My second weekend visit to the Bad Godesberg Christmas Market, and fresh music to enjoy with a Glühwein in one hand and a Nikon in the other. In front of the Fronhofer Galeria local rockers Winterfeld with Bonn Folk Club’s Daniel Bongart on vocals were busy keeping the shoppers warm with hot music from the likes of BAP’s ‘Verdamp Lang Her’ through Billy Idol’s ‘White Wedding’ and even bringing some British humour to the end of their excellent show with the help of Eric Idle’s ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’.
Where else could you follow up a Wolfgang Niedecken classic with an eleven-year-old girl stepping confidently up to the microphone to announce she will play a song she heard from Eric Clapton? Yawen was the young lady’s name and I discovered later that this was the first time she had played before a live audience. You really would never have known… We made sure she went away with a card for Bonn Folk Club – talent will out.
Fortunately, when Winterfeld left the stage there was still good music to be found only a short walk away (and more Glühwein/Bratwurst too!)
It might be called the Kleines Theater (Little Theatre) but it certainly has a big heart. The stage is ust a short walk into the Kur-park – after a minute or so you just need to follow the smell of sizzling bratwurst. Leverkusen Band ‘Greencard’ are just about to start their set for the evening, the snow machine is primed for action, and the voice of Marco Matias transports you back to the likes of Sinatra singing Christmas songs. Frank would have a kick-ass band behind him of course, and Marco has one too. ‘Jazz von Finesten’ as the locals would say.
When Marco sang ‘Let it Snow’ you knew it was going to do just that – well, from one side of the stage, and for a few minutes at least. Thanks to resident snow-man Peter Linden and his magical snow machine. ‘It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ was more than just a song – it was a statement of intent.
Full marks to an excellent jazz band that really knew their stuff too. A heart warming afternoon/evening of live music for Christmas then, and all just a short walk from the Godesberg Castle Tower. Why does the Stadtmarketing Department of Bad Godesberg manage to arrange live music when Bonn Centre is so abysmally lacking? A Christmas Market without music is a Christmas Market without a soul. On that subject then, well done Stadt-Marketing Bad Godesberg and KuKug/Kleines Theater.
Remember how in the 1951 filming of Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Alastair Sym’s Scrooge is finally welcomed back into the spirit of Christmas by music and dance with his family? Remember how his fondest memories of Christmas-past involve music and dancing at the Xmas party of his employer Mr Fezziwig? Maybe the spirit of Christmas should visit the offices of Bonn City Marketing this year, or they should visit the offices of Bad Godesberg City Marketing to see how it’s done.
