The Open-air concerts at Alter Zoll have been a regular feature since 2012 and it seems hard to imagine a Summer in Bonn without picknickers on the grass bank at Stadtgarten enjoying free music in the sunshine. Bonn’s Stadtgarten typically serves as a stage on five weekends, but this year is sadly only four. Rather than complain about the missing weekend, lets be positive about what we have. There will be concerts every Friday and Saturday evening from 7th to 29 August.

Something that remains the same is that all bands appearing are playing their own material rather than the coverband blockade favoured elsewhere. Experience tells me that you can be assured of getting your money’s worth since the shows are free! But to be serious, you can definitely be guaranteed to hear music played from the heart by enthusiastic local and international musicians. There is always an interesting mix of music and styles so come along, enjoy the sunshine, enjoy the Summer and enjoy the music!

You can download the full brochure as a PDF HERE

Bands and venues have come and gone over the last 30 years, so Baum’s Bluesbenders would deserve praise for even just being around still. The fact that they are not just still around but have just released their first official CD and had the organizers of Unter der Zeder scrambling to find additional chairs for the huge stream of keen spectators shows them to be a band not just still existing, but still making great music.

There are clearly a lot of Italians in the audience so you might have been forgiven for thinking you were opposite the Tiber in Rome or the Arno in Florence on this sunny evening.  But no, this is Bonn Germany down by the Rhine.  Lorenzo Cherubini aka Jovanotti has just brought huge applause by joining Jack Savoretti on the Kunstrasen stage to sing ‘Lo Che non Vivo’. Jack sings ‘You don’t have to say you love me’, but don’t worry, it’s not chaos, the Dusty Springfield (and Elvis) hit was based on Pino Donaggio’s 1960’s hit. It’s wonderful to see both men clearly so happy in the moment. As Savoretti went on to say on Facebook: “‘They’ say never meet your heroes… but ‘they’ never met Lorenzojova!”

Sunshine and a party spirit. What more could the organizers of Kunst!Rasen, now in its 14th year, ask for?

The sunny weather came from Mother Nature and the sunny music from Carneval/Rockband Brings.