BAUR colleagues organize Rock im Wald Festival

Hatti: There are quite a few. In 2009, our main band celebrated the Franconian region a little too much and forgot that the gig was still to come. We had to look for the band members everywhere and found them at the neighboring quarry pond in Schwürbitz, pretty befuddled. The show was still outstanding in the end. Another challenge was certainly the weather. Even though we've always had a bit of luck, there have of course also been years with massive rainfall or gusts of wind that have interrupted our open air event or severely delayed the set-up in advance. Our salvation here was usually a spontaneous bulk purchase of wood chips from the entire region. The most recent and curious challenge was certainly the shortage of toilets and porta-potties. When the construction industry was booming with low interest rates, our festival almost came to a standstill at the last minute because no company was able to supply us with enough porta-potties. As banal as it sounds: without "toilets, nothing happens"

Flo: The coronavirus period was very stressful for me with regard to our festival. A lot had already been bagged for 2020. Then there was the two-year forced break, which left us all exhausted. We had to keep motivating ourselves as a team to keep going. Then, with various old contracts and some new bands, organizing a decent festival again was quite a challenge.

Flo: I think that everyone in the core team brings a certain amount of know-how and a feel for their tasks from their actual job. It's also worth mentioning that we now function like an organization ourselves. There are areas of responsibility, work packages, clear allocation of roles, knowledge carriers, experts, etc., and sometimes an after-work beer. - and sometimes an after-work beer.

Hatti: The moment when the first guitar sound comes out of the sound system and the tap is running in our bar carts. You know then that it was worth putting in the energy and effort again. For me personally, it's somehow also the moment when we transform the sports facility of my soccer club VFB Neuensee into another world. Suddenly it's no longer the referee or the VfR Schneckenlohe soccer team coming to change, but 3 bands with followers from Scandinavia, the USA and Australia enjoying the backstage area of our sports home. And the Champions League-level pitch is no longer just used for constructive passing, but is once again the most comfortable festival carpet in Germany (at least that's my guess 😉)

Flo: Every Rock im Wald festival is an absolute highlight for me. Seeing what we put on year after year and how much positive feedback we get from the visitors sends me into pure euphoria. It's an incredibly good feeling that is electrifying me just writing these lines.

Hatti: It won't be the really big ones and we're not designed for that. This year, we already have two well-known bands on stage, Danko Jones and Wolfmother, who are playing up and down on Rock Antenne and Radio Bob. These two headliners will also be hard to top in the following years. For me, it's therefore always the bands in the "middle category", some of which are not yet so well known or are most likely still at the beginning of their career. The best-known example is Volbeat. They played their first gig in Germany at our festival in 2007 and are now playing the world's biggest stages. But I've still had one wish for a few years now: Clutch and the Hellacopters would be my dream combination of headliners.

Flo: The really big bands - let's just take Metallica as an example - play secret concerts here and there. Of course, you can only arrange something like that through connections. A surprise gig like that would be mega. So if anyone here knows someone who knows someone who knows someone, please write to me. But to be realistic: We just look year after year to see who's on the road. The fact that we now cooperate with well-known agencies helps us a lot to land some gems.

Hatti: Keyword internationalization. Both the bands and the visitors now come from all over the world. In the first few years, I have to admit that our audience was still too uncomfortable. There were a lot of clichés. From the neighbors' gardens, which were littered with urinals, to a completely littered area. That has completely changed over the years. Certainly also with the growing maturity of the festival and the bands as a whole. We have changed the genre and the composition of the line-up with the result that we have had the coolest audience ever for many years. Absolutely peaceful & friendly. The campsite is clean after the festival without us having done anything. And if the neighbor puts the garden shower on the sidewalk so that visitors can cool off for free in high temperatures, he has a mailbox full of money the next day without doing anything, because the action is so appreciated.

Flo: As a long-time visitor from the very beginning, the festival has definitely changed a lot in my opinion. In the beginning, there were a few friends and acquaintances who went to see a few local bands for 10 marks while enjoying a beer and a good time. Now Rock im Wald is a scene festival with international bands from the stoner, hard rock and punk rock genres, which now also attracts visitors from the DACH region, France and the UK. The only thing that has remained the same is the informal, peaceful atmosphere, and we want it to stay that way.

Hatti: My conclusion over the years has been absolutely positive. The village community is fully involved and the local residents are now well integrated and don't just see the challenges posed by the weekend. It feels like we invite half the village to be part of the event. The local kindergarten comes, as does our "pensioners' band" from the village. At the morning pint on Friday and Saturday, the local soccer club conjures up a breakfast buffet where everyone can enjoy themselves and forget the supposed hangover from the day before.

Flo: Fortunately, we have a very good relationship with the residents in Neuensee. Without their consent, for example, it would not have been possible to extend the event to three days, as we did for the first time this year.

Hatti: Sometimes you need contrast. Therefore: Schlager at its best! That's for sure.

Flo: I don't understand the question :-) Okay, every now and then I also like really blatant metal and hardcore. It has to really bang. But to be honest, I also like really chilled beats from the electro scene. There has to be a balance.