Lieberberg’s Podium Finish

It’s so close that he doesn’t want to call it, but Marek Lieberberg believes this year’s Rock Am Ring Festival, held on the Nürburgring Formula One circuit, was one of the best of the 23 he’s produced there.

"I would definitely say it was in the Top Three," he said, which, winner or not, at least guarantees it a spot on the podium.

The Ring and Rock Im Park, its Nuremberg twin, sold out their combined 160,000 capacity in advance. The crowds enjoyed themselves so much Lieberberg says the police "could have taken the day off," and on the closing evening huge screens showed the national soccer team starting their Euro 2008 campaign by beating Poland 2-0.

"It couldn’t have been better and this morning I’m an extremely happy man," Lieberberg told Pollstar, echoing Jan Smeets’ comments about Holland’s Pinkpop a week earlier and auguring well for the rest of the European outdoor season.

"It was certainly one of the easiest to run and I spent hours just walking around the site, as I always do, and watching the people enjoying themselves," Lieberberg said.

"People think festival promoters are always running around chasing people up and shouting instructions but, if you haven’t organized everything beforehand, you won’t organize while the event is running. We had the perfect bill, we’d taken meticulous care, and so all I had to do was to enjoy myself."

Among the acts helping Lieberberg relax June 6-8 were Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, The Prodigy, Die Toten Hosen, Bullet For My Valentine, HIM, Incubus, Kate Nash, Queens Of The Stone Age and The Verve.