Saturdays are often special for festivals – anyone who had to work the day before and has to get up early on Monday is trying to make the most of their visit. For some, the task is therefore: Watch as many bands as possible and jump into the mosh pit, throwing hooks. Others, on the other hand, prefer the cultivated excess of beer in the collective. Whatever your mood, Hurricane 2022 has the line-up to match.
The mix of punk, rock, indie in the afternoon and early evening, as well as rap and hip-hop later in the evening, makes it possible to kick off and then relax with musical beer homage (“1000 years of beer” by Deichkind, “Bier” by KIZ) to give the edge a little under supervision. Anyone who faints from time to time is – and that’s really great – immediately provided with water by the surrounding spectators or, in an emergency, given medical care.
Juju heats up
With the high temperatures on the hot weekend, hydration and electrolytes are of course at least as popular as sunscreen, whose sweet scent mingles with the earthy field. There’s just something about the smell of festival summer – pathos or not, now it’s clear how much it was missing. “Damn, guys, I’m about to collapse,” also exaggerates whoops something that presents its wonderfully obscene songs to the people in front of the River Stage. An SXTN song also makes it onto the set list: The whole audience sings along to “Fotzen im Club”: “Tweak the leftovers from Thursday’s drink, slap make-up on until your face glitters, stick one in because it’s in the club too expensive”. Very few in the audience are willing to later admit they’re having it in the face of the police presence, but are more than willing to provide information about past weed use.
Foals
The mosh pit formed at Juju gets even bigger for the rest of the day. Many have learned from the dusty Friday (sniffing revealed some interesting surprises) and donned their FFP2 masks. Also Foals had a certain amount of respect before the performance: “We were afraid that it might get too hot or dusty. But you give us life”, thanks guitarist and singer Yannis Philippakis. “Spanish Sahara” is also a must under these conditions, before the band from Oxford break loose with songs like “Inhaler” in the style of a rock festival.
Idles – the real rock kings of the day
While Mando Diao pompously cringe (cringe) themselves as Swedish kings of rock ‘n’ roll on the Forest Stage, on the set of idles give a shit about such ego manners – let’s put it like it is. The band from Bristol does what they want: guitarist Mark Bowen marches across the stage gesticulating wildly in a summery maxi dress, bassist Adam Devonshire curses to himself, guitarist Lee Kiernan throws himself into the crowd in front of him in his bright white outfit to continue playing there. When they fish it out again, singer Joe Talbot crosses himself, but continues to pull through to the hard drumming of Jon Beavis: yelling angry lyrics in the best of moods, you have to get it right first.
KIZ
From the Ferris wheel, the dimensions of the festival can be viewed even better at sunset. On Saturday, even more people than the day before seem to be pouring into the square to celebrate with a rap- and hip-hop-heavy headlining line-up. Many are now bringing themselves KIZ in position in front of the River Stage. Nevertheless, many also watch the antelope gang on the mountain stage. Others enjoy the light-hearted indie pop of the Berliners Because of Lisbethwho sing about the young Tesla boss with their new song “Elon Musk is not coming to Berghain” on the Forest Stage.
Just arrived from the Birkenhain mental hospital: Tarek, Maxim and Nico. In institutional jogging suits, they start their set with “VIP in Psychiatry”. It’s all over with political correctness now that thousands are yelling “underfucked and mentally handicapped”. How sang Danger Dan just as nicely next door: “It’s all covered by freedom of art”. And even if you don’t like it, you’ll have to laugh out loud or throw your hands up in the face of the trio’s insane lyrics and announcements, which concentrate on the “essentials of hip-hop”.
Deichkind at the limit
At times the rush is dike child so big that the show has to be briefly interrupted to resolve bottlenecks and ensure everyone’s safety. This later affects the live stream, because the pompously flickering stage show from Twenty One Pilots is to be shown, viewers at home are deprived of the big encore with “Remmidemmi”. For reconciliation there is a small insight here:
Nevertheless, it is a glorious summary for the people on site and in front of the screen, because the stage show with choreographed elements, festival of lights and changing costumes is, as always, worth seeing and highly entertaining. In order to be able to switch back to a socially acceptable state of mind, the aforementioned Ohio duo of musicians are happy to help afterwards. And even if the lyrics might be a bit tamer again – optically the show stands by Twenty One Pilots in no way inferior to the performances of their predecessors with highlights such as a stage bonfire.