Channel Zero – where the action was @ Graspop!
This was one of the most memorable performances of the whole Graspop festival – much to my surprise. Channel Zero. Maybe I SHOULD know who these guys were, but somehow it has slipped me, never heard the name before unless I just chose to forget (after all, us blondes have a limited memory capacity, hehe ;P)
As most of you already know, Ozzy cancelled due to illness on Saturday. So the schedule had to be rearranged and one of those changes was Channel Zero who were called in in the last minute to play the main stage.
Frankly, the only reason why I was even standing there, was because Whitesnake were playing the same stage shortly after, and I didn’t want to lose my front row spot.
So, Bianca and I stood there and quickly realized that this was a band that got people FLYING through the air like I’ve never seen before in my life! And I”ve been to so many concerts that I’ve lost count a long time ago. This was unreal!
Of course there have been mosh pits and stage divings, crowd surfings and all that, but never this much – and best of all, it was all done in such a great, positive manner.
Those that came “flying” didn’t do it to harm anybody, each and every one of them was smiling as if they just won the lottery when they landed on the other side of the barricades. You just had to laugh about it. :-)
And the security guys and girls were awesome! They did a fantastic job making sure no one got hurt – but most importantly, they had a wonderful, positive attitude. No yelling, screaming or frowning faces. It was all just a liberating, great experience for everybody I think.
As for Channel Zero, personally, I probably wouldn’t go buy their records because it wasn’t my kind of music. It was very enjoyable live, but I can’t see myself listening to their songs in my car for instance. Some bands are best experienced on a stage, these guys kicked major ass, that’s for sure.
I think their singer was a very good frontman, confident and powerful in his role. He was interesting enough to get people who never heard of the band, to stay there and watch the whole thing, actually enjoying it.
I would want to see a Channel Zero concert again, for sure!
Here’s what I tried to film while people came flying left and right – you’ll be RIGHT where the action is!
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR 
I know I said I am living through your relentless gig-going, but that really is above and beyond the call of duty, D! :)They sound pretty good – as I said, I only knew one song by them until now. Must check out their stuff, belatedly! Thanks for the clip and all the efforts made to get it!
It was my pleasure, I HAD to eternalize it. :) Never seen anything like it before. The crowd AND the security people had a great time, it was the best of all worlds. Not too often that a band whose music I’m not familiar with, gets my full attention straight away. This was very cool.
0n behalf of the mainstage frontcrew I can certainly say that we appreciate your praise. Making it fun and safe for everybody, surfers and spectators, gives us satisfaction and lots of pleasure. And of course Channel Zero kicked ass, we are looking forward to their next concert @ Lokerse Feesten. :)
PS. The frontman of Channel Zero, Franky De Smet-Van Damme, has posted your blog on his FB-profile.
Bert, thank you so much for posting, it was good hearing your feedback. :) I love Graspop and one of the reasons is because it’s so well organized and it has a great crew – from the PR/press people to the security. Having a good security crew is one of the most important things at festivals and you guys knew what you were doing. Us visitors are grateful for that. :) I felt safe, dispite the craziness!Cool about the blog-post on FB, I’ll go and check it out!
Hi Daniela,Great and honest review. I love Rock and Metal and Blues and…. and at first, back in the ’90s, CZ wasn’t in my book either. Then I got into some of their songs like Black Fuel, Call On Me, Fool’s Parade,… and somehow got hooked.The new CD is heavy shit, but there’s enough melody and variety…. definitely worth a listen. I play it in my car stereo quite often.(maybe should mention that in the ’80s I was a Journey/Triumph/Whitesnake (old style) etc fan)grtz,John
I just had to laugh, one after the other they came surfing across like lemmings. What a great concert vibe, definitely a little out of the ordinary. Busy time for security, good job. Thanks for sharing D :)
John: Actually, seeing this unbelievable loyalty that the band’s fans are showing, makes me curious to maybe give it another shot. Maybe you’re right, one never knows. :)Clint: The concert vibe was frikkin’ INSANE when Channel Zero played. Compared to this, Judas Priest’s gig felt like a FUNERAL…
Yeah, the loyaltie is amazing and heartwarming, especially for the band… they fought so hard through adversity, and now all the risks taken and hard work put in starts to pay off, one step at a time.And it reflects on their performances live: you really should’ve been at the showcase @ Biebob (400 capacity venue, selected audience) yesterday… now THAT gig really showed what a great band they are!Curious what you will think about ’em once you take some time to listen to their cd(s).Enjoyhttp://www.facebook.com/#!/Rockandbooze