Graspop Festival 2023 - First Impressions of the Arena - Thursday PART 4
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- Billymayhem.com
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In this series of upcoming Videos I have tried to show what a FULL Graspop Festival experience is like (in 32°c heat) from Start to finish. I'll be posting 1 video every other day at 7PM until we are out of footage & these will be "Premieres" so we'll have a Livechat along the way if thats your thing & yes it's really me typing! ha!
SO
🤘🏻Graspop 2023🤘🏻
Well that was one of the best weekends I've ever had!
In terms of a "Perfect Festival" it's an 11/10!
I tried all weekend to find at least one fault and it was borderline impossible! A true credit to Belgium 🇧🇪🖤
So to start, we left Download (and you'll see the absolute state we were all in in a few videos time 😂) & we had literally 12 hours to do all our washing, get Bartek back to our place in Folkestone and get on the Ferry to France to drive to Belgium. I had never driven a right hand drive car on the "right side of the road" either. But yeah we somehow pulled it off. (Cheers to Ruby Dad for letting me borrow one of his cars because of the Hearse fail)
For comparison, We got on the Ferry, drove through France & into Belgium, parked up at Graspop and had 2 beers in QUICKER time than it took to leave the carpark at Download!
I really had concerns about not speaking the language but this is the weirdest thing in every direction theres another conversation with another language! So at all times you'll be hearing syllables and pieces of words from 5+ cultures and yet everyone knows perfect English and makes the effort with us. - it made me feel insanely uncultured and thick knowing 1. But it didn't hinder us at all.
Band/crowd wise, you REALLY notice a difference between foreign gigs and London gigs!!! It's ridiculous! People have manners and ask to get by with pleases & thank yous thrown around all the time. & The crowd is less Vocal/rowdy. But they just seem more respectful to the music.
Band Highlights
Pantera!!!! FINALLY!!! - It's a tribute, treat it as a tribute! But they did everything right. It was cool to see what it could have been & the Solos were done as a tribute not a like for like carbon copy, it's exactly what I wanted to see. (& Yeah I choked up) 🖤 - (People at DL were asking for the Southern flags to be taken down & arguing about it etc, but musically it was perfect).
Avatar - VIP!!! It'll be on yhe Vlog as to how I got our group there! 🤣
Deathstars - it's been forever, I love them but they Keep cancelling tours & gigs in London so was about 10years or so since the last time.
Watain - I love that show!!! - Cool to see Rubys reaction to a satanic Death Metal band 🤘🏻
Amon Amarth - You'll have to see the Vlog as to why! 😂
Behemoth - We were front row/ pit and they are perfect!!! Good set list too.
Motley Crue - John 5 has totally changed this band!!! It was a cool new direction & the best I've seen them for ages!
Obviously Guns n Roses!!!! 3 hours of classics! 🖤
Machine Head - Always
Skindred...I absolutely love them
Not Bad...but kinda disappointed
Slipknot! NO CLOWN 😔 I get the reasons why, but man you miss his stage presence/performance as a hype guy as well. - that said we saw them like days before & it was still cool & a permanent favourite!
Motionless in White - purely a visual thing but I miss Chris old stage gear 😆 the rest of the band still tart up but the hoodie just feels kinda flat.
I know I'm REALLY clutching for those negatives too!! 😅 But it's nearly impossible! There's so much good & that thats the Best/Worst I could come up with.
But yeah doing this roadtrip with my Best mate & Girlfriend (+ meeting the others) was one of the best experiences I've ever had personaly but absolutely Exhausting!!! I know that you know we go hard, but 14 days in tents, with 30°c heat + the rest is tough! - to the point I'm only just coming too now 😂
So yeah, this Festival🇧🇪...
EVERYTHING is Fucking Perfect! The people, the Organisation, the polite multilingual Staff, the food & drink prices, how clean & respectful it was, the town/area it's in & obviously the line up! I literally can't put that all in to words....
All I can say is DO IT!
Absolutely Loved it!
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-Thanks for reading this & Watching! It means the world to our little group of craziness that you'd come up at the festival & say Hi or whatever we all chatted about. We are all real approachable people! 😂 We all exist in real life & you'll never be tuned away. Really appreciate the feedback!
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If you have your own Festival Vlog (Or know of any others) Please feel free to drop a link in the comments!!! I absolutely love checking these out! Especially those who have different opinions, use different campsites and see different bands!
Graspop is a different breed of festivals. It has better bands, a relaxed atmosphere, and a dynamic social structure. Belgium rocks. I stopped going to Download in 2016. I'm glad both of you will be doing the same. Another awesome vlog. 👌
It's Looking more & more likely!!
So chuffed that I'm not the only one who noticed these things.
Thanks for watching these man! 🤘🏻
Look for the three guys in the kilts, in two weeks, that'll be us. See y'all there!
We'll party soon!!!
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I’ve been going to download since 2016 never ever complain live 30 mins away so it’s never a problem but seeing festivals like graspop and hellfest make download look amateur gotta do one next year
Great outlook man!
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What an awesome video mate and good old input from all of you makes me wanna go a billion percent sounds brilliant 🤘
Honestly it's easily worth every single Penny! Or whatever the Euro equivalent is! Haha
I'm buzzing re watching/editing these it didn't feel like a chore to do and I miss it so much!!
11/10!!
Thanks for the video Billy, hope you are well. I’m not keen rice either 😂 🤘
All good here mate!!!
All the food was pretty good here, I had a Pasta that was expensive for what it was, but it was okay too.
How's everything going with you? 🤘🏻
@@billymayhem Getting there slowly with meds, just bit dizzy apart from that all good 👍 🤘
This will be my first ever festival this year. Super nervous but these type of videos really help.
Awesome!!! You will have such a good time and meet friends for life!
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Thanks for watching our stuff! 🖤
The whole place looks so well organised, the organisers of download should go there and see how it's done properly, great video guys 👍
Cheers!!!😎🥃
It was absolutely Perfect!!!
Try Singapore rice 🍚🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️! Yeah graspop is looking good so far. I like the sheltered bits and raised seating. I reckon even bloodstock can pinch some ideas from them. Download just don't care anymore. They did start changing things as good few years back today's youngers would have been destroyed with all the faff. It's always been dirty and full of mud and rubbish, but they added track buses and relocated entrances to make it easier then covid. Then back to square one. They could have had more staff to work merch but they didn't. They could have had more merch stalls dotted about. But they didn't. Everything now is just the expectation to deal with it. I'll be happy to see at the end weighing up pros and cons of both. But.. If you keep climbing in subs you may get media passes so free anyway!
Do you remember the old Download site where around 2006 they had that 1 way system by the hill? 😂 Just taking away a 1 way foot path was the biggest improvement they ever made!! Haha
But yeah I remember the Shuttle Bus Drivers wife kicking off one year & that was fucking Legendary!! "Do you know who I am?, I'm the Bus Drivers wife" 😂 I laughed so Fucking hard!!!
& Yeah!!! I've never really thought about it like that, all I want from this stuff is Gig tickets & a Bar tab!! 🍻😎🤘🏻 I'd be absolutely chuffed!! Thinking of getting a Patreon set up to fund/speed along the crazy ideas but there's so much work & time involved in it all & I'm just not technical at all!
@@billymayhem the track drivers must have loved it. Caning it over the apex at 60mph with a load of people full to the brim! Be like the film speed. 2006 was too early for me, but they chop and change so much and never any logic to half of it.
I can't believe they have a Wooden floor in that tent!
Mosh Splinters 😂
Great Vlog so far 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃
Hahaha!!!
Never thought of that!
Great video mate. Hellfest was also the same no rubbish
Yo man!!! 🤘🏻😎🍻
We were actually meant to be going to Hellfest instead of this, but the tickets fell through & I got these on resale!!
Unintentionally the Best thing that has happened in ages!!! 😂
Still want to do Hellfest! But this will be hard to beat!
How was Hellfest?
@billymayhem hellfest always great time and so clean as well 6 main stages with 2 main side by side at the front. 2 more side by side under roof 1 as a smallish amphitheatre and then one more. Official merch was really long though only downside. When it gets dark lots a flames everywhere. Beer sold only in plastic cups with designs on them.
See you at bloodstock 🤘🍺
You will indeed mate!!!
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@billymayhem also at hellfest the stages are generally music to a certain genre, especially the two undercover (temple/altar) is where your extreme death/thrash/black metal bands play. Then Valley and warzone stages generally have punk/hardcore stuff main stages obviously for your bigger stuff
@@neilfungaming5857
That is so much better!!!
The fact DL goes from Pop Punk to Death metal drives me nuts when the travel to the next stage for something good is 45 mins!
Ugh!
Glad you enjoyed it. Been there multiple times as a teenager. One thing Graspop won't advertise too much, is that their field sit right above and next to a huge nuclear waste storage and processing plant 😅
Strange that!! haha
great vid Billy, love the comparisons to Download, I was the same as you, it was a great weekend last month but I left feeling a bit disappointed to the point I won't be back for a while, the cleanliness is amazing to see there too though I think to be fair Download can't do the water spraying in case they bring on a 2012/16/19 and it rains most of the time :D glad you found some good fish and chips too
Cheers for watching! 🍻
The 2012/16/19 😂 you know it'd end up that way too!!! A total flood or some shit! Haha
After realising how easy this was to get to, in to and how much cheaper it was - it's really opened up a different world! It was exciting and fun discovering things again where as Download has become a social event for me now, rather than what it should be.
& The fish & Chip's was amazing!!! 😂 Not just the booze talking! I had it like 5 times! Haha Damn advertising worked!
Hopefully we run in to you guys somewhere this week! 12th time GMM this year🤘
We'll be at the Bar or in the Pit!
We're simple people 😂🤘🏻
if u come over this year. you guys are welcome to grap a drink from me and my mates at the camping side. graspop is truely a fantastic festival. and all the pepel just help each other out. its one big family! thx for the honest review. devel horns up see u at the holy grounds!
See you soon!!!
It's not far away!!!
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Question! Me and my husband are thinking of giving this festival a go instead of download. Just wondering whatsnthe bestbway tonget there? Any advice?
Definitely!!!
I think we'll all be doing that next year too if that leak is correct!!! 😂😭
We Drove, as we live right by the ferry. I can safely say it's a doddle driving it! The roads are big enough and the experience would be worth it + you can store more stuff within walking distance from the festival.
All I can say is this was one of the best experiences I've ever had and 100% worth it!
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I aint been Download consistently but it isnt rocket science to know whats better Europe Festivals Vs Download.... id go to Europe without thinking about it
I went to Graspop MM in 2015. Never been back to Download since then. I would recommend hiring a camper with A/C and going in style
I can see why!!!
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graspop was alwaysa a refreshing festival to see many great band all at onces, and to see bands finally reach the level of headlining is amazing
Couldn't agree more!
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Yeah that puts Download in the Shade, great vid as always Brother. Take care stay safe and keep doing what you’re doing.
Thanks mate!!!
Really appreciate the support for as long as you've stuck around haha!!!
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LOL that is my smoll romanian boy at 20min08. Met them on the train, shared some beers and they became our camping homies.
Got to love Graspop.
Ahhhh love it!!!
We're actually going to Romaina ourselves next week!!
😂
A few of us went over this year for our first time too.. We all pretty much agreed that Download is no longer an option when it comes to metal festivals. As yourself, I tried to find something to pick fault with, but couldn't find anything without being petty-critical. We took the shuttle bus into Mol on Thursday morning for supplies after learning they couldn't give a toss how much booze you have.. As long as it's not in glass bottles. Shall be eagerly awaiting 2024 ticket release!
I actually love knowing that!
The booze thing would have been handy to know beforehand but didn't want it confiscated ya know! We kept it in the car and it was absolutely boiling later on! 😂
But hey booze is booze...
The ONLY thing I'd change from that festival - Adding a screen to the second stage! It was hard for short people to see... I'm 6"2 so didn't affect me at all, but Ruby at 5"2 DID affect me when "I can't see" became all I'd hear!! 🤣
@@billymayhem We didn't have to wait too long for the bus either.. And it's a freebie. We had a large coolbox with us, so took the opportunity to fill it full of ice. Kept the beer nice n' chilly for a day or so. 😁
Wow thanks for the video never been to download or graspop was considering download but would definitely love to give graspop a go after watching this! Great videos been really enjoying them! 🎃
Thanks for watching!!!
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Definitely give one a go!
Fuckin sick! We're all rooting for a Bartek breeding pit participant in part 5! 🍻🍺🤘
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Can't beat a good Bartek story!!
Haha
The girl on the bike is probably selling acoustically transparent earplugs that block out the harmful higher frequencies that can damage your hearing.
I hate rice as well lol. Really enjoy your videos, nice honest real style. Keep it up.
Thank you mate!!!
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@@billymayhem No worries. Honestly only got into TH-cam the last few months. Your style of videos is properly good. Non pretentious, the way it should be.
I stopped going to Download since 2017.
Unless there's something I'm DESPERATE to see...this one might of been my last too!
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Vegan food stalls look good i don't think you be doing Download again 😂
They were amazing!!
So much choice!!! 😊 Ruby was a very happy girl!
Spiritbox were darn amazing there 🔥 Only the sound on the North Main Stage was not as good as on the South one. Hope they're gonna fix it this year 🤞 Great video!
I didn't notice that!!! We were so shitfaced it didn't matter 😂 absolutely loved this festival! I'm so excited for this year! It's creeping up quick man!
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@@billymayhem yup, gonna be there as well and Kerry King from SLAAAAYER too 🤘
@@MaxPenderuk
100% we'll all be shouting that for old times sake!!! So buzzing for it! Haha
Im at the point where I wanna go to either Wacken or Graspop.. This festival looks cool tho
Wacken is usually underwater 😂
I'd pick Graspop!! Haha
Thanks for the awesome videos. Love it. Im yearly at Sweden Rock Festival, if you never been there Id recommend to go! :D
@vattensork8408
I've been to Sweden and loved it! & Ruby has been learning Swedish for 2 years...so it might happen!!!
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Not 100% sure on this, and please claify, but .. erm, I don't think you all like Download 😂
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Errrrr Jury's out haha
- That said I've only missed 2 since 2006!!!
@@billymayhem😂😂. I'm new to Download so I love it regardless, but I'm seriously looking at this also for next year.
Great vlogs my friend!
@@NowImBoredAndOld Download is poor nowadays, rip off and all geared to take £££ out of your wallet. Do Bloodstock and these smaller festivals.
Great thanks 😊
Cheers for watching!!
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So I’m guessing you won’t be attending download again? 🤣 I had to tune out of this video, sorry… just felt like a windge about download vlog 😆
😂
In a way you are right!!! Haha
Graspop is literally what Download should strive to be Standards/Safety wise. & In a later video, the safety side of why becomes apparent when Ruby passed out in a crowd & because of this layout/ facilities I got her to safety in about 5 minutes (Shade, Water & a seat)... & At Download that just wouldn't have been possible.
There's a bigger picture to my constant whining haha 😆
I love the comparison you did on the vlog i am sold hun ❤
I'm so glad you can see what I wanted to show! The world is bigger than Download!
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So greatful I moved to belgium, graspop every year!
Definitely worth it!!
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Hold on a minute, did you say you wanted to hate it?
😂
I meant something along the lines of "I didn't want it to compete with my favourite metal festival - Bloodstock"
BUT
Graspop absolutely smashed it and for me is going to be next to impossible to beat!
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@@billymayhem Ah, understood! Bloodstock is definitely on my radar as a must visit fest.
@@DonPandemoniac
You wont regret it!!
Very similar vibes to this, and fantastic value for money!! 🤘🏻
@@billymayhem Sounds good, and I could tie a bit of an UK holiday around it. Thanks!
The horror stories about long lines are giving me traumatic flashbacks to Knotfest Iowa two years ago.
I'm going to be researching that today then!!!
Haha
Great video. Nice to see myself there in yellow hat at 7:22
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went to download in 2018... never again. Will be attending Bloodstock 2023 for the 2nd year in a row. this looks epic!
Fantastic!!!
You'll have an absolute blast!!!
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@@billymayhem if I see you at bloodstock,I shall say hi!
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🌿 FIFTY FIVE YEAR OLD VIRGIN LISTENING AND WATCHING 🌿
COOL 😎😎😎
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Cheers!!!