Impressions of the Amphi Festival 2015

This year I was the first time ever at the Amphi Festival . Therefore, I can say little to the previous location and describe only what I experienced with the Lanxass Arena. The new location is so constructed that the main stage took place in the infield of the arena and two smaller open air stages outside of the arena. The biggest acts should therefore be held indoor, while the food-mile and many shopping stores were outside. Here is the official PDF of the location.

After relaxing arrival Friday in hotel, Saturday morning I directly took a taxi to the arena. But before I got there at all, I got a phone call from my partner, who was already at the location a little earlier than me, while I was preparing myself in the hotel room. There was a storm warning for Cologne and the entire outside area has been closed. All guests were asked to go into the arena. Other open-air festivals in the area had to be canceled - but due to the large indoor area the Amphi could take place - but now unfortunately only in the arena. This has angered many visitors, which I can understand on the one hand, on the other hand but also not. Without the new location, the Amphi also have need to be canceled, like other open airs. On the other hand some bands could not arise, while others were moved to the arena. As a result, the schedule shifted.

Unfortunately, the communication of the organizer to visitor was not optimal. For important information about this particular situation and the changed running order were to little or not passed. For example, a band did not play (Wesselsky), which should regularly play in the arena, and without warning, an entirely different band built their scenery and their banners on, namely The Other. The visitors who were present actually because Wesselsky, marveled and wondered what was going on here now. Apparently had Wesselsky cancel (the reason for this is not known officially until today) and The Other jumped kindly spontaneously. Hey, I think it's great that a band that was not really planned, and who of course not prepared for this gig, has stepped in so spontaneously. But I must say that this situation of lack of communication for guests and band is not happy. Because people in front of the stage wanted to see Wesselsky and were one probably only because this band there. While The Other then maybe has an audience that one probably does not want to hear their music. I have observed many guests who left the area in front of the stage angry, disappointed or irritated.
If the communication bit run better, then this would certainly went a bit happier.

Overall, an arena is a very different feeling for a festival. As most festivals are open-air festivals, organizers, guests and musicians are extremely dependent on the weather. In bad weather, this can quickly turn into a mudslinging (such as this year's Wacken Open Air) or on the contrary - constantly the paramedics have to rescue people from the dehydrated roaring heat.
Depending on the wind direction, the sound can also sound pretty muddy or dull. Similarly, the lighting effects at lunchtime do not look so impressive like at night.
The toilet situation is often... even more supoptimal. Have to go in warm weather in stuffy Dixies... mh, I imagine better :D Often, this portable toilets are not always clean or equipped with enough toilet paper.

Quite different it was in the arena.

The storm outside has not at all bothered us inside (of course apart from the blocking of the outer region). The sound and the light was great always and at every seat. There were a lot of toilets (and they were clean) and there was always toilet paper! In my opinion, this is pure luxury for a festival. Especially for women with some elaborate costumes, for example, with a hoop skirt, it is rather cumbersome to force himself on a Dixie. The toilet situation was there really enjoyable.

Great attention should be given to the seating. Because in my experience, there are often not enough seating at festivals. Quite different it was in the arena. In addition to the infield, there were the seat rows around. Here I can only guess... maybe there were 15 rows in the first block, and in the other ranks also 7? In any case, there were a lot of seats. This means that every guest had the opportunity to see all the great acts on the main stage also comfortably seated. And I mean that literally - you could actually see the entire stage.

When I was already spending hours on my feet, I have enjoyed the opportunity to see a band sitting. Some musicians you might want to see only in passing, perhaps in order to bridge the time, perhaps because you do not like them so much and want to look at them only from the outside. If these seats not available, then I would have to stand further back and with my size I could not see more than the stage lights. So I think that these seats were really worth gold.

There are some disadvantages of course.

Due to the weather conditions on Saturday, guests were also forced to eat some of the food-mile of Lanxass Arena. The food was okay, not special. But it is precisely at a festival you might also like to try something new from what you just do not eat every day. But unfortunately we had Saturday no choice. I am sure that the service provider would also prefer open outdoors. For them, that was certainly half a disaster, because 50% of the time they could not earn any revenues and had to wait as well.

Another disadvantage of the arena is the waste situation. I'm not sure if it could not be otherwise resolved/allowed, or whether this was simply not considered. Because the Arena sold itself only drinks in disposable plastic cups. And you can certainly imagine what happens when hundreds, thousands of people buy a drink to put yourself thus before the stage and maybe remain some concerts there. There was no cup deposit and no bins in the infield, so these plastic cups were just stand there and left, where the visitors were. This meant that you had to dig through piles of garbage for later hour.
Even in the sales area of the arena, there was in my opinion too little trashcans. You had to be lucky to find one.

On Saturday evening, an official all-clear of the weather was pronounced, the outdoor area could be reopened, but this has lifted the mood of all participants not relevant. In addition, the weather was not good to 100% in the evening, and it was rather uncomfortable in the fresh air.

The Sunday was then as planned - luckily. The mood of the guests was much better and the prior owners were relieved that they can at least offer their services on this day.
Even the bands have noted that the audience was very good and have voted in favor, of course, delighted to celebrate together with the visitors.

For final conclusion played one of the headliners of the festival, VNV Nation. The light appeared in the arena really very atmospheric, the sound was good anyway.

My personal knowledge of Arena concerts is that the concerts were clearly visible from the rows of seats, and that relaxed sitting. The sight from "top" was gigantic, the lights, the effects, everything so great. If one is very broken and perhaps tired, these seats are optimal.
But one major drawback was the whole course: The feeling is just not the same as if you were in the infield right in front of the stage. Of the rows of seats from all seemed more like a movie you watched, I did not feel like "to be there". Quite a lot of feelings, the moody atmosphere, it all goes pretty much lost on the rows of seats, at least I think so. When the band on stage animated visitors to clap or similar, then I felt somehow not quite addressed to the seats up there. It was kind of a more just watching.

My task for the next concerts in an arena: Try to watch concerts, especially the headliners, from the infield :-) Just the finale of a festival is something special, I think. Even if one is very exhausted and tired at the end of an event, I want to at least try to see as many concerts as possible from the "bottom".

Here are some photographic impressions of the Amphi Festival 2015:

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