D-A-D was definitely back in their element. On a big festival stage, with hundreds upon hundreds of cheering fans in front of them. It was a bit earlier than usual though; they played a smashing afternoon gig at about 17.30, but this was probably due to the fact that they had a headlining gig already in place on this very day, in a different city.
That’s alright, we were here to have fun, and D-A-D can deliver a fun time any time of the day.

“God damn it all to hell, Copenhagen! You smell wonderfully out there!”
- Jesper Binzer (vocals/guitar)

Before the band got to play for us though, an announcer was sent on stage to warm up the crowd, as was the style for all bands here. The announcement being made was very special however, as it was declared that it was frontman Jesper Binzer’s birthday this day, and that we should all join in on singing a birthday tune for him. Not surprisingly, this was quickly picked up by the crowd, and Jesper Binzer especially had a warm welcome when the band entered, to the sound of the locomotive intro audio.
D-A-D quickly picked the ball up, and kept the momentum going by diving directly into True Believer, a rocker perfect for the occasion. Jacob Binzer was quick to make use of the catwalk, and so the concert was on its way.
As the songs played on though, something felt a little off. It wasn’t the standard setlist, we’d kinda figured on that, and it wasn’t that the performance was bad. It was pretty much what we’d expected it to be as well, pretty much. But not completely. It was as if they were holding the final 10-15% back, for some reason. Thinking about it, it made me think they were holding back to keep themselves energized for that extra show they were doing later on; however, they weren’t doing a show later on. As it turned out, that show had been postponed to 2022. Jesper Binzer had a show later on with his solo project though, and maybe that was what was holding the band back now?

Something I hadn’t figured on, was that D-A-D pretty much went straight from song to song, without any funny comments in between, no small talk. That’s usually a staple of their shows, and this helped underline the sensation of them not putting themselves completely out there.
Up to a point.

“Now it’s coming, now I’m all warmed up!”
- Stig ‘Stigge’ Pedersen (bass)

During the Monster Philosophy / Trucker mash-up, the band finally livened up, and from there on out, I do think they delivered on their full potential. The jokes started flying, Jesper Binzer and Laust Sonne did their usual comedy routine with Jesper calling Laust up on the phone leading up to the drum solo, but the talk was fittingly centered on the fact that it was Jesper’s birthday, and someone had put a nice phone filter on Jesper’s microphone, a little detail that goes a long way.
The final five songs were also delivered with a lot more energy from the band, they started up a pyro show out along the catwalk, and for the final crescendo of Sleeping My Day Away, we even got the long awaited return of Pedersen’s fireworks helmet!
Afterwards, Jacob Binzer also had a new guitar trick up his sleeve, where he threw his guitar with all his might to the back of the stage, where it landed in a large net. Not the wildest gimmick, but it was nice and fun; good to see some changes being made.
So, after what I wouldn’t call a rough start, but definitely toned down, D-A-D finally got round to delivering the kind of performance that we love them for. A bit late, but it was there.

Setlist:

True Believer
Burning Star
Jihad
Helpyourselfish
A Prayer For The Loud
Soft Dogs
Everything Glows
Riding With Sue
Monster Philosophy / Trucker
Rim Of Hell
Bad Craziness
Evil Twin
I Want What She’s Got
Sleeping My Day Away