The first Rammstein concert visitors have arrived at the Stadspark campsite in Groningen. But whether the concert of the heavy metal band on July 6 and 7 in the Stadspark will take place remains to be seen.
Ties Timmers (66) and Petra Verwegen (66) from Uden have been in Groningen with their caravan since Sunday. On the fold-out table in front of them, balls of cheese and sprinkles are ready to be consumed. “We came here especially for this concert,” says Verwegen.
On Thursday, the couple will take place in the stands in the Stadspark. It will then remain at the campsite until Saturday to enjoy. “I hope that from tomorrow there will be an invasion of festival visitors,” says Verwegen. “We are real festival goers and are used to the crowds. I find this campsite extremely boring.”
Verwegen’s wish is fulfilled, because the campsite is fully booked from Thursday. Then the campsite is only accessible to concertgoers, who fill 162 places on Thursday and another 160 on Friday. ,,We will not see many concertgoers. People put up their tents, go to the concert and come back to sleep,” says receptionist Max Franken (34).
Two lawsuits
Whether the concert will actually take place remains to be seen. Two court cases are due tomorrow. Stichting Natuurbeschermingswacht is taking the municipality of Groningen to court for raising the noise standard from 100 to 103 decibels. The foundation states that there is a risk of hearing damage for both people and dozens of bird species in the area.
In addition, a case from the Stichting Natuurbeschermingswacht is pending before the Council of State. It examines the combustion permit granted by the province of Groningen. This permit makes it possible to set off fireworks during the concert.
Wait until Thursday
Dennis Woehri (36) and David Emmanuel (36) from Bremen prefer to be near the fireworks zone. ,,It’s better and warmer there”, says Woehri with a laugh. The men sit at the back of the camping field under a party tent, with a single tent on each side. The men have obtained tickets for both days. “Because Rammstein is coming, we decided to make it a holiday,” says Woehri.
Timmers and Verwegen are not afraid of lawsuits and have no problem with the volume knob going up. ,,My ears are already ringing”, says Verwegen. “The sound quality of Rammstein is very good, those few decibels make no difference to us,” adds Timmers, while he turns his shag.
The two previously visited Nijmegen and the Rock Werchter festival in Belgium to see Rammstein. “Beautiful all that fire and the black clouds, we love it,” says Verwegen laughing.
More than a thousand cards for Rammstein
The tickets for the Rammstein concert sold out within a few hours in September. A second date quickly followed, for which the tickets also flew out the door. Now, just before the concert and after the fuss around Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann, there are more than a thousand cards for sale on the official ticket site. Most tickets are still available for the concert on Thursday.