Five bookers from just as many international festivals have announced their arrival at MONO Goes Metal Fest 2024. They have been invited to form a panel where they will let the audience in on festival details, secrets, themselves as bookers and what they are looking for when booking artists.
First up:
Chris ‘Jagger’ Jäger, Head of booking – SUMMER BREEZE Open Air, Bavaria, Germany.
Can you tell us a bit about your festival? And your focus and musical profile?’
The SUMMER BREEZE Open Air has been an annual metal festival at the Dinkelsbühl Aeroclub airfield since 1997 (except in 1998, 2020 and 2021). With around 45,000 visitors it is one of the largest festivals in Germany. Over 130 metal bands perform on four stages, with the focus on the heavier genres. However, medieval metal and folk (punk / metal) music is also very popular among the fans. Two smaller stages are dedicated to “promoting young talent”. Many a band that celebrated their SB debut here found themselves on the bigger stages years later. The underground is alive and well, and that’s a good thing. We try to play our part in this.
What is your background and how long have you been working with this festival?
Chris ‘Jagger’ Jäger has been working in the scene for more than two decades. From publishing a fanzine during the mid-Nineties to joining a monthly metal magazine in ’98 and becoming the editor in chief later on, he made his first steps in the live music business in 1998. During that year, the magazine realized its second indoor festival that later became a well-known Open Air in South Germany.
In 2012 he joined Germany’s second biggest metal festival SUMMER BREEZE Open Air. As head of booking, project manager and networking specialist he likes to push and advance the festival as well as travel and meet people all over the globe.
Best show you’ve ever seen hands down? And why was that?
This question is impossible to answer. I’m sorry about that. I’ve been lucky enough to see so many incredibly good shows that it’s impossible for me to pick “the best”. But FEAR OF GOD & SEPULTURA at Aardshokdag 1992, some Dynamo festivals and of course SLAYER and PRIMORDIAL shows were definitely at the top.
https://www.summer-breeze.de/en/
Meet Chris at MGM Festival Meet Up 2024 at Institut For X.
Saturday the 16th. november at 1pm.
Sign up and details at: https://mono.dk/deltag-i-mgm-festival-meet-up-og-mod-fem-festivaler/
MGM Festival Meet Up is created in cooperation with and supported by MXD – Music Export Denmark and Tuborfondet.