Schwung 2004 (July 2004)


Date of Performance: July 8, 2004
Venue: Roeselare Hallen, Roeselare, Belgium

Schwung 2004 posterThe Belgian non-profit association vzw De Bevers has been active for around ten years. In and around the city of Roeselare this group of friends has organized concerts with well over one hundred bands already. It was 1999 when they staged the very first edition of the Schwung Festival under the banner "rock and roots festival." With 3,000 people on Friday evening and 1,500 the next day, the first edition got to a flying start with names such as Golden Earring and the legendary Wailers. A year later the edition got known as the "mud-edition," as it didn't stop raining throughout the entire festival. However, names as diverse as The Kids, Heideroosjes, Tröckener Kecks, The Godfathers, Buzzcocks, Shane McGowan, The Sweet and Björn Again pulled a huge crowd delivering proof that Schwung was well on its way to become a yearly well respected festival.

In 2001 the festival was held indoors at the Roeselare Hallen for the very first time. 5,000 music lovers saw AC/DC cover band Action in DC, Pat Travers, Gruppo Sportivo, Stars of Ska, but the revelation of the third edition was none other than Status Quo. More and more, the Schwung concept was heading towards authentic rock 'n' roll, so come 2002 and bands such as Omar and the Howlers, Slade, Golden Earring and Dave Davies came, saw and conquered. It was last year's edition that really went for the "old rockers rule" attitude. Bringing on stage such legendary acts such as Action in DC, Girlschool, Thin Lizzy, Motörhead and Deep Purple, for sure Schwung was here to stay. So this year no doubt Frank Vansteenlandt and his team had to bring on some more rockin' legends to attract even more fans. With a sold out capacity of 7,000 people, the 2004 edition of Schwung might not have been the highest standard from a musical and technical point of view, but it most certainly brought together a huge selection of rockers celebrating Schwung like noone else.

Although no fewer than five out of the seven acts from the 2004 edition also appeared in Holland as part of the Bospop festival the next day, Schwung 2004 nevertheless was a success. Whilst I still can't figure out how you can combine the VIP treatment with the most basics of the rock 'n' roll spectrum, the festival has injected a breath of fresh air into the Roeselare community and beyond. Due to the fact that I, together with many thousands, had to work that day, I only managed to arrive when Cheap Trick was already performing, meaning I missed The Ugly Buggy Boys, Thunder, Rose Tattoo and UFO. I really wanted to see UFO, with Vinnie Moore on guitar and Jason Bonham on drums, but sadly I missed out on them. A friend of mine later on informed me that Vinnie Moore didn't play any of his own songs, but he managed to sneak in some long guitar solos, as during "Rock Bottom." Together with Phil Mogg, Paul Raymond and Pete Way, UFO delivered their greatest hits package by means of "Lights Out," "Mother Mary," "Rock Bottom," "Only You Can Rock Me," "Love To Love," "Too Hot To Handle" and "Doctor, Doctor." Before UFO, Thunder started their set with the AC/DC classic of the same name, but at 3 PM even for the most diehard rock fan this was a little too early to get fully rockin', although from a vocal perspective there were resemblances to Paul Rodgers, thus steering Thunder's music into kind of a Bad Company direction. Although it all comes down to dead simple blues- and hard rock, Angry Anderson and his band Rose Tattoo delivered an effective set. Nothing fancy just pure, simple yet honest rock 'n' roll.

Status Quo's Rick Parfitt (left) and Francis Rossi (photo: John Bollenberg)I already mentioned the fact that I only arrived halfway through Cheap Trick's set, thus after Rick Nielsen had already thrown five hundred plectrums into the audience. With their smash hit "I Want You To Want Me" penciled in right at the very beginning of their set, the band's sound was way too loud for the concrete cube, which the venue in fact is. "Going Deaf For A Living" would've been a very appropriate title here! Then it was time for the most effective band in the history of rock 'n' roll: Status Quo. As long as I can remember, they play the same simple chords over and over again, and in fact they sound like the Modern Talking of rock, but it all sounds as if you know every single note they play, as if you know all the songs they perform. By now, all 7,000 souls, some of whom were by now loaded with booze, had come to life, enjoying every nanosecond of Quo's great set.

Deep Purple (photo: John Bollenberg)It all worked like clockwork, so at exactly 11 PM Deep Purple took to the stage by means of "Silver Tongue." Especially during the beginning of their set, the band struggled with some technical difficulties, even resulting in Gillan throwing his microphone towards the technicians on stage. However, as time evolved, things started to sound much better. With classics such as "Woman From Tokyo," "Strange Kind Of Woman," "Highway Star" and "Smoke On The Water," the band concentrated more on the "classic" status of the band, although four tracks from the band's latest studio effort Bananas were also displayed. The band left the stage for only a minute and returned with a great rendition of "Hush," even including a wonderful bass guitar solo by Roger Glover, followed by a tribute to Ray Charles with "Hit The Road Jack." Deep Purple closed the books with a long version of "Black Night." Although we all enjoyed Purple that night, it did look like they were hurrying things, as the next day during the Bospop festival apparently they played a much better set. So maybe it was down to the venue in the end. After all, you can't expect a detailed balance when you find yourself in a huge concrete building can you? However, the most important part was that no fewer than 7,000 rock fans had a great time, even if they had to go home in the most appalling weather!

So what about Schwung 2005? For sure the rock aspect has won the hearts of those present, but with Status Quo and Deep Purple having visited Schwung already twice, maybe they had to be smart enough to ask those present about which acts they wanted to see on stage for the next edition. Sadly they didn't think of that, so if they continue in the same style then may I suggest names like Uriah Heep, Bad Company, and who knows, Living Loud (this is a new project with Lee Kerslake, Steve Morse, Don Airey, Jimmy Barnes and Bob Daisley in its lineup). I'm sure there are plenty of names that would jump at the opportunity to be part of the 2005 edition, turning the name Schwung into pure tradition. Well done to everyone involved!

Deep Purple setlist:

Silver Tongue
Woman From Tokyo I Got Your Number
Strange Kind of Woman
Bananas
Knockin On Your Back Door
Demon's Eye
Contact Lost
The Well Dressed Guitar
Don Airey solo
Perfect Strangers
Highway Star
Space Truckin'
Smoke On The Water

Encore:

Hush
Hit The Road Jack
Black Night


Added: July 25th 2004
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.debevers.be
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Language: english
  

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