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Dynamo Open
Air, Eindhoven, Holland 23rd May 1999.
Whilst getting over the infamous Metallica
famine that hit he UK in 1998, getting some solid chunks of MetNews that
the men in black would be headlining the long running Dutch metal offering
they call Dynamo Open Air, it looked like Bob Geldof had arrived.
The details came out from International
Concert Travel around Xmas 98 so myself and a metal lass from up the road
booked to experience some XXX Red Hot Dutch Metal Mayhem.
Dynamo has been going since about 1986ish
where it evolved from the Dynamo rock club in Eindhoven, into it’s car
park and then into a local skating rink. Since the early 90’s it’s never
really found a proper residency in a field due to locals complaining and
difficulty obtaining licences etc (Considering it’s the flattest nation on
the face of the planet – it baffles me why a permanent festival site was
never found!). This year it had been moved to Mierlo, a small rural
location just outside Eindhoven. This proved to be a bad move as the camp
site used to be a land fill garbage tip and the actual festival enclosure
was fairly cramped for the 50-60,000 punters visiting.
We arrived on the Friday, had time for the 3
S’s (Shit, Shower & Shave… 2 S’s for my female companion I think and hope)
before heading to the site. The main stage was shut on the opening day so
we got our bearings and headed for one of the many other stages – Tent,
Death Metal and Skate Punk. We were treated to some odd continental bands
as well as the likes of Static X & Sodom who proved to be pretty
entertaining. Our friend Barry (who I also bumped into at DOA the next
year and at Reading 2002!) was on top form HOP ON BABY!
The Saturday was filled with the normal
mediocrity but the main stage was now open to the likes of Nashville Pussy
(who kicked ass!), StormTroopers Of Death, Cradle Of Filth and Manowar
who were headlining(!?!?). My main memories from this night was A;
getting battered on Dutch beer and taking on the Dutch/German contingent
in a piggy back battle (in the pit) and grazing my chin on a plunge into
the turf – that pinched I can tell ya. B; Drooling at the girls from
Nashville Pussy getting intimate C; Watching Manowar drag a groupie from
the crowd so she could unveil her rack to 50,000 metallists.
MetalliSunday had arrived. We headed
straight to the main arena where we watched Mercyful Fate, System Of A
Down, Monster Magnet, Biohazard, Fear Factory followed by Apocalyptica,
the Cellists that cover Metallica. Very strange to have the eager crowd
providing the vox for everything they played! After they cleared their
shit from the stage we prepared for the main event.
The Ecstacy Of Gold rung across the Dynamo
shortly after 8pm. Still daylight but who cares! I didn’t as I rested on
the front barrier. After a very short greeting from Mr.Hetfield the
opening riff sounded from Breadfan – der ner ner der ner ner der ner ner…
Amazing. Straight into a full version of Puppetz. Things were looking
good! After Thingy we were gifted to some hearty flames on the intro to
Fuel! The crowd chanting parts of Memory were giving me the shivers. It
was awesome. Bleeding Me - say no more. The rest of the set was
spattered with old, new, borrowed and blue. After Fight Fire With Fire we
hit the classics NEM & SBT then Creeping Death. The Garage inc. anthem
Die Die My Darling preceeded a song called Enter Guy Fawkes. Pyro a-plenty
the Sandman sounded and looked fucking good (I’m a sucker for a good fire
work show, me).
What a show. My second outing to Europe for
Metallica and it was well worth enduring the hardcore Dutch Dynamo build
up.
Whatever next? Metallica in Ireland? The
Big Day Out? Who knows, maybe even the newly re-formed Iron Maiden playing
in Paris & Rotterdam? 1999.. a vintage year in metal by anybodies
standards.
Set List
Ecstacy Of Gold
Breadfan
Master Of Puppets
Of Wolf & Man
The Thing That Should Not Be
Fuel
Memory Remains
Bleeding Me
Four Horsemen
For Whom The Bells Tolls
King Nothing
Wherever I May Roam
One
Fight Fire With Fire
Nothing Else Matters
Sad But True
Creeping Death
Die Die My Darling
Enter Sandman
Battery
Cads (Good memory) 2004 |
