Date: 22 July 2009
Originally published in: Het Nieuwsblad (Belgium)
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The 24th edition of Kneistival was flooded with people because of Kim Wilde on Monday. Some four thousand people saw the performance.
Early on in the evening fans of Kim Wilde went to the pit in the Heldenplein t osee the concert by the singer. ‘I’ve come to Kneistival for ten years, but this time I didn’t want to miss a thing’, a fan said. ‘I wanted to be sure that I would be on the front row’.
De pit was already full during the performance of Lady Linn at 8pm. The nearby streets were also full. The performance was a little disappointing, but the Kim Wilde fans weren’t bothered by that.
According to Jan De Roose, organiser of Kneistival, there have never been so many visitors in the history of the festival. ‘No-one in the organization expected this kind of overwhelming response. There was no room all through the performance. The police even had to seal off the square for safety reasons. Those who left the square couldn’t get back in. The enormous success is probably a case of circumstances. Kim Wilde is still a popular single, but the great weather and the fact that Kneistival is free will also have played a part. For the 25th edition we will probably look for a new location. The pit on the Heldenplein has its charm and we will miss it. For the jubilee edition we are already looking for some big names. Nothing has been confirmed yet, though’, says Jan De Roose.
The enthusiastic audience succeeded in getting three encores from Kim Wilde at the end of her performance. She closed with ‘Kids in America’ and took the time to give autographs and have photographs taken. Tonight Level 42 is on the bill.