Spring/summer 2010 overseas rock festivals(posted 8.30.10)
The group enjoyed a spectacular summer festival season beginning with a great return performance at the renowned Sweden Rock Festival, featuring a classics-heavy set, and playing directly before Axl's hired G'n'R on the Main Stage(late as expected). Douglas has now played 3 SRF's with W.A.S.P.: 2001, 2006 and 2010! Cool, rainy weather calmed for the set, segments of which can be seen in fan-filmed footage here.
In early July the group traveled far north to Helsinki, Finland for its return performance at the inner-city Tuska Festival, where the sun again shined brighter than anywhere on the planet. Quite possibly affected, Douglas took a fully-televised center-stage tumble at the end of his spotlight solo in The Idol. While nary a note was missed, he was injured in the eyebrow and elbow. This can be seen in quality video here.
This was followed a week later by a fine performance at the Sonisphere Fest outside Madrid, Spain, along with acts like Porcupine Tree, Slayer, and Alice In Chains. A big big fan of SW's Porcupine Tree, Blair got to stand onstage behind their backdrop while they played facing the hot summer sun, soaking in what may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear them play directly from their stage gear. 'It was ridiculously amazing.'
A small, but very cool event followed in Foca, Turkey... performing on another ridiculously wind-bown stage on the beach, with drums and amps needing to be secured down, and taking a small ferry boat to and from the stage area. A second small festival on the island of Crete(Greece) was preceded by some superb Mediterranian down-time, and followed by quite possibly the best show of this line-up's history, commencing at the legendary Wacken Fest in Northern Germany. After an overnight sleepless, 3-flight, 6-hour van journey from Crete, the group took the stage just over 2 hours after arriving on site, and turned in a blistering set for the capacity audience of 75,000! Excellent footage can be viewed here. Douglas earned the distinction of Metal Hammer magazine's choice of 'most ingenious guitar solo' of the event, in response to his extended solo in The Idol, this time sans embarrassing wipe-out! Read the translated snippet here.
In early July the group traveled far north to Helsinki, Finland for its return performance at the inner-city Tuska Festival, where the sun again shined brighter than anywhere on the planet. Quite possibly affected, Douglas took a fully-televised center-stage tumble at the end of his spotlight solo in The Idol. While nary a note was missed, he was injured in the eyebrow and elbow. This can be seen in quality video here.
This was followed a week later by a fine performance at the Sonisphere Fest outside Madrid, Spain, along with acts like Porcupine Tree, Slayer, and Alice In Chains. A big big fan of SW's Porcupine Tree, Blair got to stand onstage behind their backdrop while they played facing the hot summer sun, soaking in what may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear them play directly from their stage gear. 'It was ridiculously amazing.'
A small, but very cool event followed in Foca, Turkey... performing on another ridiculously wind-bown stage on the beach, with drums and amps needing to be secured down, and taking a small ferry boat to and from the stage area. A second small festival on the island of Crete(Greece) was preceded by some superb Mediterranian down-time, and followed by quite possibly the best show of this line-up's history, commencing at the legendary Wacken Fest in Northern Germany. After an overnight sleepless, 3-flight, 6-hour van journey from Crete, the group took the stage just over 2 hours after arriving on site, and turned in a blistering set for the capacity audience of 75,000! Excellent footage can be viewed here. Douglas earned the distinction of Metal Hammer magazine's choice of 'most ingenious guitar solo' of the event, in response to his extended solo in The Idol, this time sans embarrassing wipe-out! Read the translated snippet here.