Concert reviews
The opening concert of this year’s Stadgarten Season at Alter Zoll was a showcase evening for JazzTube. An interesting musical mix, with the Leon Dehne Quintet providing a more traditional Jazz show after which Bernard & The Mibus indicated how young Jazz musicians are taking the music – with a strong hip-hop element to their musical mix. It will be interesting to see what the Kulturamt here in Bonn has put together in 2024.
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Bookended neatly between two jazz classics, Jamie Cullum brought his own special brand of live music magic to the Kunstrasen on Friday. A man who effortlessly melds classical and jazz music to pop and rock, tailored formal jackets to white t-shirts, and makes everything look so easy – like like he’s at your party and someone spontaneously suggests sitting round the piano for a relaxing break.
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‘Overdose d’Amore’ is the title of Zucchero‘s 2024 Tour, and in these troubled times, you certainly can’t have too much love for sure. Just to be safe on this point the support slot is taken by Jack Savoretti who is himself no stranger to romantic lyrics and hit records. 4,500 fans were ready to share the love on Thursday evening at Kunst!Rasen.
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There are only five dates in Germany for ZZ Top who last toured here five years ago, and one of them is in Bonn. Mud puddles are on the ground, but the sun is out down by the Rhine at Kunst!Rasen as the once self-styled ‘Little ole band from Texas’ takes the stage.
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Another open-air season got underway here in Bonn this week. Unter der Zeder 2024 on Monday evening saw a lively band and an equally lively audience in front of the Kleines Theater in Bad Godesberg’s Kurpark. Marley’s Ghost brought the musical spirit of Mr Bob Marley to the Kurpark for the third year running and it wasn’t hard to see why. The six-piece combo’s enthusiasm is hugely contagious. They seem to take it almost as a failure on their own behalves if not everyone in the audience is up and dancing. Maybe the UDZ presenters should consider removing all seats next year (and I’m sure on this year’s performance there will be a NEXT year again for the band).
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The new Kunstrasen season got underway last Thursday with a visit from US band The National in perfect weather. Perhaps sunshine and smiles don’t quite fit the melancholy mood of singer Matt Berninger’s generally sombre texts, but given the heat, it was probably best that we didn’t have a lively dance band in front of us. Even so, there was a break for medical attention midway through the band’s set. Join me if you will, down by the Rhine with a plastic cup of Veltins in one hand and a pretzel in the other as The National take the stage to the strains of Talking Heads ‘Slippery People’
Nine years, a few unremarkable albums, two pregnancies and one divorce after she last performed in Cologne, Paloma Faith was back in town to strut her stuff at Bürgerhaus Stollwerk. And she still has it all: the heels, the wit – and that voice, as Jürgen Padberg reports…
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Murray Kinsley certainly knows what it’s like to have the blues. He flew into Cologne/Bonn this very morning to discover his guitar and clothes were both somewhere back at London Heathrow. Typically for a bluesman, it was all down to whiskey of course as my INTERVIEW reveals (and maybe some ‘bad’ woman at luggage control was also to blame?) They ‘done him wrong’ in London for sure. Possibly worst of all was that his CD box was also somewhere far away – and as most touring musicians will know, these days, that’s their main moneymaker along with the ticket sales. Yes, indeed, people of Bonn – Kleines Theater in Bad Godesberg is tonight a place for the Blues – and for the first time as far as I know inside and not under the Cedar Trees. Maybe there’s a song in there somewhere for the next CD? Join me for an evening with Murray Kinsley’s Wicked Grin
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