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28.06.2013 Kaizers Orchestra (Ravnefesten, Kristiansand)

Saturday, June 29th, 2013

On June 28, 2003, thus exactly ten years ago, I visited a festival in Germany, kept a friend company in the front row, and had to suffer through lots of awful newcomer bands. One of them: Kaizers Orchestra! That’s when the “suffering” suddenly stopped and turned into a loud “Halleluja!”.

Ten years later, I got in the car, a plane, and another car, just to get to see that band play in Kristiansand. For the 163rd time. Ooops. =;)

Guess I should mention right away that this was definitely not the best Kaizers concert I’ve ever seen. Honestly, I thought it was pretty … no, not bad, but “standard” in a way – nothing special happening or anything that you would remember afterwards. Actually, I think that this was mostly due to me standing in a rather bad location; in the front and to the side, as always, which is usually great – but after some people pushed in right before the concert started, I could hardly see anything throughout the first half of the concert. And the concert didn’t really seem to be of a lot of interest to most people around me – conversations were much more important, apparently. And these are the things that really annoy me, so that I get into a bad mood and don’t enjoy a concert as much as I could have. And in addition, when the concert was just getting started, there were a few drops of rain …. aargh! But luckily, there were really only a few drops, which you hardly noticed, so that was good.

What I loved throughout the show, however, was thinking back to my very first Kaizers concert once in a while and comparing the two – Kaizers from back then and Kaizers now, my reaction and feeling toward them back then and my reaction and feeling now. And the conclusion was without doubt: The ten years were terrific, and I would never want to miss them. Thank you, Kaizers Orchestra!

The concert started really promising, also considering the announcements on stage: Before they played Din kjole lukter bensin mor, the Jackal looked for someone to join him in a duet. Someone from the band. But no, not the drummer. And Omen was wearing a mask, so he couldn’t do it either. “The one who gets to sing the duet is pretty tall and has blue eyes. Can you see the eye color at all, by the way?” Sure of victory, Thunder stormed to the front of the stage – just to walk back embarrassedly when Hellraizer was chosen in the end (well, who would’ve thought? *g*).

Omen was busy with a bunch of flowers that kept falling off the keyboard and which he had to find and pick up again. I’m sure he did a lot more, but I could hardly see him, unfortunately. =:-(

Just like at the last concerts, we got the story about the crew member again who had his last day on the job and wanted to hear Forloveren. And then the Jackal read on the setlist that now it’s time to ask “do you feel alright?”. And by the way, he brought his whole family to the concert. “Back there, big ones and small ones. But you cannot see the small ones.” But when he’s sitting in the kitchen at home in Stavanger and the small ones don’t want to eat their food, he always says “Don’t you know who wrote Kontroll på kontinentet? Now eat your food!”

And actually, that’s all already, there wasn’t much talk apart from that. The setlist:

  • Aldri vodka, Violeta
  • Siste dans
  • Tusen dråper regn
  • Din kjole lukter bensin, mor
  • En for orgelet, en for meg
  • Forloveren
  • Ompa til du dør
  • Støv og sand
  • I ett med verden
  • KGB
  • Kontroll på kontinentet
  • Philemon Arthur & the Dung
  • Svarte katter & flosshatter
  • Hjerteknuser
  • Begravelsespolka

No encores. And that’s what I found very weird … it was only a quarter to midnight, so I’m sure they would have had another 15 minutes. And in addition, they had started 15 minutes late! So, if you think about that, the only reasons for this would be them not wanting to play more or them missing the energy for a long set. And both options are rather negative. =:-(

The audience couldn’t believe that there really wasn’t an encore – everybody stayed and cheered for at least ten minutes, even though the lights and music were on already. Well, no way that could mean that there wouldn’t be an encore … or could it?! Yep, it could and it did. And of course, that left a rather bad feeling after the concert.

So all in all, definitely not a bad concert – but no highlight either. And the ending was just so sudden and unexpected … But still: a great night! With really nice company, without any rain, and with a Kaizers concert – what more could you possibly want?

22.06.2013 – Photos Kaizers Orchestra (Gamlebyen, Fredrikstad)

Tuesday, June 25th, 2013
22.06.2013 – Photos Kaizers Orchestra (Gamlebyen, Fredrikstad)

21.06.2013 – Photos Kaizers Orchestra (OverOslo, Oslo)

Tuesday, June 25th, 2013
21.06.2013 – Photos Kaizers Orchestra (OverOslo, Oslo)

22.06.2013 Kaizers Orchestra (Gamlebyen, Fredrikstad)

Sunday, June 23rd, 2013
22.06.2013 – Photos Kaizers Orchestra (Gamlebyen, Fredrikstad)

Next stop: Fredrikstad! This time it wasn’t a festival, but a Kaizers concert with several support bands (which, unfortunately, turned out to be rather boring though). Not up on a hill but in the middle of the ancient town center, and – at least according to the weather forecast – without the rain, yay! Well. Unfortunately, you should never trust Norwegian weather forecasts … which meant that it started raining again already before the Kaizers concert started. But fortunately the rain was in no way like the rain the night before – not much more than drizzle instead of downpour. Which is still annoying, but much more bearable. And like the organizer put it before the concert: Kaizers are breaking up, and the weather gods are crying …

All in all, the concert was very similar to the one in Oslo. Only a few small changes in the setlist (they added Delikatessen, Maestro was played much earlier, and the last encore was 170), an enthusiastic and loud audience, good atmosphere on stage – and still, it didn’t catch on as much as the Oslo concert, at least in my opinion. For some reason, I thought that the beginning of the concert was fantastic, but then it got a bit worse throughout the show. Some of the announcements sounded a little like the Jackal wasn’t too much into the concert. “The management says we have to ask if you’re having a good time. So: Are you having a good time??” … Which can be really funny, but in the actual context, it wasn’t really. Not bad either, just … strange.

But that isn’t supposed to mean that the concert was bad or not entertaining, not at all! Right in the beginning, the Jackal was amazed: “Wow, there’s really a lot of you by now! And we’re still six …” *g* A bit later, there were long discussions about how big Fredrikstad is and if there are more or less people living there than in Sandnes or Drammen.

At the beginning of En for orgelet, the Jackal realized that it has a perfect hip hop beat and that you can sing “ah ah” and “hey” to that beat as well. Which – what we learned later – works just as well for Evig pint. =;-)

Before they played Kontroll på kontinentet, we got a little striptease – first the jacket, which the Jackal just held out behind him until someone took it. Since the crew was busy, the “someone” turned out to be butler Killmaster. *g* Then it was time to take off the tie, same procedure of course. And later, the crew had to tape up Janove’s pants and fix the broken microphone. Pretty cool if you have people pampering you all the time. =;-)

Killmaster celebrated his solo in Kontroll på kontinentet and dragged it out a lot. Then the song “finally” continued, but the Jackal stopped it again: “Wait – Hellraizer, did you want to play a solo as well?” Hellraizer could do without though. =;-) Instead, he stepped up on the drum pedestal a bit later and started messing with Mink’s drum set, until Mink pushed him down. *g* And exactly those are the little details that make a concert really entertaining!

But the best guy on stage that night was definitely Omen! He was so in his role again – even before he entered the stage. If you were standing towards the side, you could see him make his way towards the steps up to the stage – already wearing his gas mask -, and before he actually climbed them, he checked out the stage and the area, seemingly impressed. And as always, it was really worth keeping an eye on him constantly during Delikatessen. He took up his suitcase, opened it, and found a vase that he put on the keyboard. Next he found – of course – some flowers, which he put into the vase. Then it was time to play some organ, but right after he was done, he grabbed his water bottle. First he drank a little – and then he was apparently addressed by the flowers, who also wanted some water! *rofl* But first Omen had to play again, then he could continue the discussion with the flowers and finally pour some water into the vase.

Fast forward to Svarte katter, right after Omen’s second solo. He’s completely exhausted and definitely needs something to drink. So, what are you gonna do? Right, of course you grab the vase with the flowers and drink from it! *rofl* AWESOME! And of course he filled up the water again afterwards – after another conversation with the flowers. Hach … I really want a DVD with a separate Helge cam! By the way, Omen actually came out into the aisle after the concert and wrote some autographs and took pictures with the fans. Really nice!

And as the report shows, I guess, the concert was really great, all in all – even though it wasn’t as good as the one at OverOslo, because the last little bit to turn it into the perfect concert was missing. But still amazing! =:-)

The setlist:

  • Aldri vodka, Violeta
  • Siste dans
  • Tusen dråper regn
  • Din kjole lukter bensin, mor
  • En for orgelet, en for meg
  • Forloveren
  • Støv og sand
  • Delikatessen
  • I ett med verden
  • KGB
  • Kontroll på kontinentet
  • Ompa til du dør
  • Evig pint
  • Philemon Arthur & the Dung
  • Svarte katter & flosshatter
  • Hjerteknuser
  • Maestro
    —————
  • Begravelsespolka
  • Drøm videre, Violeta
  • 170

My next concert will be next week, with my 10-year anniversary … and better weather, I hope!

21.06.2013 Kaizers Orchestra (OverOslo, Oslo)

Saturday, June 22nd, 2013
21.06.2013 – Photos Kaizers Orchestra (OverOslo, Oslo)

Time for the summer festivals! My first one this year: OverOslo. A very fitting name, considering that the festival takes place on a hill/mountain in Oslo, with a fantastic view over the whole city. That is, if you can actually see anything through all the rain …

But I’m getting ahead here. Kaizers actually played two gigs that night, the first one in the city; unfortunately it wasn’t possible to attend both gigs. At least not if you wanted to catch Katzenjammer who played at OverOslo as well. And if you didn’t catch them, you missed one of the two highlights that night. =;-)

Right when we got on the shuttle bus to the festival, it started raining. Two minutes after we got off the bus, it REALLY started raining. And it didn’t stop until Kaizers played their last song … Well, that’s a way of starting the festival season! Wet to the skin – but at least it was rather warm-ish, so that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. And the amounts of rain that poured down that night were actually so ridiculous that it was almost funny again … =;-)

As always, the Kaizers concert started with Omen entering the stage. He made his way to the part of the stage that was NOT under the stage roof first and tested the rain. Then the rest of the band came on, and the first thing the Jackal did was to move his microphone stand from the (more or less) dry part of the stage to the very front. And that’s exactly where the Jackal stayed throughout the whole concert – respect! I think that this was one of the main reasons that the concert turned out as awesome as it did, in spite of the awful conditions. The Jackal didn’t care about the rain at all, and so the audience didn’t either. Well, yes, you got all wet, but so what? And the rest of the band joined the Jackal in the rain over and over again as well (and when they said good-bye, even Mink made it to the front … without shoes *g*). And it definitely looked impressive when the Jackal jumped around on stage and the water was splashing everywhere … Actually, the Jackal even ignored the rain poncho someone threw on stage for him. *g*

Because of the weather, I took as few notes as possible – my mobile doesn’t like floods. =;-) What I remember is a rather unprepared organ player under the introduction in Forloveren; Omen was busy looking through his document suitcase when he was introduced, so he had to put away his suitcase first before he could play. =;-)

Killmaster really enjoyed his solo under Kontroll på kontinentet, so the Jackal praised him for his “god solo” afterwards. A couple of times. And the audience confirmed it. Then Hellraizer was supposed to do a “god solo” as well, and sing it at the same time, thus “scatting”. Then it was time for a singing solo of the Jackal, and finally the audience took over the solo. “The biggest choir!” And in general, we got some real and serious praise in the end for being “the best audience” – nobody left before the end of the show even though it was raining all the time.

The setlist:

  • Aldri vodka, Violeta
  • Siste dans
  • Tusen dråper regn
  • Din kjole lukter bensin, mor
  • En for orgelet, en for meg
  • Forloveren
  • Støv og sand
  • I ett med verden
  • KGB
  • Kontroll på kontinentet
  • Evig pint
  • Ompa til du dør
  • Philemon Arthur & the Dung
  • Svarte katter & flosshatter
  • Hjerteknuser
    —————
  • Begravelsespolka
  • Drøm videre, Violeta
  • Maestro

All in all, it was an awesome concert with a great atmosphere – and the terrible weather couldn’t spoil it! The only downside: Kaizers really should have played Katastrofen …! =;-)

02-03.08.2013 Mini-Rock-Festival (Horb am Neckar)

Sunday, June 2nd, 2013
This entry doesn't exist in English.
Mini-Rock-Festival 2013

Das erste August-Wochenende ist auch in diesem Jahr wieder fürs Mini-Rock-Festival in Horb reserviert! Ein tolles, kleines Festival mit immer spannendem Line-up, organisiert von einer Gruppe Jugendlicher, die das Festival in jedem Jahr routiniert auf die Beine stellen und dafür (voll und ganz zurecht!) großes Lob der auftretenden Bands und der anwesenden Zuschauer einfahren.

In diesem Jahr geht es zurück zu den Wurzeln: Nachdem das Festival in den letzten Jahren immer wieder das Gelände gewechselt hat bzw. wechseln musste, geht es in diesem Jahr zurück auf das alte Gelände, das das Mini Rock schon 2005 bis 2009 beheimatet hat. Wie genau das funktionieren wird, muss sich zeigen – das Gelände war als Festivalgelände top, keine Frage, aber das Festival ist seitdem doch um einiges gewachsen. Dementsprechend wird es interessant zu sehen, um wie viel das verfügbare Gelände vergrößert wurde und ob das Festival insgesamt ein wenig “geschrumpft” ist.

Letzteres kann man vermuten, wenn man das Line-Up betrachtet. Wie gewohnt sind da sehr viele interessante Bands und Künstler dabei, aus einem breiten Spektrum, und schon jetzt ist klar: Musikalisch gesehen wird das Festival auf jeden Fall klasse! Die wirklich großen Namen wie Kraftklub und K.I.Z im letzten Jahr oder Friska Viljor, Fettes Brot oder Madsen bei früheren Veranstaltungen sind diesmal jedoch nicht dabei. Jennifer Rostock, Prinz Pi, Irie Révoltés und Callejon als Headliner spielen doch in einer anderen Liga – was aber nicht negativ sein muss. Lieber viele tolle kleinere Bands als ein großer Headliner nur des Namens wegen. Dass dieses Konzept sich auszahlt, hat das Mini Rock schon oft bewiesen, und auch in diesem Jahr erwarte ich gerade unter den mir unbekannten Bands wieder einige wunderbare Überraschungen und Neuentdeckungen. Das komplette Line-up gibt es auf mini-rock-festival.de.

Gleich zwei Bands schaff(t)en es übrigens über Bandcontests ins Programm. Die Band Redensart gewann den regioactive-Bandcontest, und die Entscheidung über den Gewinner des “3 Gigs for Free”-Contest fällt beim Finale am 8. Juni in Herrenberg.

Da kann also jeder der möchte aktiv am Booking des Festivals mitwirken! Genau wie auch das Design des Festival-Shirts in der Hand der Besucher liegt: Bis Ende Mai konnten Vorschläge eingereicht werden, und zurzeit läuft die Abstimmung über die Shirts bei Facebook.

Und wem das immer noch nicht reicht, der stellt sich einfach selbst auf die Bühne, und zwar am Vorabend des Festivals bei der Warm-up-Party mit Live-Karaoke! Live-Karaoke? Ist Karaoke nicht immer live? Nun ja, der Gesang schon – aber mit einer echten Live-Band im Hintergrund macht es doch gleich noch mal mehr Spaß … hoffentlich nicht nur den Performern, sondern auch dem Publikum. 😉

Tickets fürs Mini-Rock-Festival kosten 46 Euro bzw. 58 Euro (inkl. Camping und 5 Euro Müllpfand). Alle Infos zum Festival und Links zu den Tickets findet man auf mini-rock-festival.de.

09-11.08.2013 Taubertal-Festival (Rothenburg o.d. Tauber)

Sunday, June 2nd, 2013
This entry doesn't exist in English.

TTF2013_Logo_CIVom 9. bis 11. August ist es wieder so weit: Auf ins wunderschöne Taubertal zum wunderbaren Taubertal-Festival!

Wie jedes Jahr erwartet uns ein hochkarätiges Line-Up: Als Headliner sind mal wieder die Ärzte dabei, außerdem Deichkind, die schon länger auf der Wunschliste der Veranstalter standen, und als internationale Headliner zum Abschluss des Festivals Biffy Clyro und Chase & Status. Hinzu kommen viele kleine und große Perlen aus den verschiedensten Ecken des Musikspektrums, u. a. Bad Religion, Skunk Anansie, Pennywise, Flogging Molly, Subway to Sally, Editors und Frittenbude – das komplette Programm gibt es auf www.taubertal-festival.de zum Runterladen.

Auf keinen Fall vergessen darf man dabei das Emergenza-Finale. Aus der ganzen Welt treten die jeweiligen Gewinnerbands gegeneinander an, bis dann die beste Emergenza-Band sowie die besten Musiker gekürt werden. Leider ist vor der “Sounds-for-Nature”-Bühne oft nicht allzu viel los, dennoch lohnt es sich absolut, dort regelmäßig vorbeizuschauen. Ich persönlich wurde dort schon oft von tollen Bands überrascht – und musikalische Neuentdeckungen sind doch das Tollste an einem Festival, oder?

Wobei das Taubertal insgesamt viel zu bieten hat: Zwei Bühnen mit super Programm (siehe oben), die beide nahe beieinander liegen, sodass man jederzeit schnell wechseln kann, die sich aber nicht behindern wie bei anderen Festivals, wo man gerne mal zwei Bands gleichzeitig hört. Eine perfekte Organisation mit einem eingespielten Team, netten und hilfsbereiten Sicherheitsleuten, und Zeltplätzen mit allem, was man so braucht – wenn natürlich auch mit dem ein oder anderen Kritikpunkt, wie z. B. dem Haupteingang am entfernten Ende des Geländes, was einen längeren Fußmarsch bedeutet, oder einem doch recht entfernt gelegenen Zeltplatz auf dem Berg, der nur tagsüber mit Shuttlebussen angefahren wird. Dies sind allerdings Faktoren, die aus Sicherheitsgründen nicht geändert werden können. Und so kommt man immerhin zwangsläufig an der kleineren Emergenza-Bühne vorbei, und so ein nächtlicher Fußmarsch in der Gruppe den Berg hoch kann auch sehr unterhaltsam sein!

Und der größte Pluspunkt des Festivals: die Lage! Wunderschön im Taubertal, inmitten der Natur, mit Blick hoch auf die mittelalterliche Stadt. Mit einem Hang seitlich der Hauptbühne, auf dem man immer ein schönes Plätzchen findet – tagsüber, um gemütlich in der Sonne zu sitzen und gleichzeitig das Geschehen auf der Bühne verfolgen zu können (das Taubertal ist wohl das einzige Festival in Deutschland, bei dem auch die “Picknickfraktion” am Nachmittag bei LaOlas und Schrei-Spielchen mitmacht!), und abends, um trotz vollem Gelände freie Sicht zur Bühne zu haben. Und vormittags, bevor das Festivalgelände öffnet, geht es entweder zum Frühstück hoch in die Stadt oder zum Frühschoppen mit Bierbänken in die Tauber. 😉

Im letzten Jahr bewährt, in diesem Jahr wieder am Start: das Green Camping auf dem Campingplatz Tal. Das Taubertal-Festival ist ein “Sounds for Nature”-Festival, dementsprechend wird natürlich auch beim Camping auf Nachhaltigkeit und Umweltschutz Wert gelegt. Und da der Tal-Campingplatz direkt am Wasser und mitten in der Natur liegt, gelten dort strengere Regeln – oder, wie die meisten im “Premierejahr” 2012 positiv feststellen konnten – eine bessere Campingqualität als auf dem Campingplatz Berg. Auf dem Berg sind weiterhin Fahrzeuge und Stromaggregate erlaubt.

Laut Veranstalter sind nur noch wenige Festivaltickets verfügbar – es sieht also so aus, als könne das Taubertal in diesem Jahr so früh wie nie “ausverkauft” vermelden. Festivaltickets kosten knapp 100 Euro (inkl. Camping), Tagestickets je knapp 50 Euro. Alternativ gibt es VIP-Tickets für 200 bzw. 80 Euro. Alle Infos rund ums Festival gibt es auf 2013.taubertal-festival.de.

Im letzten Jahr blieb das Taubertal-Festival zum ersten Mal überhaupt komplett regenfrei – hoffen wir, dass es in diesem Jahr genauso sein wird! Und wenn dann auch noch die Temperaturen mitspielen, steht einem tollen Fest(ival) nichts im Wege!

Stadt

22.05.2013 77 Bombay Street (Universum, Stuttgart)

Saturday, June 1st, 2013
This entry doesn't exist in English.

Konzerttechnisch gesehen war der Mai ziemlicher Wahnsinn – Art Brut, Benzin, dann eine Woche New York inklusive Kaizers-Konzert, dann Honningbarna und zum Abschluss noch 77 Bombay Street. Die wollte ich unbedingt mal wieder sehen – nachdem sie mich beim Open Air Gampel 2011 sofort überzeugt hatten. Also keine Müdigkeit und auf ins Goldmarks … oder nein, kurzfristig verlegt ins (deutlich größere) Universum, gutes Zeichen!

77 Bombay Street sind in der Schweiz riesig – hierzulande aber noch quasi unbekannt. Die Musik kann man wohl am besten als eingängigen Pop auf Englisch beschreiben, und genau da haben wir sowohl die Stärke als auch die Schwäche der Band. EINGÄNGIG. Ohrwurm, aber absolut! Lieder wie “Up in the sky” oder “I love Lady Gaga” hört man einmal, singt am Ende schon mit, und zwei Wochen später immer noch. Und interessanterweise funktioniert das auch auf Platte: Die Lieder kann man immer und immer wieder nebenbei hören, sie sind einfach schön, gehen einem aber nicht auf den Geist.

Aber wie gesagt, es ist auch gleichzeitig die Schwäche. Hört man auf die Texte oder liest sie gar im Booklet nach, ist man doch enttäuscht, denn … nun ja, “banal” ist noch nett gesagt. Zwar sollen da durchaus immer wieder Gesellschaftskritik oder ernste Themen drinstecken, aber über eine minimale Prise kommt die Band nicht raus. Schade! Man muss es also wirklich als seichten Pop ohne Tiefgang nehmen.

Das ist ja aber auch absolut in Ordnung, solange die Musik Spaß macht. Und dementsprechend freute ich mich auf das Konzert – war aber erst mal ernüchtert. Denn was stellt man sich beim Stichwort “seichter Pop” vor? Genau, vier weichgespülte Grinsebacken auf der Bühne, die ihre Lieder runterspielen und dazwischen eher unbeholfene Ansagen ins Mikro grinsen. Und genau das war es. 🙁 Die erste Hälfte des Konzerts fand ich absolut enttäuschend und fühlte mich simpel und einfach “im falschen Film” – das mag ja ganz nett sein, aber es ist nicht meine Welt. Absolut nicht. Am Tag zuvor hüpfte noch der Sänger der Honningbarna um mich rum, da fühlte ich mich um einiges wohler …

Aber – zum Glück – zu früh verzweifelt! Nach einer Weile wurden 77 Bombay Street immer lockerer und damit auch sympathischer. Der Lead-Gesang ging reihum, jeder durfte mal ans Mikro, es wurde sehr unterhaltsam und man merkte, was die Jungs musikalisch so alles draufhaben. Und als dann als letztes Lied noch “Waiting for tomorrow” akustisch und ohne Mikros dargeboten wurde – auch wieder auf alle Band-Mitglieder verteilt und mit lautstarkem Mitsingen des Publikums – da hatten sie bei mir absolut gewonnen. Das war stark, wahnsinnig stark. So viel Ausdruck sucht man bei anderen Bands vergeblich.

Mal sehen, wie lange es dauert, bis sie es wieder nach Deutschland schaffen – und wann der große Durchbruch kommt. Denn der muss kommen – radiokompatible Ohrwürmer und musikalisches Können, was will man mehr?!

21.05.2013 Honningbarna (Zwölfzehn, Stuttgart)

Saturday, June 1st, 2013

I was quite surprised when I received a newsletter announcing a Honningbarna concert in Stuttgart. Seriously? Honningbarna? Why would they tour in Germany?!

Just a little bit of background: Honningbarna is a Norwegian punk band that has been strongly influenced by Skambankt. I – as a Skambankt fan – have always seen them as a rip-off of Skambankt. However, after seeing them play at Odderøya Live last year, I have to admit that it’s not “as bad” as feared: Yes, they play punk songs with Norwegian lyrics, yes, they have a song where they mostly shout their own name, yes, that is quite like Skambankt. But then, their songs are different and they use a cello in addition to the usual instrumentation. And, just like Skambankt, they have a great energy on stage and their concerts seem to be really fun.

Still, an unknown band singing in Norwegian … I wouldn’t expect them to tour Germany. But hey, if the come, I’ll go and see them! I even got my ticket beforehand, because I returned from New York City the day before, and I knew that without a ticket, the sofa would win that night …

I arrived pretty late, when the support band was already playing. There were about five people outside the venue and – except for the band on stage – about five inside. *uhem* Subtracting the guys from Honningbarna, that left about four or five paying (?) guests. Ooops.

It did get a little bit better until Honningbarna went on stage, but still there weren’t more than 10-15 people there. And honestly: If I had been in charge, I would have forced the support band to watch the concert instead of standing outside or hanging out backstage. But well.

Honningbarna didn’t care about how many people were there (or at least they didn’t show it). They delivered! Full energy, jumping around, screaming – impressive, especially with such a small audience! It might have been a bit too much in the beginning though … I mean, I would have come forward and stood closer to the stage, but I don’t want to jump, I don’t want to mosh, I don’t want to watch out for anyone suddenly jumping into me. And during the first song, singer and guitarist left the stage and started jumping around wildly in the front – which was awesome and is probably typical “them”, but it made all the spectators draw to the back and to the sides to get out of the danger zone. 😉 Uhm, probably not what was intended.

Anyway, it was an awesome (and intimate *g*) concert and great fun. I’ll really need to get the albums – because even though I speak Norwegian, I didn’t have a chance to understand anything they were singing. Next time I’ll come better prepared. 😉

17.05.2013 Janove Ottesen (Sjømannskirken, New York City)

Monday, May 20th, 2013
17.05.2013 – Photos Janove Ottesen (Sjømannskirken, New York City)

On the day after the concert in New York City, there was a little extra bonus for all Kaizers fans: The Jackal played at Sjømannskirken’s celebration to honor the Norwegian national day. Alone on the piano (actually, the whole band was asked to play, but for some reasons that didn’t work out), without a real setlist, very spontaneously – or at least that’s how it seemed.

These are the songs we got to hear:

  • Hjerteknuser
  • Aldri vodka, Violeta
  • Di grind
  • Romantisk salme in F-dur
  • Drøm videre, Violeta
  • Kontroll på kontinentet
  • Forlover

A great concert! Even though the Jackal pointed out several times that things might go wrong – normally, he doesn’t play the songs on the piano himself, and he hasn’t played them for a long time. And in addition, not all Kaizers songs work with only the piano. And yes, some notes did go wrong, but nobody minded that. That’s just the logical result: “I write such complicated songs by now that I cannot play them myself – which is of course great, to debut in New York City with such C moments …”

But the Jackal definitely didn’t need to worry about that! The audience was twofold. In the front, around the piano: American Kaizer fans who were singing along every single word (or rather every phone sequence *g*). In the back: Norwegians who wanted to see what the Sjømannskirke had organized to celebrate the day, but who hardly knew the songs. And in the end, everyone was excited about the concert! But it did seem like the Norwegians needed a while to wake up … =;-)

The one thing I found sad was that the Jackal didn’t take the time to come down for a bit after the gig, to give the fans the chance to say thank you for the concert(s). There was only a handful of people there, but it would have meant a lot to them. On the other hand, it is totally understandable of course that the work part of the day was done after the gig …

But at least the fans had the chance to see two concerts instead of only one – and as a concert junkie, I totally approve of that of course! *g*