Lowlands Hits High Spots Again

Lowlands director Eric van Eerdenburg began the Aug. 17-19 weekend in the happy position of knowing his 55,000-capacity festival had sold out in three days. And that was before any of the acts had been announced.

He’s been in a similar position for the last three years as the 2011 edition of the Dutch festival, which is run by the Live Nation-owned Mojo Concerts, sold out in two hours. Van Eerdenburg brought forward the onsale to avoid the impending hike on VAT on concert tickets, which went from 6 percent to 19 percent.

The 2010 event took only a couple of months to sell all its three-day tickets.

Although unpredictable weather has at times wreaked havoc on this summer’s European festival season, van Eerdenburg was also pleased to report that temperatures close to 36C (96F) didn’t cause any real problems for the crowd.

It got through an average of 100,000 litres of water per hour, although what wasn’t drunk got used as ammunition in a series of good-humoured “waterfights.”

The acts helping van Eerdenburg relax under the hot Dutch sun in Biddinghuizen included Foo Fighters, Black Keys, Kasabian, Ed Sheeran, Skrillex and Example.