Alestorm Article

03.08.2013 Alestorm

Wacken Open Air XXIV

Wacken (Germany)

(Pentax K-5 with Sigma AF 70-200mm 2.8 EX DC APO HSM II)

After a swinging start with Callejon I sailed over to the Party Stage where Alestorm was laying at anchor to enter Wacken. The Scottish band around band leader Christopher Bowes had their self named True Scottish Pirate Metal with them.
Like this name already says their songs are mainly about pirates. The very catchy power metal tracks with folk elements directly invite you to roar. No matter if "The Quest" or the title track of their current album "Back Through Time", permanently Bowes ran with his colored keyboard across the stage (although he was not really looking like a pirate) enthousing the crowd to get weaving. A quite funny idea was to translate the song "Wenches & Mead" to German so that during the second half the people were loudly singing "Weiber & Wein".
In the end there was the title track of their first album "Captain Morgan's Revenge" as well as "Rum" giving a worthy conclusion and where Bowes was not insisting in surfing across the crowd. As I was standing quite in the back of the audience I was afraid that he would fall down behind me but permanently guys were moving backwards so that in the end some of them were carrying him (how apposite) to the Captain Morgan booth where he was loudly celebrated and on the wonderful gig drank a rum-cola.
So much fun and so it was a huge party in front of the stage during the nearly 60 minutes.I would have liked to hear some more but the tight time schedule of Wacken was not offering that. What a pitty. Anyhow, if the day would continue like it had started, there was nothing that could go wrong.

Setlist:

  • The Quest
  • The Sunk'n Norwegian
  • Wolves Of The Sea (Pirates Of The Sea cover)
  • Shipwrecked
  • Nancy The Tavern Wench
  • Back Through Time
  • Wenches & Mead (2nd half in German (Weiber & Wein))
  • Midget Saw
  • Keelhauled
  • Rumpelkombo
  • Pirate Song
  • Captain Morgan's Revenge
  • Rum

 

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