Rock Werchter 2021

[lighthouse]

I think festivals are in talk with the virologists/government on how to handle the summer, hence the silence. Correct me if I'm wrong, @Ken19.  I'm hoping for next week. Think this week is still a bit early.

Edited January 14, 2021 by lighthouse

[The Black]

21 minutes ago, lighthouse said:

I think festivals are in talk with the virologists/government on how to handle the summer, hence the silence. Correct me if I'm wrong, @Ken19.  I'm hoping for next week. Think this week is still a bit early.

From what I've heard, organisers are demanding a decision from government officials in the Netherlands by February. Organising a festival is a huge financial endeavour, which is why public announcements are best not made when everything is still up in the air. Hope is all we have for now.

[Archi]

Even next week is still too early to announce names or make any updates. Nobody are buying tickets for shows right now. Honestly, I can't imagine big festivals happening in this Summer. And all club shows are slowly moved to Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Fall 2022. Yesterday, the government in Belgium confirmed the actual rules (like the curfew at 10pm, started end of October) will continue until March 1st, at least. It would not be appropriate to announce something now.

[lighthouse]

9 minutes ago, Archi said:

Even next week is still too early to announce names or make any updates. Nobody are buying tickets for shows right now. 

It will never be a good time isn't it. 😉 And you surely can't wait until match to announce your lineup. 

(Craving for some lineup announcements personally.)

I think it's important for Werchter, and other festivals, to announce their plans on how they're going to handle everything. Concrete plans. 

Edited January 14, 2021 by lighthouse

[Archi]

1 minute ago, lighthouse said:

It will never be a good time isn't it. 😉 And you surely can't wait until match to announce your lineup. 

(Craving for some lineup announcements personally.)

Never gonna be a good time with this virus for sure! But it would be better to wait at least 2 more weeks 🙂 

[lighthouse]

4 minutes ago, Archi said:

Never gonna be a good time with this virus for sure! But it would be better to wait at least 2 more weeks 🙂 

No it won't. That's what we were saying a month ago, when numbers were actually pretty good in Belgium. Can't imagine the numbers dropping significantly before march. But I do believe it will be much better once winter's gone.

Don't forget Pukkelpop needs to announce their lineup too and having a lot of time to sell tickets is very important for them.

Edited January 14, 2021 by lighthouse

[Kusy]

Seems like PJ are going for 2022: 

https://www.pearljamonline.it/pearl-jam-il-concerto-a-imola-rimandato-al-2022/

https://www.bolognatoday.it/cronaca/autodromo-imola-formula1-gp-concerti-2021.html

 

[mln]

3 minutes ago, Kusy said:

Seems like PJ are going for 2022: 

https://www.pearljamonline.it/pearl-jam-il-concerto-a-imola-rimandato-al-2022/

https://www.bolognatoday.it/cronaca/autodromo-imola-formula1-gp-concerti-2021.html

 

Not the kind of information we were waiting for...

[Kusy]

Just now, mln said:

Not the kind of information we were waiting for...

yeah, I know 😞

[Archi]

46 minutes ago, lighthouse said:

No it won't. That's what we were saying a month ago, when numbers were actually pretty good in Belgium. Can't imagine the numbers dropping significantly before march. But I do believe it will be much better once winter's gone.

Don't forget Pukkelpop needs to announce their lineup too and having a lot of time to sell tickets is very important for them.

If Rock Werchter makes an update in 2 weeks, Friday 29 January 2021, and Pukkelpop starts to announced names on Monday 1st March, it makes still enough place. In 2019, Pukkelpop announced their first names on Monday 11 February (Tame Impala, Twenty One Pilots...) so it won't be really different in their schedule. 

We'll see what happens 🙂 

[Andrej]

Very very hard to imagine any large gatherings in Europe until at least August. There will be smaller shows, outdoors, up to 2-3k people, but just cant imagine 75,000 people in a field anywhere this summer....if vaccination goes extremely well, and all of a sudden countries can look at herd immunity of 75-80% people, then maybe there is some small light for September period, but thats also not something to bet on.

 

 

[Karlos12345]

I‘m a bit confused how that rumor about Pearl Jam and Ken19‘s optimism go together. Can‘t imagine Werchter coming back with half the lineup and second class headliners.

Edited January 14, 2021 by Karlos12345

[misterplow]

Perhaps Metallica can replace Pearl Jam? 

[Andrej]

I believe Ken's optimism was more rooted back in the late November / early December period. Its a whole different picture today, we are marching towards February and its not like anything is going rapidly well. On contrast, many countries are having bigger restrictions / shittier days than a few months ago.

 

 

 

 

[Dennisf]

I just think we can be more optimistic right now, with vaccinations planned to end in June. When the risk groups have their vaccination, the pressure on hospitals will decline and more things will be possible. Also: Flemish prime minister Jambon declared today that they will decide on the big festivals mid-March. 

 

Edited January 14, 2021 by Dennisf

[pigital]

2 hours ago, Archi said:

 Yesterday, the government in Belgium confirmed the actual rules (like the curfew at 10pm, started end of October) will continue until March 1st, at least. It would not be appropriate to announce something now.

Would like to clarify this a tiny bit. They only legally extended them until end of march (6 weeks) because the rules require a legal refresher to last 6 weeks. If on the 22nd of jan the government decides to ease the pressure (which they won't), it's perfectly possible. The messaging from the past days about this "IT LASTS UNTIL MARCH NOW" is totally crazy and it  just means that in the upcoming days and weeks we don't fall without a legal basis for the rules that are currently already in place. It's not that it's already set in stone the rules will remain the same until march. (See tweet from Minister of Internal Affairs)

[Ken19]

Still optimistic... But it is waiting for the effect of the vaccine to let the public opinion believe again.

[Daniel Ferreira]

1 hour ago, Ken19 said:

Still optimistic... But it is waiting for the effect of the vaccine to let the public opinion believe again.

I hope that Belgium will give me good news, here in my country (Portugal) today (Friday) we have entered a new confinement of 1 month 😞

[Archi]

17 hours ago, pigital said:

Would like to clarify this a tiny bit. They only legally extended them until end of march (6 weeks) because the rules require a legal refresher to last 6 weeks. If on the 22nd of jan the government decides to ease the pressure (which they won't), it's perfectly possible. The messaging from the past days about this "IT LASTS UNTIL MARCH NOW" is totally crazy and it  just means that in the upcoming days and weeks we don't fall without a legal basis for the rules that are currently already in place. It's not that it's already set in stone the rules will remain the same until march. (See tweet from Minister of Internal Affairs)

Thanks for the info, I didn't notice that. But even if it's for legal reasons, there are zero chance the actuals rules changed before a few weeks in Belgium. Maybe it won't be until March 1st, let's hope, but not much less. 

[Archi]

Sorry for the double post. The Minister of Culture from the Flemish part (Jan Jambon) said yesterday at the Parliamant that a final decision for the festivals will be taken for Mid-March maximum. He made a deal with festivals promoters to keep this deadline.

[Judithmt]

Glasto is out for 2021....so if there's a RW in 2021 it won't be able to share artists.

[zbo]

I guess there will be no large gatherings anywhere in 2021

[Karlos12345]

I think a lot of festivals will follow soon. Werchter too. Can‘t see it happen.

Not only because of uncertainty of the reached level of herd immunity til summer, but also because of international bands bailing out and tour itineraries falling apart.

[Degu]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKO3AWelyi8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Edited January 21, 2021 by Degu

[Ken19]

Werchter is doing everything to go on this summer. Logistic a far more easy festival to organise, but everything is depending on the artists. 

To give some well deserved clarity. Metallica is the Friday headliner. This was already on the table before the cancel of 2020. SOAD was moving to the Graspop Friday, that is why Graspop could not announce SOAD earlier. They had to announce Metallica first. But I have my doubts the SOAD tour will be still on, they have their focus on early June, and that is too early for festivals to going trough.