[Dajana] It's a wrap! The first post-pandemic PARTY SAN OPEN AIR is done. It was a memorable edition, in many ways. One, we were specially looking for, one, we enjoyed most and to the max. We truly had lotsa fun! One might have thought, with all the brimming energy and enthusiasm, it must have been the most disastrous festival ever. But… no! It was not. It seems, our unresisted joy for booze fell victim to rationality during the pandemic ;)
However, it did so incredible good to be on the airfield in Obermehler again, to meet all these fine people, to see asskicking bands and to enjoy everything around our favorite festival.
The time was way too short, the bands too many. I wasn't in the tent even once. Undisputed, without any doubt, BENEDICTION was the absolute highlight of PARTY SAN OPEN AIR 2022! Of course, there have been many other great bands delivering awesome shows ;)
From the organizational point of view: despite the two years break nothing has changed. The orga was as great as always, but, as BRT said, it just needed a bit groove. Toilets were an issue, yes, increased pricing for merch and food too. The security had some problems as well. All new faces that needed to be introduced to the workflow, special needs, this and that, you know. I also had the feeling that there were fewer helping hands. I heard of shortages at the bars, toilets and at the cleaning squads. Well, next year ;)
As always: THANK YOU a million times to the PSOA crew, to the security, the paramedics, firefighters, food, drinks and Whisky providers, and all the helping hands for another fantastic festival experience!
The PARTY SAN OPEN AIR 2023 was officially announced during the last day. A first wave of bands is out too – see above.
Tickets are on sale – grab them » HERE «
[Dajana] A recurring and vexed topic is the handling with the fascist assholes. I know, it gets on nerves, though, the PSOA needs to distance themselves clearer. No bands such as Impaled Nazarene and Deströyer666 on the billing, no Nazi shit at the merch booths and no shirts and patches of fascist bands. To roll eyes and to look away only helps those dickheads to open this door a little bit more every time.
[BRT] How great, finally a PARTY SAN OPEN AIR again! Finally, family reunion and so many, many people, radiated as well as irradiated ;) Yes, I agree, it did so well to be there again.
The selection of bands might be debatable, but… c'mon… don't exaggerate things. Bands could have cancelled their shows, bands could have contracted corona right before their shows and cancelled too. Nothing of this happened – we had luck! To put a festival billing together these days is no picnic. As for that: THUMBS UP for this year's line-up! And, you can't please everybody, right? Right! I know, discussions about proper headliner bands will remain but it's a sector of extreme music and there is only a limited number of bands worth for this slot. Accept that! Or accept brutal bands from other genres!
Food was killer, as always. I haven't seen a better selection at any other festival (whoa dude, the garlic bread… and this was really so damn fucking tasty – Dajana…whoa, dude, the Afghan (quote of almost everybody else)... whoa, dude, the broiler…). Sanitary facilities… hm, ok, debatable too. But I guess, it isn't that easy to get that amount of water pumped up the hill.
[Öko] My only one but big point of criticism goes for the minimization of (water) toilets. There have been huge queues. Please use the number of toilets again we had the past years.
[Seb] It's not only because of the corona shit but also because of the other years I could not attend, why I was especially so looking forward to my favorite festival, the PARTY SAN OPEN AIR 2022. And I wasn't disappointed. My absolute highlight was BENEDICTION, closely followed by DARK FUNERAL, EÏS and MAYHEM. Those bands alone would have been worth the travel!
Due to windy weather and the pleasant "draught" (because it was hot too) the sound was sometimes blown away. Dunno if it is possible to get that under control in a maintainable effort. So, bands in the tent had often a much better sound due to the "still air" but in return you had to fear a collapse due to the felt 100°C in the tent.
Food and drinks were top-notch, as always. Pricing, especially for drinks, was really fair. And the „Seven Lords“ Whisky pub, meanwhile a legendary institution, comes up with an even better selection every year (most notably international distilleries) with highly respectable prices. Those, who still don't know (and don't like Whisk(e)y: Seven Lords newly also offers Rum :)
Aside from the bits and bobs my previous speaker mentioned, my main point of criticism is the handling of the shuttle service. End of June organizers still announced a regular shuttle to Mühlhausen and Schlotheim, latter one was completely cancelled shortly before the festival and the other one, well, I wrote about it already. Thanks again for handling the problems with the Mühlhausen shuttle after the first day. If I would have stayed in Schlotheim I would have been annoyed as there was no taxi to catch and to walk the 4 kilometers after 12 hours of festival action ain't that nice either. Same goes for the pricing. 15 Euro for day tickets instead of an announced 28 Euro festival bus ticket (which was cancelled, plus the delays of the Mühlhausen shuttle).
Would be nice, if the shuttle service will be operated much better next year. And perhaps I engage in camping again ;) So, enough said. See you next year. Same time, same place :)
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