2005 - 2008
In 1998, the festival presented 23 acts. In 2008, there are 60. This increase is dizzying, but somehow the festival seems to have reached its upper limit. The top edition so far when it comes to the number of acts was 2006 with 61 artists. The number of Belgian acts has stabilised as well. Depending on the year's harvest, the local colony makes up about 15 percent to one quarter of the line-up. Belgians are thé characters of the 00s, though. The festival seems to have become unthinkable without Stephen and David Dewaele. Since 1999, they have played at every edition – except in 2001 and 2007. With 2 Many DJs they headlined the Pyramid Marquee five times and once on the Main Stage. In 2008, their total number of appearances (Flying Dewaele Brothers, Soulwax, 2 Many DJs) is 11. Another important achievement: in 2008, dEUS are the second Belgian band to headline the Main Stage.
Pearl Jam's 2007 concert simply had to go into history. Until that year, the American band had been Rock Werchter's nemesis. They had to cancel their show at the very last moment... twice. In 1992, the young gang were replaced by the – then virtually unknown – Smashing Pumpkins in great haste. In 2000, they decided to cancel the their show after the tragedy in Roskilde (Denmark). Live filled in for them.
Rock Werchter started off as a festival with acts playing for an audience of contemporaries. The people on stage tended to be as old as the crowd. This changed from both sides. The oldest artists/visitors could be the grandparents of the youngest. In 2006, The Who's Roger Daltrey (62) became the oldest artist ever to play the stage of Werchter. He is followed closely by Pete Townshend (61-The Who) and Bettye LaVette (60). On another note, the way to the top would often prove way shorter. Air Traffic were selected for the 2007 edition on the basis of two singles. Their debut album, ‘Fractured Life’, was released the day after the festival. But no-one will probably outdo El Tattoo Del Tigre. In 2000, the Nether-Cuban outfit had not even landed a record deal. It was only their fourth concert.
The festival ground is looking greener by the year. Rock Werchter invests a lot of energy in reducing its ecological footprint. It all started in 1995, when a reward system for returned goblets was introduced. The are recycled into benches by the way. Today, every aspect of the festival is subject to an ecological test. Rock Werchter operates on renewable energy. Public transport is included with the festival ticket. Buses of Flanders' public transport company De Lijn run on a mix of biodiesel and are equipped with soot filters. Each camp-site comes with a recycling park of its own, every camper is given a blue bag for recycling plastic bottles, metal containers and drink cartons. No later than 2012 will the festival ground be turned into a national park. It will be fit with benches and walkways.
In 2004, Herman Schueremans had an idea that was as inventive as it was simple: what if a visitor's wristband turned into a free key to a number of musea? Ideas like that find way more response if they are carried out by young people. So AmuseeVous was born. In 2005, Rock Werchter came with yet another attraction: the one and only festival museum where big names from the music scene made publicity for 26 Flemish and Walloon musea. Ralf Hütter (Kraftwerk) dropped by and wanted to set up a similar project in Germany. That summer, over 8,000 young people visited a museum for free. In 2007, art was really swallowed into the festival. On the festival ground, one could find a pink army tank (Kendell Geers) and a giant bikini girl (Joep Van Lieshout). In 2008, Rock Werchter is following its visitors into the museum. The exhibition ‘It’s Not Only Rock’n’Roll Baby!’ in Bozar (Brussels) shows work of 20 rock icons who are also plastic artists. Two participants are also performing at Rock Werchter 2008: Pete Doherty (Babyshambles) and Jonsi Birgisson (Sigur Rós).
Is it the market supply or is it the pride of a beleaguered festival organiser? Fact is that 2008 is a grand year. With headliners like R.E.M., Neil Young, Radiohead and dEUS, Rock Werchter has the strongest line-up of all summer festivals (and of its history?) A nice detail: Shameboy did no less than originate on the festival ground. Jimmy Dewit had been spinning records with Discobar Galaxie between acts. In 2004, Luuk Cox came and handed him a CD-R. Since then, they are musically inseparable. Furthermore, Werchter has created a third festival. Sunday July 13 will see the first edition of Werchter Boutique, a festival for the (very) young and old.
Herman Schueremans has the last word. This is what he had to say twenty years ago and these words still apply “I defend a vision: quality at an affordable price for the highest possible number of spectators.”