“The best band around at the moment” says Sir Elton John. “F**k them. I’ve seen better dressed roadies” says Liam Gallagher. Love or hate them, Fontaines DC are a happening band right now and it’s pretty impossible to ignore the latest ‘Rockstars’ to come out of Ireland. This year they received two nominations at the Grammy Awards, so promoter Ernst-Ludwig Hartz showed a nose for fame when he booked them for sure. Maybe he also thought a bit of controversy would liven things up a bit too? This is,after all, the man who just recieved a prize himself for his initiative and courage in Bonn’s cultural scene. Anyway, around 6,000 fans took advantage of the opportunity presented to see Ireland’s most happening music makers at Kunstrasen.

The Stadtgarten Season at Alter zoll is well underway now and, if the number of picknickers assembled on the lawn is a measure, must be in line for being the most popular Season yet. It was certainly a brainwave to move the stage parallel to the grass making an extra ‘stand’ at the back. The picknickers had an interesting evening too – Lemonsun, Soelna and Crimson Bloom were a disparate group of musicial styles for sure.

Alternative Rockers Smashing Pumpkins were recent visitors to the Kunstrasen and the Chicago trio, fleshed out with additional musicians, made sure it was a loud and proud evening to remember for the 3,500 progressive rock fans in the audience.

It might have looked like Bad Godesberg Kurpark, but musically at least we were far away from an overcast Bonn in August. Astatine‘s magical, musical carpetride took us from Unter der Zeder through the Rumanian Carpathians and on to Paris and Andalusia. Also on board for the journey were guitar virtuosos Daniel de Alcalá (flamenco) with Christiano Gitano (gypsy swing), and Eva Henneken on Violin.

This week 2/3 August was the first of five weekends of free live music in the Stadtgarten am Alten Zoll in Bonn. Tthe popular Stadtgarten concert season will be inviting visitors to discover and enjoy music from August 1 to 30, 2025. Bonn’s Cultural Office is presenting a varied and diverse music program – ideal for anyone spending Summer in the city.

The stage down by the Rhine will be presenting artists from a wide range of genres but the focus is on one thing above all: authenticity, beyond established listening habits. The audience can look forward to Bonn punk legends as well as lyrical jazz pop, danceable folk fusion and classic hard rock. Local newcomers, such as the Fountain Cave Basement Orchestra will aim to inspire with their energy and enthusiasm, while international guests such as this evening’s US singer McKenna Michels will be providing special accents. Also on hand with varied musical styles on Saturday were Offenbach Disabilities project band Blumenstrauss and International Fusion Folk band The Trouble Notes. Enough talking – let’s get down to Alter Zoll, I hear Festival Organizer Hajo announcing the first band…

The Dead South started out as a grunge band before picking up banjos and mandolins to become instead what they themselves term a “Rocking, stomping bluegrass band”. But is there a market in Bonn for bluegrass? rocking, stomping or otherwise?

2,500 people were present by 8 pm when the band went onstage at Bonn Kunstrasen, so the answer is maybe ‘jein’ (yes/no). Singer Nathaniel Hilts actually took a count of hands which revealed a sizeable collection of the audience actually had no idea what the band sounded like beforehand. Equally interesting was the number of people who had come from beyond Bonn – including a group in front of me proudly waving a banner proclaiming that they, like the band, were from Saskatchewan. It seems that if you like your bluegrass you are prepared to travel to hear it.