Sonisphere Gets Its Feet Wet

The first of the new Sonisphere rock festivals didn’t attract as many fans as hoped, but Kilimanjaro Live head Stuart Galbraith says the June 20 event at Nijmegan Goffert Park was a success nonetheless.

PR firm The Outside Organisation says the event attracted about 30,000 fans. The park can hold about 70,000 people, but one of the advantages of the festival site is that it can be configured for almost any sized crowd.

Galbraith, who planned the new series of festivals with K2 agency chief John Jackson, said all who attended the birth of Sonisphere had a great day out.
The show was supposed to begin with Mastodon, but the American metal band encountered travel problems on its way from Switzerland and the opening slot went to Pendulum.

The other acts on a bill headlined by Metallica included Slipknot, Korn, Lamb Of God, Kamelot and The Sword.

The German edition of Sonisphere takes place July 4 at the Hockenheimring, where Metallica will have support from Die Toten Hosen, The Prodigy, Anthrax, In Extremo, Lamb Of God, Mastodon and The Sword.

The Spanish edition will be at Barcelona Forum July 11, while the Swedish leg is at Hultsfred Folkets Park July 18.