Tag Archives: Rock Werchter

Bailing on Werchter

Belgium doesn’t like me much.

I requested a booking change a week or so ago, for my Leuven hotel, so that I could stay only one night and visit with friends in Brugge. I offered to pay for both nights if necessary, if they had a two night minimum or something. As I was supposed to do, I did this through the internet agency that I made the original booking with. It took a few days but I got back a confirmation that said sure no problem, one night, same rate, etc.

I’m sure you can see this coming.

Today I got to Leuven, walked in the hotel (right across from the station, as advertised), and found they gave my room away to someone yesterday, they held it until midnight, yada yada yada. They never got the change from the internet people.

Since of course everything was booked, there was nowhere in town for me to stay, only some random place ten minutes’ taxi ride out of town. I had no intention of going to some mystery hotel ten minutes’ taxi out of town, paying four ten-minute taxi rides, probably no internet, etc.

Belgium, I’m done with you. I’m going to Lille. If I can’t get ahold of Kevin tonight, I will find somewhere there to stay no doubt. I’d rather walk away from a €75 ticket than walk into some cash-eating hell of an unplanned hotel. And it’s pouring rain. I’m sure later this concert will be regarded as one of Radiohead’s finest moments, but Oh well, I have the same lineup tomorrow at Arras with no mud.

Vive la France!

Addendum: Kevin was around and came and picked me up and yay, it’s all good, and I have internets and a cat and a guinea pig to look at (I’m going batty at dogs in the street, it’s getting embarrassing). AND the sun is shining :D

Brugge 4th of July, Part 2

Another day, another train, another sandwich from a train station vendor.

Yesterday was awesome. My hosts barbecued carne asada and char siu, There was potato salad (the good kind, with egg). There was homemade sponge cake and strawberries and cream.

The internet crapped out sometime during the evening for no apparent reason and I was unable to connect with my possible ride from Brugge to Werchter, but oh well. I guess I hadn’t sent my mobile number to Thomas after all. Also unable to check trains or weather or all those million things one does as a matter of course these days.

This morning, woke up early after a nice sleep (unfortunately, the cat didn’t visit, but what a supersweet cat! man I miss my dogs). We eventually got ourselves out of the house and wandered Brugge, really pretty town. Got some chocolates, yay! went to the market, but my hostess was having an allergic reaction, maybe to the strawberries she had for breakfast? not sure but I hope she’s better soon.

Anyway, waited for the late bus, made it to the station and (of course) missed my train by three minutes. Silver lining: the train I am currently on (yes, typing offline, it’s kinda weird but) goes through to Leuven so I won’t have to change in Brussels. I also found my ticket from Brussels to Leuven that was included with my festival ticket, so yay! I had forgotten that I printed it.

It’s raining but perhaps it will stop by the time I get to Werchter. Wardrobe choices will be rather tricky of it’s really wet. My warmest shoes are my Adidas, but if they get all muddy and stuff, I will be pretty unhappy. I only brought my good Adidas, not the older, muckier ones. I also didn’t really have a good choice for rain jacket, and forgot to pack that wee umbrella I have, dammit. I had intended to. I don’t even have a hat! which is another thing I had tossed around but didn’t come to a decision.

Sigh. We’ll see. Perhaps there will be ponchos for sale at the station in Leuven or something.

Werchter’s up.

€75 per day (€165 for all but I won’t be going to all).

Friday so far includes Neil Young (cool) Moby (decent show, seen him before), The Verve (not my thing), Babyshambles (NMT), Digitalism (noncommittal), and Duffy (no idea).

Not worth €75 for me.

Saturday is more my thing: Radiohead, Sigur Rós, Ben Harper (meh), Kings of Leon (meh), Editors (aight), and a whack of people I can’t be arsed to switch windows to look up and type.

Perhaps I’ll stop in Brugge or Brussels on Friday on my way down from the ‘Dam.

Tickets are onsale Saturday 0900 Continental time. I have to remember to stay up late :p

***

Realized that I am going to see Sigur Ros AND Radiohead two days in a row. Whoa!

Shout out

to my number one fan.

*waves* *blows kiss* *growls*

Rock Werchter are supposed to be selling tickets on Saturday.  And yet, they haven’t announced which bands are playing which days, or how much tickets will be. This is T minus 24 hours or less, really…it’s already tomorrow in Europa.

Perhaps there’s some special pre-sale email list I’m not on.

I’m assuming that Werchter won’t sell out as fast as Radiohead’s US dates though.

Werchter 2008 additional info

24 bands, none of which is My Bloody Valentine. :(

REM (July 3)
Radiohead
dEUS
Lenny Kravitz
Chemical Brothers
Mika
Sigur Rós
Kaiser Chiefs
Nightwish

Ben Harper
Counting Crows
Editors
Roisin Murphy
The Hives
Chris Cornell
The Kooks
Air Traffic
Justice
Digitalism
KT Tunstall
Beirut
Gossip
John Butler Trio
Band of Horses

Onsales start March 1. More info soon.