Raising your hands to the sky at a concert is in and of itself nothing out of the ordinary. But as the Sportfreunde Stiller were on stage on Friday followingnoon, it was a little different. “The single is for anyone who’s in a dark hole or knows someone who isn’t doing well,” singer announced Peter Brugger when the formation started their new song “We are a guardian”, in which they address depression. The key message? You have to be there for each other.
For each other, but also for good music, greasy food and refreshing drinks, the metalheads are at the Pannonia Fields this weekend. An event like the Nova Rock Festival is actually a place of exuberance and joy. After a break of more than two years, the aim of the visitors is to let themselves drift carefree for a whole weekend. But that can also trigger something.
Mental health: Also an issue away from the stage
A few hours later, soft German rock is replaced by harder sounds: the Italian band Måneskin makes the Pannonia Fields tremble. There are also two men in the audience with orange vests. They are not security staff; at least not in the classical sense. The two are part of the team of festival pastors, who are represented at Nova Rock for the first time this year.
“Festival pastoral care is an offer shared by the Catholic and Protestant Churches,” says Matthew Zauner, who works for the Diocese of Linz. “The aim is that we simply listen to the people who need to speak and are there for them.”
Zauner in a video interview
Most of the conversations are entertaining, nice and unspectacular, as Zauner explains. “But sometimes people take the opportunity to get their grief off their chests. Also in connection with alcohol, the whole euphoria and the emotionality that arises at a festival like this, topics sometimes come up.” In sensitive situations, the pastoral team, consisting of 14 people, works together with the blue light organizations: “Then we’ll see if we involve the Red Cross or the crisis intervention team, which is here all the time, which I think is great.”
But sometimes, as Zauner knows, it’s good for people to talk regarding the weather and the quality of their shoes in an irrelevant way. That was often the case, especially on Thursday. But later on, there is often talk regarding challenges that are currently preoccupying festival visitors. “For example, regarding the friend they worry regarding because he is not feeling well,” says Zauner. While he is speaking, festival-goers keep coming up to his colleagues, sitting on the loungers and exchanging ideas. The bass is booming in the background. It is an informal exchange in a relaxed atmosphere.
But what exactly can trigger the need to speak at the festival? “Maybe it’s because you just do and live with all your heart. Then you’re happy, jump around and maybe realize what’s not so good for you in your own life,” says Zauner. “But of course we’re also happy when people just come and tell us how great it is here.”
