WACKO Festival, 2023, Day 1, Brugge, Belgium – 4.7.23
A tree lined historic medieval square? Check. Three of Belgium’s best hard rock trios? Check. Locally brewed beer? Check. Public urinals? Well, yeah, of course.
That was the scene as this American visited Brugge, Belgium while on vacation. Having spent a few days prior in Amsterdam and missing several concert opportunities, (The Waterboys? Damn!) this free event fit the bill. Burg Square dates back over 1000 years and is obviously surrounded by history. Historic buildings include the former Manor of the Franc of Bruges, the former Civil Registry, the City Hall, the former Provostry of Saint Donatian and of course the Basilica of the Holy Blood and Saint Basil Chapel where you can find a relic of the blood of Christ. The buildings are usually lit at night but the lights were off this night giving the square an eerie feel.
Tucked away under a canopy of trees was the stage where local bands, Liquid Silver, Mind Wolf, Beuk presented their own brands of power rock to an audience sometimes more interested in their brews and chatting than to the musicians on stage. But as the crowd gathered through the evening the applause grew louder, peaking during Beuk’s raucous heavy metal set which included an excellent cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child”.
See the video below the gallery.
Author
Eric K. Andersen is a former record company weasel who currently goes to a lot of concerts and takes pictures. You can find his website by clicking the link icon below.