fans should be able to arrive and park, set up their tent, open a beer and celebrate. (Editor’s note: All about Access Passes and Co. on the following pages) For all those arriving on Sunday, there will be a party in the evening with you, Holger, at the DJ booth... Holger: Yes, exactly. The DJ thing has been going on our whole lives. Thomas played with Skyline, where Gösi also played drums. I was always on tour with the band as a DJ. That was our show concept. Even now I still DJ from time to time, whether at the Landgasthof or somewhere else. I’m up for it and usually play a wide variety of music. Of course, heavy metal is the main focus, but punk and hard rock are also included. My collection is pretty big and, depending on the technical equipment, I can either play digitally or just on vinyl. I currently have a lot of it again and also some real gems that are fun to listen to. Is there a band you’re particularly looking forward to in 2024? Thomas: Amon Amarth are old mates, I always look forward to seeing them. One of the band’s first tours was the Wacken Road Show, and they first played the W:O:A 25 years ago. I’ve also known Chuck from Beasto Blanco for ages. He also plays in the Alice Cooper band, we have a really close relationship with him. So of course I’m really looking forward to seeing him. It’s like a family reunion. Holger: It’s a similar story with the Scorpions. We’ve been friends with the musicians for a long time and they’ve played at the Wacken Open Air several times, so of course I’m delighted that they’re back. Thomas: Yes, very much! I also hope that I’ll be able to stop at a stage every now and then and watch one or two songs. It doesn’t really matter to me which band is playing. I always find it particularly exciting when it’s a band that I don’t even know yet and then discover them at the festival. That’s why I think our Metal Battle is so great. Holger: I’m particularly looking forward to Korn, of course, because we’ve never had them at Wacken before. New metal used to be rather notorious, which fortunately changed years ago. And our Metal Battle has developed really well. As far as I know, we are the only festival of this size to organise a worldwide newcomer competition, and we have already found great bands that are touring internationally. Of course that spurs us on and makes us happy. You can read a detailed report on the Metal Battle on pages 30-33 Holger Hübnerhis year, every vehicle Wacken fans are coming to the festival with will need an Access Pass. To get one, choose a day of arrival and register at the Ticket Center. In addition, the W:O:A gates will open on Sunday in 2024. Here are answers to your most important questions about the new system. Who needs an Access Pass? All vehicles that are supposed to drive onto the W:O:A site. How- ever, one Access Pass per vehicle is sufficient. Do I have to book an Access Pass if I have already booked camping at Residenz Evil, Moshtel, T.E.N.T., Camper Park or Bauer Uwes Garten? No. You will automatically re- ceive the pass with your book- ing. What if I arrive by motorcycle? If you are coming by foot, bi- cycle, motorcycle, by coach or shuttle bus, you do not need an Access Pass. All the info about the Access Pass and the additional Sunday Good news: Even with several people in the car, you only have to pay once for the Sunday Access PassWhy was the Access Pass introduced at all? The organizers want to know in advance how many vehicles they need to prepare for on the respective arrival days for everyone to get access to the campsite as quickly as possible. Controlling the traffic can be achieved better and more ef- ficiently during the planned arrival period if people register beforehand. How do you check whether I have an Access Pass? The document and its validity are checked at all access points. So please carry the Access Pass visibly with you or have your cell phone ready to show it digitally. Can I still ride in a convoy with my friends? To use the Access Pass, you must select a route to the campground in advance. There are three dif- ferent routes to choose from. If you are traveling in a group or in a convoy, it is advisable to choose the same route so that you arrive at the campground close to each other or together. Why do I have to choose a route option? The Access Pass including the associated three route options were introduced due to the weather-related difficulties during the arrival phase last year. The current decision for one route per vehicle makes it possible to better assess the vol- ume of traffic. The routes will be determined shortly before the start of the arrivals based on the accessibil- ity of the campground and the expected weather conditions. It is therefore not possible yet to provide route details. All routes will take you to the campground as quickly as possible. And if I can’t make it to the festival on the booked day due to delay because of a breakdown or traffic jam? The system only works if ev- eryone cooperates. If worst comes to worst (breakdown, traffic jam etc.), the organiz- ers will work on a solution to still get you get you to the site somehow. Please stay on your chosen route for the entire journey. What is the advantage of the Sunday Access Pass? It gives you the opportunity to ar- rive as early as 8 a.m. on Sunday. Without the Sunday Pass, arrival is only possible from Monday. Does the Sunday Access Pass cost anything? Yes, 66.60 Euros – but not per person, only per vehicle. The Sunday Access Pass is limited and has been available at the Wacken Ticketcenter since February 12. Why should I spend money on it? You can use it to secure the best spots on the campground – first come, first served! Especially for those arriving on Sunday, the wristband will issued earlier. In addition, the traffic situation is generally quieter at the weekend. And of course you’ll get even more Wacken: There will be a welcome party on Sunday with W:O:A boss Holger Hübnerde- livering the tunes as DJ Hübi. How much does it cost if I come by bus on Sunday? Good news for all metalheads ar- riving with the W:O:A bus from Itzehoe: “If you use the bus shut- tle, you don’t have to pay for the early arrival to the campground on Sunday,” explains Holger Hübner. “Despite the increased effort in terms of personnel and logistics we have to take care of because of a another festival day, we want to reward our fans who travel in an environmentally conscious way. So form carpools or come by bus and train.“ If you are traveling by motorcycle, you do not need an Access Pass On Sunday you can even already get your wristband credits: Wacken Open Air You will find all the information at: www.wacken.com and faq.wacken.com Next >