Men @ Rock Werchter 2024: Stupid Fun

©CPU – Chris Stesnes

The announcement of Måneskin as the headliner of Rock Werchter came as a surprise to say the least. Because there would be a bigger band playing after the Italians, right? A subtitle, but not a real finale? For years there has been a cry for renewal and innovation in the line-up, especially when it comes to big names. And now it turns out that this is not the best for the veteran Werchtergoer. In any case, the times we live in the music scene have taught us to be open to change, because ultimately there is something to be said for the option of closing the quartet. Not only are Damiano David and his entourage very popular among young people, but Måneskin is simply no longer “the band that won the Eurovision Song Contest”. The fact that the second day of the festival was completely sold out in March proves this point.

The fact that rumors were circulating that Måneskin would soon break up for an indefinite period made us suspect in advance that the band would seize this opportunity to take the lead with both hands – but also with a lot of bells and whistles. However, it became clear at Pinkpop that two hours were too much for the Italians, so thankfully they kept it to an hour and a half yesterday. Ideal, as it turned out, because the fifteen-song setlist consisted almost exclusively of hits, although in the end it must be said that yesterday’s devil was mainly in the head, while in the tail it was mainly about stupid fun.

©CPU – Chris Stesnes

Anyway, Måneskin started with a series of delicious French fries on his face. As the members rose one by one to the sounds of “I Don’t Want to Sleep”, it became immediately clear that the Italians had not only put on a huge production with moving light panels, but that their trousers were also full of enthusiasm. The tunes flowed wildly to “GOSSIP”, which was followed by “ZITTI E BUONI”, a hit at the Eurovision Song Contest. In other words, the audience was at his beck and call, eating mischievously from the hands of Damiano and his bandmates. It was also immediately noticeable that, despite Måneskin’s rapid growth in a short time, the stage presence seemed incredibly natural and sympathetic. A little pacing back and forth always resulted in hands in the air.

In the end, the hits kept coming: with “HONY (ARE YOU COMING)” the singer was clearly impressed by the size of the crowd, which also got the majority of it with “SUPERMODEL”. It felt like the next phase of the set had begun. “GASOLINE” sounded darker than anything before and with “Beggin” the cover finally crept into the set. Which finally brings us to the big downside of the evening: Måneskin now had songs that should rise above the accusation of being a cover band, but had a hard time fulfilling that role. “For Your Love” for example was drawn out by numerous guitar solos, and Damiano, like Warhouse, put his companions in the spotlight with a lamp, while it wasn’t long before the bass solo and drum solo completely slowed the momentum down.

©CPU – Chris Stesnes

Well, in the middle, we had a hit with “I Wanna Be Your Slave”, with the set, but why the same song had to be performed again in exactly the same way at the end… remains a mystery to us. It didn’t help that the songs didn’t improve. “MAMMAMIA” became particularly memorable for part of the audience because the frontman took off his shirt, and “IN NOME DEL PADRE” sank into monotony. Well, it might have been very cool to be part of “KOOL KIDS” on stage as a fan, but in the end it was just a weak version of IDLES, which will be played here later.

On Thursday, there was also a photo of guitarist Thomas Raje with Lenny Kravitz and members of Greta Van Vliet, and he seemed to want to bring the best of both worlds to the stage at Måneskin. The result was a nearly ten-minute guitar solo that prompted part of the audience to leave the meadow, but the song “The LONELIEST” itself ultimately didn’t quite hit the nerves it was supposed to.

©CPU – Chris Stesnes

In short, Maneskin fired a lot of gunpowder at the beginning of his set. The Italians shined through Werchter for 45 minutes, but they wrecked the set on their own. In any case, does Maneskin deserve to headline a festival like Rock Werchter? Yesterday proved it, although the show is not necessarily for everyone. From impressive fun to stupid fun: the band opened with anger, but in the end they sank too much into their own world, although a large part of the audience did not allow that to happen. In any case, the fact that the Italians simply put an end to the fact that they were being ridiculed deserves a compliment in Damiano’s cowboy hat.

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You can read our review of the second day of the festival here.
You can read all reviews for Rock Werchter 2024 here.

Make the list:

I do not want to sleep
gossip
My oily pony
Dear (Are you coming?)
Supermodel
gasoline
The Beginning (Four Seasons Cover)
For your love
I want to be your slave
Mama Mia
In my sleep, Del Padre
Bla bla bla
Great kids

The most lonely
I want to be your slave