Volbeat returned to Stuttgart, Germany, this time bringing Witch Fever and Bush with them as support on their 2025 European tour.
Just before sunset, Witch Fever, the four-piece rock band from Manchester, England, took to the stage. Immediately, the crowd was fascinated by their performance. They emerged strong with their distinctive sound. It is hard to place them neatly into just one genre, but it is easy to enjoy the way they perform together on stage; it is easy to see how well they work together. After their first three songs, they took a small break and asked the crowd about football, as there was a match at the arena next door just the day before. Later in the set, singer Amy Walpole mentioned how excited they, Alex Thompson (bass), Alisha Yawood (guitar), and Annabelle Joyce (drums), were to be out with Volbeat. They mentioned how grateful they are to be on such a big stage, and spoke about having compassion for everyone who is hurting in terrible events all over the world. They ended the set with their song “I See It.”
During the changeover to Bush, the house music was set to nostalgic ‘90s alternative. It was a great preparation for the iconic ’90s London band to take the stage. When the lights dimmed and the music started, they opened with “I Beat Loneliness.” Next came the well-loved song, “Machine Head,” where the crowd enthusiastically sang along. After the third song, “Identity,” they played a long guitar intro for “Everything Zen.” Before they played the next song, singer Gavin Rossdale asked the crowd to provide some cell phone lights. They then played “Swallowed” set to soft orchestral music in the background and let Gavin’s voice shine as bright as all the cell phone lights he had asked for.They then introduced the band: Chris Traynor on lead guitar, Corey Britz on bass, Nik Hughes on drums, and of course, Gavin Rossdale on vocals and rhythm guitar. During “Flowers on a Grave,” Gavin jumped into the pit, wandered among the fans, and even made his way into the seated areas for the whole song. For the next-to-last song, “Glycerine,” Gavin performed it solo, accompanied only by his guitar and occasional a cappella moments. As the set was coming to a close, all band members were back out on the stage for “Comedown,” before they all walked out to the end of the catwalk for the outro. While it seems the first two and last two songs were set each night, the other songs change each night. It was a nice touch to keep the night somewhat unpredictable.
Then the house lights came back on, and the stage curtains lowered as the crowd waited for the Danish rock band to come out. Volbeat came out strong, opening with “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown.” It was well received, and the crowd got moving right away. During the second song, “Lola Montez,” a mosh pit had already started. The band called this out, and it brought them joy to see it so early in the set. For the third song, “Sad Man’s Tongue,” singer and guitarist Michael Poulsen said that “Some bands say they are inspired by, but nope, we took this one from Johnny (Cash),” as he played on his acoustic guitar. For the next song, “Fallen,” he said he “dedicated this to someone you loathe who you loved. For me, that was my father.”When it was time to play “In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan’s Spawn in a Dying World of Doom,” Poulsen called it a love song of sorts. He then mentioned that the song is a joke and it should not be taken seriously, and said, “The true devils are the ones you’re watching on the news when you turn on the television.” They then showed a photo of the goat used for artwork, named Thor. They continued with “By a Monster’s Hand,” where all hands were up in the air, clapping to the beat of the song. Then came “Heaven nor Hell” and “The Devil Rages On,” where crowdsurfing was encouraged, and the band even offered a t-shirt to the first crowdsurfer of the night. Then, for “Die to Live,” there was noticeably more moshing than during any of the previous songs. Later in the set, Poulsen asked for cellphone lights to come on and dedicated “For Evigt” to his wife. Parts of the song were not in English, and he was happy when the crowd was able to sing along to the whole song, even to the Danish parts.
Near the end of the set, the band invited all of the children from the crowd to join them on stage for “Still Counting.” Security helped escort all of the children from all over the arena onto the stage. It was a very full stage, with well over 50 kids from kindergarten age to teenagers up there. They got very into the song as the lyrics were changed to “counting all the kids in the room,” and Poulsen even let the kids play a note on his guitar. They closed out the show with “A Warrior’s Call” and an outro to “Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza.”
Overall, the crowd was a mix of all ages. The show was a great mix of new rock, nostalgic rock, and traditional rock, making sure that there was something for everyone. They created core memories for the children who were on the stage, and lasting memories for not only the parents, but for all the audience members.
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