Herbert Grönemeyer dancing at Seaside Festival 2019

“Der Tag ist alles ausser gewöhnlich” (trad: “The day is everything but ordinary”) Herbert Grönemeyer started his concert in Spiez bay on this beautiful summer evening to welcoming applause – and also Es sind die einzigartigen Tausendstel-Momente. Das ist, was man Sekundenglück nennt” (trad: “They are the unique thousandth moments. That’s what you call seconds luck” was a perfect fit. These 1.5 hours were more than just seconds luck.

I was a bit disappointed that we were not allowed to stand in his photo pit. That would definitely have been a highlight. Especially at this euphoric concert on this Saturday evening in Spiez! By the way, the place name seemed to cause him – like all other foreign artists – just as much trouble. He pronounced Spiez just as badly. 😉

Cheer up, dance!

It is already 8 years since the concert at Wankdorf (Herbert Grönemeyer at Stade de Suisse). Phww! definitely should have gone to a concert before again. But how do you say? Better late than never! Who would have thought that “Gröni” at the age of 63 is just as energetic and fit as he was back then?

They continued with “Bist du da”, also a title from his latest album “Tumult” (release: 2018) with which he is currently on tour. Grönemeyer led through the show after the song “Kopf hoch, tanzen” (Cheer up, dance!): Switched off his head and just started dancing. As he felt it, as it turned out, the German musician jumped and danced across the Seaside stage. His energy and euphoria immediately infected the audience. Hits like “Bochum” and “Männer” supported this of course.

And why are you going to a Grönemeyer concert

There has been a poll why people went to Grönemeyer concerts, he laughed.  7% came because of the lyrics, 13.25% because he dances beastly, 17% because of the music and 62.75% because he looks fantastically. It went on just as wild with “Was soll das” and “Vollmond”, with rocky guitar riffs and rousing beats, before not only his songs “Mein Lebensstrahlen” as well as “Halt mich” became calmer again but also him. Every now and then he went back to the piano. Those who talked too loudly and too much in the audience in the meantime got angry looks. I only say: Right so!

Grönemeyer started with the story about his migration background and his mother from Estonia. He announced the next song “Doppelherz” before he realized that he had skipped one on the setlist and laughingly switched to “Stück vom Himmel”. He would then make the announcement again. Either he forgot it afterwards or intentionally left it out when he really tuned in to “Doppelherz”. One must give such songs also a chance.

Not a millimeter to the right

Grönemeyer gives populism and right-wing people no chance. With the prospect of elections in Germany in mind, he not only made a sharp appeal in his speech, but also in his next song “Fall der Fälle”, not to agitate other people and not to go a millimetre to the right. That was mean and deceitful. Everyone agreed with him.
Always politically and socially committed, Herbert Grönemeyer often took part in various events against the right and for democracy and tolerance. And so his hit “Mensch” followed.

This one song

With “Alcohol” and “Remain All Different” the end came. But not without introducing the band. One of the musicians was even celebrating his birthday at the Seaside Festival – like the Kodaline frontman did the day before. But Grönemeyer hadn’t arrived at the end yet. With “Der Weg” they went into the encore. And of course there was one song not to be missed, that he had tried to “sink and throw out of the plane” countless times. He just couldn’t get rid of it. Of course it is “Flugzeuge im Bauch”. Whereby we 90’s children agreed quickly, that we like the 1998-Oli P. version better 😉 Sorry, this is just a generation thing.
Finally the audience was divided into two groups to sing together, Herbert Grönemeyer said goodbye with “Zeit, dass sich was dreht”.

That was a brilliant concert! With all his energy, the joie de vivre that emanates from him as well as his words and of course his wonderful music, he thrilled. As I said with Bonnie Tyler: the younger generations can still learn something from it.

Info about Herbert Grönemeyer can be found here: www.groenemeyer.de
Everything about the festival here:  www.seasidefestival.ch