If you went to Unter der Zeder on Monday thinking ‘The Rhythm Section’?  Hmm… sounds like an evening of safe if unremarkable instrumentals” you would have been WAY, Way wrong.   The singers actually outnumbered the musicians.  Ten musicians and singers in total.  A recipe for confusion and ego-clashing?  It turned out to instead be  a recipe for spontaneity and shared enjoyment that had the audience on their feet and clapping along well before evening’s end. 

Saddened to hear today that Konrad Beikircher has passed away aged 80. Even as a resident of Düsseldorf many years ago I was aware of this multi-talent who seemed to represent all that was good humoured about the Rhineland area. He was a comedian, musician, writer, presenter, Moderator…

Beikircher developed his own unique style.  One that managed to laugh with, rather than at, the foibles of his subjects (more often than not Rhinelanders). If you wanted a fresh view of anything – Konrad Beikircher was your man.  I offer as proof a book I’m currently reading, his witty analysis of Beethoven ‘Der Ludwig – Jetzt mal so gesehen’ 

Despite being from South Tyrol, Beikircher lived most of his life near the Rhine and has become synonymous with Bonn in the way that Wolfgang Niedecken has with Cologne, and indeed his first professional appearance was on the stage at Jazzgalerie in 1978. He announced an end to touring last year and this year was ironically due to see the last appearances of Konrad Beikircher onstage.

But offstage too Konrad Beikircher has enriched the Cultural landscape of Bonn.  His home at Katharinenhof with third wife artist Anne Siering-Beikircher in Schweinheim has long been an insider tip for locals with its off-beat courtyard and fields where walking round any corner could bring you in contact with giant insects made from spare parts, life-size painted wooden people or even a stainless-steel Cardinal Woelki.   It’s also been a place for numerous concerts and events in an intimate and friendly atmosphere. Best enjoyed with a glass of wine and slice of home-made plum cake.   

I never did make it to one of Beikircher’s own cabaret evenings which I regret.  I guess it was a case of that old error we’ve all made, saying ‘Maybe next year’…

So, with that regret in mind, I will remember him best as a man enjoying being our host on a sunny Summer evening at Katherinenhof,  pouring out generous glasses of wine for the visitors with a happy smile. 

Visitors to Konrad Beikircher’s website this morning will find only one page.  It shows a heavenly sky with Frederico Fellini’s words:

“There is no end.
There is no beginning.
There is only the infinite passion of life.”

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!”