Look, one memorable concert in the backyard, okay. But 12 times a year and then also 12 noise days on the Suikerunie terrain: that is getting too much. “It spoils your enjoyment of living.”
For a moment it looks like an ordinary beautiful summer evening. Birds are chirping, it is almost windless and two hot air balloons sail over the city of Groningen.
They haven’t started yet, have they? Or do they play a very soft piece first? These are questions that can be heard in the Verzetsvluchterslaan in Groningen, right next to the Stadspark where the German metal band Rammstein will play for two evenings.
Alfred Somsen and Manon van der Meulen of City Park Naturally are at the first address of their cycling tour that leads past residents of the City Park who experience nuisance from the events that take place there. Two councilors (from the PVV and the SP) are cycling along. The occupant of the house fled the noise.
Then it explodes, it is 8:34 pm and it is immediately clear what the local residents mean, even though Rammstein starts off friendly. It is the bass tones that are obviously audible, but also tangible.
‘This spoils your enjoyment of living’
They walk to the backyard, Somsen with a decibel meter in his hand that peaks at 73. ,,This sound really comes in, this cannot be ignored. And it won’t take half an hour eh, this will continue until eleven tonight. At Kingsland it is all day and evening”, says Somsen. “It spoils your enjoyment of living.”
Suddenly a bang. Fireworks. “Imagine that the children in this neighborhood have to go to school tomorrow,” says Van der Meulen.
They didn’t find the concert of The Rolling Stones a problem, in fact, Van der Meulen was there. The difference between then and now, she says, is that during the festival season it will soon be 12 hits in the Stadspark. ,,Plus 12 times on the Suikerunieterrein, plus the techno parties in that little building on the Drafbaan, plus Martiniplaza. Would you like to live here? That you can’t sit in the garden because of the noise?”
A little further on Van Brakelplein, Annemrie Buikema is sitting in her garden. “It’s awful. It looks like war.” She is shocked by fireworks. It’s 9:52 PM.
A couple (Albert and Anneke) in their mid-70s are annoyed about the number of times events are held in the Stadspark. “This park is intended for people who do not have a garden, not for events. They could do much better to make the Euroborg suitable for major concerts, that stadium is always empty! They don’t have to build a new Oosterpoort either,” says Albert.
‘I was in Vera last week’
He and his wife exchanged the city center 30 years ago for a home near the Stadspark. They were tired of the inner city: always a nightlife crowd in front of the door and always a fairground. They are not pleased that they are now increasingly seeing concerts in the Stadspark. “While I love music. I was in Vera last week, but I also found it much too hard there!”, says Albert.
By the way, he has to say he’s not too bad, Rammstein. It is 10:20 PM when he says: ,,Anouk’s performance on Stadspark Live was worse. Actually, this is just acceptable. We’ve got the wind behind us.”
Then the stormy final chord has yet to come.
2023-07-06 20:54:26
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