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On Thursday 12 September, the 18th Liberation Concert took place at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. This year, the concert was dedicated to 80 years of freedom. In fact, 12 September marked exactly 80 years since the first US liberators set foot on Dutch soil. Boels Rental has been a partner of the concert for many years, but because of the timing, temperature, size of the stage and live broadcast, there was even more involved this year than usual.
Programme
More than 8,000 American soldiers who died in the Netherlands and Germany during World War II are buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. Every year in September, a concert commemorates those who lost their lives for our freedom 80 years ago. It was because of this anniversary and the fact that the liberators who are still with us are already over or almost 100 years old, it was decided to go all out with a huge celebration this year. George Deswijzen, who has been the Executive Producer of the concert for five years, assisted by Technical Producer Sierk Janssen, explain it all.
Evening concert
Deswijzen came up with a concept that captured the imaginations of many. An evening concert with 125 musicians, an illuminated cemetery, moving stories about fallen soldiers, children laying down flowers, the liberation fire from Normandy and a finale with “We’ll meet again” by Vera Lynn. In terms of content, all the details were ironed out with the US government, who determined what was acceptable and permitted.
But after that the technical aspects still needed to be worked out, according to Sierk Janssen. “You have to imagine what it’s like organising a concert at a venue without any facilities at all. No power, no water, limited accessibility and, on top of that, no lights. It gets dark at eight o’clock. We have to be careful not to damage this solemn place and allow our guest to leave safely.”
Challenges
The organisation has been working with Boels Rental in a variety of areas for many years. For past events, this mainly involved hiring machinery, party goods, road plates and Bio Boxes. Because of the special timing of the concert and the constraints of the location, coordination with Boels had a greater sense of urgency this year. “We had an existing challenge that has recurred every year as well as two new major challenges for this year specifically. Let’s start with the first one. The grass is sacred here. One of the hallmarks of the cemetery is its carpet of clean grass, beautifully landscaped greenery and the snow white crosses. We haven’t crushed a single blade of that grass in these 18 years, and we wanted to keep it that way by laying road plates.
The other two challenges we had to tackle with Boels concerned the lighting, or rather the lack thereof, and our contractual obligation to provide heating for the Philzuid’s musicians and instruments,” explains George Deswijzen.
Heating solution
This last challenge was a tricky one in particular. Especially as temperatures had plummeted in the days leading up to the event and the entire concert was going to be broadcast live. “I consulted a colleague who also organises the Amstel concerts before turning to Boels. The recommendation ultimately came down to strategically placed infrared radiators on the stage. I then immediately called in Boels and ended up receiving the most visually attractive radiators. This was important since there was a chance they would be shown on television… which actually did happen by the way,” Sierk recounts with a chuckle.
Proactive collaboration
A week before the concert, Interstage began construction of the 325 square metre stage. That meant additional aerial platforms and lift trucks were an absolute must. “It’s wonderful that Boels is so proactive in terms of delivery and collection. We wanted to keep the impact on the cemetery to a minimum, especially during this busy period with more than 4,000 visitors a day. The delivery and return schedule we agreed on worked out great,” Sierk says.
Respect
“It’s quite a feat to set up all that equipment. To see all the machines at work and the huge stage being assembled. It’s a unique place with the white crosses all around us and the names of the young people carved in them. It was nice to see that everyone who was involved in this special project, including the employees of Boels, understood the significance of what is here and what we are commemorating. Everyone felt the same sense of respect for those who lost their lives for our freedom. That certainly does something to you and creates an immediate bond,” Deswijzen concludes.
