Frequency kick-off
Ed Sheeran: Triumph of music and community
Around 45,000 fans celebrated a successful and safe start to the Frequency Festival in St. Pölten's Green Park with Ed Sheeran, even if there is room for improvement in the admission controls. Musically, the first top acts braved the sweltering heat with great effort.
A slight shadow lies over the last big summer festival in Austria this year. The safety aspect is even more important than the musical enjoyment at the Frequency festival kick-off in St. Pölten's Green Park. Following the cancellation of the three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna's Happel Stadium, Interior Minister Karner (ÖVP) called a press conference on site to talk about the current situation. The already extensive security measures are to be "increased and strengthened", but there is no cause for concern. In an interview with APA, organizer Harry Jenner spoke of metal detectors being used for the first time at the entrance gates.
Strengthening the subjective sense of security
Of course, these only make sense if they are actually used. According to our own experiences and statements by some visitors, the control system is still rather lax and inadequate at times. Of course, it will take some time before a functioning system is in place, but the concerns are still fresh a week after the Vienna fiasco. There is a fine line between uncertainty and hysteria. Visible and covert police operations are intended to convey an additional sense of security, although the Frequency would never have been at risk, as is emphasized from several sides. However, the subjective feeling of security is of course not unimportant, and one or two tweaks could be considered for the long haul.
You also need stamina because of the biting summer heat. Some of the 45,000 or so fans who arrive in St. Pölten's Green Park on Sheeran Day come a little later in order to escape the brutal sun as much as possible. In addition, the entire area from the Green Stage to the Red Bull Stage to the Nightpark is still in a prolonged summer slumber - the festival only brings out its full guns on the main day. Country pop artist Dasha, who went viral here in Germany with "Austin" and is struggling with the sweltering heat, takes to the stage at 3 pm. Another highlight is US-American David Kushner, who is releasing his debut album "Dichotomy" in two weeks and will be presenting the first songs from it at the Frequency kick-off. He has already shared the stage with Lauv or Dean Lewis and sang Sheeran songs at a young age, as he reveals in the "Krone" interview. "There are certainly better singers than him technically, but with Ed, the whole package fits. It's the authentic stories that he tells and then packs into a perfect stage show."
Ballermann at Frequency
Kushner has been relying on a vocal coach friend for years and has long since found his own style, with which he went viral on TikTok. Only the party rapper Tream stands out from the rather delicate sound corset of the opening day. Wearing an Austrian jersey, the Bavarian also sits down at the piano, fires 08/15 Ballermann beats into the audience and leads one horrified viewer to make the lightning analysis that next year they might as well put Melissa Naschenweng on the main stage. The young fans also celebrate Tream's rather quirky version of Rainhard Fendrich's "I Am From Austria". A short cheer a little later - is that Ed Sheeran on stage? No, but the doppelganger on the Tream stage looks just like him. Only the tattoos are missing. The British star performer and good friend of Sheeran, Calum Scott, who already wowed the crowd at last year's Frequency, is the best musical fit for the headliner. Great cuddly songs mingle with mediocre disco bangers. With Scott, it's definitely true that (musical) strength lies in tranquillity.
Ed Sheeran has been touring the globe with his "Mathematics" tour for years and is slowly coming to an end. Of course, Frequency visitors have to do without the opulent circular stage of the individual shows - he has to make do with the St. Pölten Space Stage and can't run around in circles all the time. He also dispenses with the band, instead playing only with his famous loop station. The setlist has also been adapted. Instead of 26 songs, only 16 are played in Lower Austria, but the big hits are still there. "Castle On The Hill", introduced with an acoustic guitar, "Give Me Love", the Justin Bieber cover "Love Yourself" or the almost psychedelic "Tenerife Sea" sound powerful and sometimes a little mushy from the speakers. Frequency is also a return for Sheeran. When he first took to the stage here in 2012, he was still a nobody outside of England and not the biggest male pop star of the moment.
Weak mathematics
In Sheeran's own memory, the performance dates back to 2011, "15 Years Ago". We realize: Just because you play a "Mathematics" tour, you're obviously not automatically good at math. Sheeran is much better at entertainment. A lavish stage screen lights up in the brightest colors, virtual butterflies fly across the screen in between and there are also fireworks to marvel at at the beginning. He alternates effortlessly between pop hits, melancholy, calm moments and rocking rides. In between, there's also time to unleash his rarely showcased rap qualities. He explains how his loop station works and has personal stories ready for some of his songs. The fans listen attentively and enjoy the quietest headliner of the weekend, who lives up to his reputation as a superstar on all levels.
Today, the Frequency really gets going. The first official festival day begins with German rapper Apache 207, punk rock veterans The Offspring and Rise Against and the British wonder Raye, who is currently going through the roof across Europe and will be giving her first official Austrian concert. You can expect sweltering heat again.
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