I had a rare opportunity to get on the Beatstad festival ground today. I visited the Malieveld on September 2nd while crews were very busy setting up sound and light devices for the beatstad festival. It really looks great. Watch the immense high steel towers which stand beside the podium holding up all light etc. Golden Earrings equipment wasn't on stage yet and I guess it will be brought there tomorrow. I was given admittance to the festival venue while on duty for the ambulance service. A few hundred meters right of the main stage in the field you will see the Unicef/Casema sponsored VIP-area. They actually rolled out red carpet on the tribune! We, the real fans will stand on the field and have our own ball. The merchandise was positioned just after the entrance on the left side. At the sides many toilets, bars and foodhouses were positioned.
This review will be extended soon.
Golden Earring did their soundcheck on the Beatstad festival at 13 hour and on the official site two soundcheck movies could be seen. (Bombay and Save Your Skin). Backstage there was a big tent with all dressing rooms in it and a shared room. In this room all band members gathered at one moment and the Back home encore was rehearsed in it. George played it on an acoustic guitar and all the other members of all bands around him, playing and singing. After a ten minute rehearsel they stopped and they would see what it would be like on stage....
Di-rect started on 19 hour and Kane on 21.30 hour. But of course many many fans came for Golden Earring. They are the only band who already excisted in the famous Dutch beat-period and now "celebrates" it's 40th anniversary..
Golden Earring did perform at the Malieveld, The Hague, on Saturday September 3, 2005! They were the closing act of the Den Haag Beatstad 2005 festival and did start at around 22 hour in front of 45.000 fans. Kane and Di-rect were the other bands performing as well. Golden Earring played a "new song". Their version of the Frank Carillo song Watcha gonna do, when the levee breaks, which sounded really good. Also Bombay which was added to the setlist since the Berkel and Rodenrijs concert was played again with Sidney Katz on stage. Furthermore Golden Earrings set contained the wellknown hits like Twilight zone, Radar love, long blond animal, when the lady smiles and encore Back home together with Kane and Di-rect. Of course: "It's always good to be back home (performing in The Hague)" A compliment has to be given to Golden Earrings light designer Marcus Muzea for the fantastic lighting during the concert. As there were so many lights on stage the view was sometimes overwhelming.... As over 10 camera's recorded the whole event i'm curious to find out what it will be for. A dvd? Tv-broadcast or probably both?
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At the festival site postcards were spread to promote the Golden Earring 2006 Ahoy concert. It's a great full colour postcard. Just before Golden Earring started their concert they were given a special recorded "The Hague's Golden Earring tribute" cd. This cd contains 13 songs from nowadays bands from the Hague who each covered a Golden Earring song. These new generation The Hague bands wanted to show their appreciation and respect for what Golden Earring has meant for the Dutch popmusic over the past 40 years. Some interesting songs can be heard like Dong dong diki digi dong, That Day, Twilight Zone, Radar Love and Sound of the screaming day for example! Everyone of the 40.000 visitors was given a free copy of this after the festival! The cd is released on the Hunter records label, label number HMR 16182. Because 40.000 copies of this cd were "sold" the album turned gold awarded immediately! The album was an initiative of the R.G. Ruijs foundation and was sponsored by several sponsors like Casema, Eneco, Bookshop Paagman and the city of The Hague.
You find some more information on the The Hague Golden Earring tribute site!
