The first band we saw was a small part of the Sheer, once again not a band for the Metalrage crowd so we decided to get a beer. After that I was getting CarpeSiem and the others were going to see Bambix. According to them it wasn’t that great but ..

 

Once again there wasn’t much too see and I forgot about Alex Agnew so I went to Ali B; On the internet there were some dudes who decided to throw beer towards this Dutch rapper. And to be honest I had never seen so much beer flying through the air. But Ali B was solving the problem very well. Because he continues the show a confronts the audience in a peace full way he deserves respect. This is worth mentioning in a review on Metalrage because that dude is doing what he loves and it is sad some stupid rock and metal fans are trying to ruin this. After this CapreSiem and Buzzin Hornet headed towards the restolounge for some ska, because on this small stage the Skabadivers were performing. With their pleasantly show and great stage act they were able to blow away the entire audience. When I looked into the audience I saw one big gigantic party and before I knew it I lost CarpeSiem in the party crowd. I took some pictures and enjoyed the show from the side stage and looked at the crazy audience.

 

And then it was time for the act on this festival for Metalrage. The Dillinger Escape Plan entered the Masters of Rock stage and started their energetic, powerful and most of all varied show. As usual they started with Panasonic Youth but many other songs followed. And like always the people who know the band are jumping around and having a great time and the first timers are just amazed about the show, the music and the style DEP uses on the stage. The only song I missed was Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants. I don’t know why but this song is just amazing.

The act was great to look at once again, leadguitarist Ben was using every single stage prop to jump around the stage and Greg was running around the stage with his head following his body. It was funny to see the Paaspop crowd try to figure out what the hell they are listening to. Anyways, the Metalrage editors were enjoying this show and according to us this was the best performance of the festival.

 

After recovering of this set it was time to eat and hang at the campsite. Once again bags of chips were pulled out of the tent and we had a great conversation with our lovely neighbours. Agnostic Front was about to start their set and we watched half the show. Because this hardcore band plays songs which all sound the same it wasn’t that interesting for me and soon enough we went outside and once again had a beer and we watched people walking and fighting on the grounds.

 

Flogging Molly is one of those bands that really fits in festivals. Anyone who is familiar with their live-performance should be aware of that. At Paasop, there wasn’t any difference. The band played songs of all of their albums so far, with the accent on the Drunken Lullabies record.

The atmosphere was perfect right from the start and I think the front man of The Street Dogs was somehow right when he introduced Flogging Molly as one of earth’s greatest live-bands. The crowd loved the set list, the band was full of enthusiasm and the sound was also great, something not every band had experienced this festival. To my surprise, the best songs weren’t big hits like Drunken Lullabies and What’s left up the flag but instead Whistle the wind, The light of a fading star and Rebels (are weeeee) of the sacred heart. With this, I’d like to make clear that a live-performance of Flogging Molly isn’t about playing a greatest hits set, but having a good time and laugh with each other. According tot the smiles one everyone’s faces, that worked out pretty well.

 

Headlining the Masters Of Rock stage this year was one of the best bands our small country has to offer: the internationally popular Peter Pan Speedrock. Paaspop was their 1001th (!!!) gig and what can one say? It shows. I can't think of one Dutch band that is this professional in rocking the shit out of people. Classics such as Go Satan Go, Resurrection and Donkey Punch still sound like a blast and as the years progress they seem to become better tracks as they got older. Some new stuff was also played, and even though I'm not as exited about the new material as with the older stuff, you just know it's going to be better when hearing it in two years!

 

My expectations about the Within Temptation gig were very high, because of their latest release (see the review on www.metalrage.com). The band seems to be focused on a very big concept, with success, according to the big European tour.

The set began with the intro and the first song, See who I am, of the latest album, and I immediately felt like something special was about to happen. Almost the entire new album was played including Stand my ground and the unbelievable beautiful song (and new single) Angels. It took a while before songs from Mother Earth passed by and only one song from Enter was played.

 

As I compare the gigs from a couple of years ago with this one, the only thing that has changed is the big live show, including fireworks, statues and flames. The band still seems to be very happy to be on stage, according to the smile on everyone’s faces and the contact that Sharon has with the audience creates some kind of alliance between crowd and band that really gets you involved in Within Temptation.

My remarks about this gig are just the same as the ones that I had on the cd. For me it was a performance to remember because I liked the songs and enjoyed the stage-attitude. But for a fan from the beginning of the band, desiring heavy riffs and grunts, I could imagine one felt like losing grip on something he or she believed in. Let’s consider that, because the development of the band is so huge, it was a fine gig with the material they’ve got right now. Off course, Ice Queen was the slam-dunk to return home safely.