The Red Hot Chili Peppers closed the 46th edition of Rock Werchter on Sunday. The presence of the American group on the main stage of the festival had long been uncertain, because he had to cancel a concert in Glasgow, Scotland on Friday for medical reasons. The organizers had finally confirmed his arrival on Sunday around noon.
The RHCP delivered a flawless concert on Sunday, playing their most famous titles including “Californication” et “Give It Away” in long version. The favorite songs of the public, “Under The Bridge” et “By The Way“, were also performed towards the end. The fireworks then marked the end of Rock Werchter 2022.
Earlier in the evening, The Killers also offered an exceptional performance to festival-goers. The plain vibrated to the sound of the hits of the American group and, for the duration of a piece, a young man from the public was invited to come and play the drums alongside the musicians.
Some 90,000 festival-goers were able to attend concerts by rock and pop groups from all over the world every day. There had also never been so many Belgian formations on stage: they were 17. In total, 100 groups were on the bill.
This edition of Rock Werchter welcomed some 88,000 festival-goers, including 50,000 campers. The music lovers present came from no less than 95 different countries. Until Sunday evening, De Lijn rode almost 100,000 people, a number which might still be updated on Monday, while 12,000 cyclists were counted per day. About 10,000 volunteers also took part in the organization.
A tribute was paid Thursday to the singer Arno, who recently died of cancer. Other highlights included the concerts of the headliners Pearl Jam et Metallica. Smaller but no less talented artists like Joost, Goldband, STIKSTOF and The Death South also rocked the festival grounds. And for the first time, a winner of the Eurovision Song Contest was present in Werchter: Moonlight performed on the main stage on Saturday. No major incidents were reported during the festival. The Red Cross announced that it had taken care of 5,800 spectators, mainly for blisters, headaches or abrasions. A number comparable to that of other years.
The next edition of Rock Werchter will take place from June 29 to July 2, 2023.
