Norwegian Wood 20th Anniversary

Norwegian Wood celebrated its 20th anniversary June 9-13 with sellout shows from Eric Clapton and Eagles, and the publication of a book detailing the festival’s history.

The weather wasn’t helpful for the first three days, as a steady rain fell on Oslo’s Frognerbadet Park, where a natural amphitheatre creates an intimate festival atmosphere. But Norwegian Wood chief Jørgen Roll says he’s proud of how everyone responded to the conditions.

“After Eels had played they wouldn’t leave the site until I’d promised they could come back next year. They said they’d be happy to be among the volunteers that help run the event,” he said.

This year’s festival grew to five days to create a bigger anniversary celebration and to include the Eagles, which sold out all 8,500 tickets on the final night.

The other three headliners drew crowds a little short of capacity, but an arrangement that allowed local kids to get in cheaper on two of the days meant overall ticket sales topped 40,000 across five days.

Other acts playing the festival included Patti Smith & Nick Lowe, which proved a real crowd favourite, Mastodon, Ringo Starr, and Ida Jenshus, the popular Norwegian country act who supported the Eagles on the last day.

Norwegian Wood 1992 to 2011 is available at bookstores throughout the country and at www.norwegianwood.no.