I wanted to go to Lokerse Feesten for years, but I never succeeded until now. Thank God I had someone to lead me the way through the market along the water and finally set foot on the festival in the heart of Lokeren for the first time.

Opener for the evening was the Australian band The Living End. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it on time because I was having diner with my friend before we went to the festival. When we arrived they were already playing their last song and it seemed like we’ve missed a great party.

Setlist
Second Solution
Roll On
End Of The World
Don’t Lose It
How Do We Know
Raise The Alarm
Who’s Gonna Save Us?
Prisoner Of Society
E-Boogie

Second on stage was Suicidal Tendencies (**) who started with a strange intro with some screaming which I think was meant to say hello to the audience. Those strange musical moments came back through the entire show. Mike ‘Cyco Miko’ Muir (vocals) had a great time on stage, he was waving heavily with his arms and jumped around all the time and because of the interaction the audience in front enjoyed themselves too with clapping along, jumping and there were even moshpits. I think there were some technical problems because the sound was not very clean, which is a shame because Suicidal Tendencies performed well. At the end they even asked all the fans on stage, anyone who wanted was welcome to join the band on stage to end their performance in style.

Setlist
You Can’t Bring Me Down
I Shot The Devil
Clap Like Ozzy
Freedump
War Inside My Head
Subliminal
Cyco Vision
Pledge Your Allegiance

And then it was time for a dress up party with Turbonegro (****) who brought a sailor, a farmer and other rock and glam rock outfits on stage after a catchy intro with bagpipes. With their uptempo rock music they set the perfect atmosphere for this event. There was interaction with the audience and we really sang along with the band, especially when Turbonegro sang Queen‘s Bohemian Rhapsody. The audience was clearly warmed up by now and the moshpits increased. After their performance the band had a very special way to thank us by putting on Tina Turner‘s Simply The Best.

Setlist
Part II: Well Hello
Part III: Rock N Roll Machine
Hurry Up & Die
Get It On (preceded by Bohemian Rhapsody sing a long)
Hot For Nietzsche
All My Friends Are Dead
Wasted Again
John Carpenter Powder Ballad
Special Education
The Age Of Pamparius
I Got Erection

But, according to the shirts people were wearing, the best was yet to come. The first band people were really excited to see this evening was the American punk band Bad Religion (****). The show started with an intro that seemed to be played on a synthesizer after which everything erupted in a real party. Drummer Jamie Miller played with high energy, Greg Graffin‘s vocals were impeccable and the entire band sounded very strongly musically. In comparison with the other bands there was little interaction with the audience. Yet everyone was just having fun and enjoying themselves.

Setlist
You Are (The Government)
1000 More Fools
How Much Is Enough?
When?
Give You Nothing
Land Of Competition
Forbidden Beat
Best For You
Suffer
Delirium Of Disorder
Part II (The Numbers Game)
What Can You Do?
Do What You Want
Part IV (The Index Fossil)
Pessimistic Lines

Generator
American Jesus
I Want To Conquer The World
Fuck You
Dearly Beloved
21st Century (Digital Boy)
Punk Rock Song
Sorrow
You
Fuck Armageddon… This Is Hell

Headliner for this evening was Dropkick Murphys (*****), the band most people came to see. The intro was peaceful, but that wouldn’t last for long because we all know how these guys can throw a party. Dropkick Murphys had a lot of fun on stage and because of the great interaction between the band and the audience we had a great time too. Everyone in the crowd was dancing and singing along. Dropkick Murphys gave us a strong live performance both musically and vocally and the party seemed to come to an end too soon. Though these guys ended their performance in style by asking all the women on stage for the last two songs.

Setlist
The Foggy Dew (Sinéad O’Connor song)
Captain Kelly’s Kitchen
The Boys Are Back
Prisoner’s Song
Sandlot
Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya
Blood
Barroom Hero
Caught In A Jar
Buried Alive
The Wild Rover (tradinional cover)
The State Of Massachusetts
The Walking Dead
Paying My Way
First Class Loser
Worker’s Song
Rose Tattoo
Going Out In Style
Out Of Our Heads

I’m Shipping Up To Boston
Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (AC/DC cover)

It was an amazing evening with amazing performances. Also Lokerse Feesten have the cleanest toilets I’ve ever seen on a festival. I’ve had a great time and I’m definitely going back.

Photos by GigView