Just recovering from his world record in radio making, Giel Beelen already set off from Haarlem to Landgraaf to cover Pinkpop on radio, TV, and to take care of the stage presentations. Oh yes, he also picked up two colleagues in Utrecht, so he was also a bit of a chauffeur.

On Twitter, it seemed like you were cruising in the Giel mobile from Haarlem to Landgraaf. That's a joke, right?

“Yeah, that little car is here, and I move around backstage with it. It was auctioned off years ago at Serious Request, and then I asked Jan Smeets (director of PinkPop) if he wanted to buy it for PinkPop. Since then, it has been waiting for me here every year.‘

Giel, this weekend. Is it the best weekend of the year?

“I find it very difficult to say because then I exclude all the other festivals. This is the festival where I really work; at the other festivals, I'm more there to check out bands, and I really enjoy that too because I love working. For a number of years now, I've had three hats at this festival (TV, radio, and stage presentations), and at first, I could get a bit restless about it, but I don't anymore. I know it will be fine.”

Do you have some time for yourself during PinkPop to prepare for what's coming, or are you immediately immersed in the festival chaos?

“As you can imagine, I don't sleep in a tent but in a hotel. This year, I'm sleeping in a different hotel for the first time, but usually, I also need to catch up with the people here. After the performances, we naturally gather with all the colleagues and have a good ‘debrief’.”

And I assume a drink is part of that.

“A drink is definitely part of it. I was never much of a drinker, but in recent years, I've come to appreciate wine. A gin and tonic can also appeal to me. I don't immediately fall over from it, and indeed, it works very well against a hangover.”

What are you looking forward to? The Stones, of course.

“Yes, of course, that's legendary. On the other hand, I'm also glad it's over because it dominated the festival so much. Maybe a bit of an open door, but Jett Rebel is going to be fantastic. The fun part is that I arranged for Larry Graham to play bass with them. He was offered to come to my show on Monday, but since I have no broadcast on Monday, I suggested this. I first checked with Jett if he thought it was a good idea (although I had a suspicion because Jett has a reference to a song by Sly and the Family Stone in one of his songs, so I thought it would be fine), and he was speechless.

Furthermore, Ed Sheeran is going to be very special. Especially because he chose to play here without a band, just him with a guitar. Last year, Passenger did that, and he showed that it could work well too.”

Is there time for Giel?

“The strange thing is that, because the program starts in the afternoon, I have the mornings to myself. Then I read a bit and prepare for the day. An unprecedented luxury for me.’

Of course, it's about the music, but you've probably thought a bit about what you're wearing.

“I really love pink. In the past, I had to resort to girls” clothing because pink for boys was not done. Fortunately, that has changed, and there is quite a lot to find in pink, so I have quite a few pink outfits ready. If possible, then it's now.”

The nice thing about your job is that you can still enjoy a nice ‘after’ in your show on Tuesday.

“You're right. We also make a lot of after-broadcasts on 3fm and on TV, but I can take everything I want to listen back to in my broadcast.“

What should everyone see at PinkPop?

“You have to love it, but on Monday, it's going to be a blast with lots of guitars. Metallica, of course, and more of that. A bit heavy, but it's been a few years since it was here, so I think it's great.”

Pink with an edge, that's why we love Giel so much.