Event 6 July, 2024

When I bought my ticket for this evening at the Pinot and Rock Festival, I did so mainly because I finally wanted to see the Scorpions live. Of course, I was also looking forward to Suzi Quatro and Alice Cooper. Suzi Quatro, dressed entirely in leather and wielding her enormous bass, seemed to me, as a young person just beginning to take an interest in music, like a being from another dimension. I never expected to hear “48 Crash” live one day. And Alice Cooper’s “Poison” is one of my favourite songs. I was curious about both acts. What I had not expected, however, was that they would thrill me quite so much that evening.

Pinot and Rock is a new festival. In Breisach’s Fritz Schanno Park, it has set itself the ambitious goal of combining live performances by major rock and pop stars from 4 to 7 July with high-quality cuisine and regional wine culture. The line-up features both national and international names.

The previous Thursday, the festival opened with a day devoted entirely to hip-hop, pop and urban vibes. Alli Neumann, Bahar, Black Sea Dahu and Paula Dalla Corte all performed that day. The first festival evening was brought to a close by headliner and crowd-puller Peter Fox.

The following day focused on German rap and indie pop. The riverside site was transformed into one vast dance floor. Alongside headliners Die Fantastischen Vier, who generated an exuberant atmosphere, Milky Chance, Aisha Vibes, NESS and Schorl3 also appeared on Friday.

This report is devoted in detail to yesterday’s Saturday programme.

Today, Sunday 7 July, the festival concludes with a grand pop finale. Alongside headliner Sarah Connor, Nico Santos, Joris, Rosaly, Sarah Bugar and Zartmann will help bring the four-day event to a close.

Pinot and Rock also takes its own path when it comes to food and drink. Instead of the fast-food stalls common at many festivals, it offers a street-food avenue featuring regional, vegetarian and Asian specialities. This is complemented by a wine village serving wines and sparkling wines from Baden wineries, as well as a premium area offering fine dining with the involvement of several Michelin-starred chefs, available to visitors with VIP tickets.

Suzi Quatro opened her show with “The Wild One” from her second album, “Quatro”. The fact that she had chosen one of the wild songs from the early part of her career was no coincidence. With a stage presence that at times reminded me of Tina Turner, she had both her band and the audience in the palm of her hand from the very first moment. The question of whether Suzi Quatro is still relevant after more than 50 years answered itself immediately. This was not someone on stage trying to warm up past successes. Rather, it was an impressively mature woman who still lived music just as intensely as she had in her youth, but who could now draw on the composure and experience of 74 years of life.

Suzy Quatro

The concert continued in the same vein as it had begun. With three more rock numbers from the early 1970s, she really fired up the audience. That was just as well, because by then the rain had set in, and it would stay with us until the end of the evening.

With a twinkle in her eye, she introduced “Stumblin’ In”, her 1978 power ballad with Smokie’s Chris Norman. The song had been reinterpreted the previous year by the Australian DJ Cyril. It showed once again how strongly the music of the 1970s and 1980s continues to resonate today. Suzi said she regarded that as a lovely compliment, but that tonight they would be sticking to the original. Although the original had to manage without Chris Norman, it nevertheless provided the evening’s first goosebump moment.

And then came “48 Crash”. By now I had long since arrived firmly in the here and now. There was no longer any thought of merely being served a helping of old hits. “48 Crash” rocked just as it always had — only better, because it was live and real.

Things continued in the same style. “Can the Can” was, of course, not to be missed, and CCR would surely have been very pleased with the interpretation of “Bad Moon Rising”. The encore, demanded with considerable insistence, was surprisingly a fantastic version of the Eagles classic “Desperado”.

Suzi Quatro left behind an extraordinarily happy audience, perfectly primed for the rest of the evening. She had impressively demonstrated that a good musician can still appear neither old nor obsolete after more than 50 years on stage. And that good songs lose none of their relevance as long as their creators continue to fill them with life.

During the following break, the stage was rebuilt for Alice Cooper while I visited the Gastro Premium World. It was an exceptionally tasty experience, unlike anything I had ever encountered at a concert before. At a wide variety of stands, and after pleasingly short waiting times, one could get very delicious small dishes. From pasta to meat and fish dishes, as well as vegetarian options, there was something for every taste.

Back in front of the stage, I wondered whether the pleasant surprise of the concert I had just seen would be repeated. When Alice Cooper and his band entered the stage, it was quite a sight. All the musicians appeared in classic shock-rock attire. And when three guitarists arrive together, that is already a very promising sign. Alongside Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen, Nita Strauss stood out in particular. The line-up also included Chuck Garric on bass and Glen Sobel on drums. Alice’s daughter Calico Cooper was there too, accompanying her father on this tour as a dancer and performance artist.

Alice Cooper

As expected, things were considerably heavier than they had been with Suzi Quatro. The show began with “Lock Me Up”, “Welcome to the Show” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy”. The musicians were in their element from the very first moment. The clothes and make-up come with obligations: either you embody them convincingly, or things quickly become embarrassing. But anyone booked for nine shows in Las Vegas clearly knows their craft. This was rock music at its finest, and hugely entertaining too. Each member of the band repeatedly moved into the centre of the action, while Alice held court as the grand master of spectacle.

Nita’s way of playing guitar differed markedly from that of her two bandmates. While the men laid the foundation with powerful riffs, Nita dazzled with nimble-fingered solo acrobatics. Together, it was guitar rock as close to perfection as one could wish for.

Calico has the same stage talent as her father, and she was great fun to watch. Musically, the setlist focused mainly on Alice Cooper’s peak period in the 1970s and 1980s. “Poison” and “Black Widow” were interpreted extraordinarily well and with a modern edge, and the audience thanked them with genuine storms of enthusiasm. And of course, towards the end of the show, the guillotine also made its appearance.

Naturally, there had to be an encore. And naturally, it was “School’s Out”.

It is fascinating how someone who brings a shock rocker to the stage so convincingly can at the same time seem so likeable. And this music, too, was no reminiscence of days gone by, but a modern rock concert with everything one could wish for: fantastic songs, outstanding musical quality and a hugely entertaining live performance. Once again, I had received far more than I had expected. I would go and see either of these acts as a headliner without hesitation.

While the stage was being rebuilt for the Scorpions and I once again enjoyed the delicacies of the Gastro Premium World, a slightly uneasy feeling crept over me. First Suzi Quatro had truly thrilled me. Then Alice Cooper had taken things up another notch. Would the Scorpions be able to live up to such a high standard?

We stood in front of the darkened stage and waited. Suddenly Rudolf Schenker began playing the chords of “Coming Home”, and Klaus Meine’s voice could be heard singing. Slowly, he and the rest of the band stepped onto the stage.

Scorpions

There are concert moments when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your throat tightens. This was one of those moments. And one thing was clear in that very second: this was not going to be a disappointment.

The Scorpions are no strangers to Las Vegas either. In both 2022 and 2024, they completed a residency there consisting of nine concerts. They are the German rock band that has earned the highest respect all over the world with their albums and performances. Only in their home country did it take an unusually long time for them to receive the same recognition.

When people like Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker have been playing together for 55 years, they develop an almost instinctive understanding of one another. Guitarist Matthias Jabs has also been part of the line-up since the 1970s. Paweł Mąciwoda on bass and drummer Mikkey Dee, formerly of Motörhead, joined in 2003 and 2016 respectively.

You can sense that familiarity in the band. As with the two shows before them, there is never a moment when it feels as though ageing rock stars are trying to resurrect their youth. These musicians are far too alive, active, passionate and quite simply too good for that. And the songs themselves have far too much class. This is not music from yesterday, even if today’s charts are largely dominated by other styles. Any classical music fan would probably smile with amusement at the claim that 50-year-old music belongs to the past and has lost its relevance.

Of course, the Scorpions did not disappoint their fans, and there were plenty of songs from the legendary albums “Animal Magnetism”, “Lovedrive” and “Love at First Sting”. But there were also more recent songs, such as “Gas in the Tank” from their 2022 album “Rock Believer”. From tracks sitting somewhere between hard rock and heavy metal, such as “Make It Real” and “Blackout”, to beautiful ballads like “Send Me an Angel” and “Wind of Change”, there was something from every part of their repertoire.

And the Scorpions have never shied away from taking a stance. “Wind of Change”, for many the soundtrack to German reunification, was at the same time a message to a new world order that then seemed possible. The song was inspired by the impressions the band had gathered at the Moscow Music Peace Festival on 12 and 13 August 1989. Since 2022, however, the line performed on stage has no longer been “I follow the Moskva / Down to Gorky Park / Listening to the wind of change”, but “Now listen to my heart / It says Ukraine, waiting for the wind to change”.

In any case, Klaus still delivered the epic whistled intro effortlessly. And his voice? To expect a 76-year-old to have the same voice as a 30-year-old is an absurd idea. The many comments that accuse older singers of precisely that are, in my view, nonsense. Klaus sang his songs superbly. And quite honestly, I would not have wanted any other singer for these songs.

Despite what had by now become torrential rain, which the organisers tried to keep under control with ever more layers of wood chips, the atmosphere reached its peak when the Scorpions officially brought the concert to a close with “Big City Nights”. And of course, they followed it with an encore demanded at full volume. With “Still Loving You” and “Rock You Like a Hurricane”, this festival day ended with two absolute classics of rock music. Not all the moisture on the faces of those in the audience came from the rain.

Pinot and Rock has undoubtedly created a superb festival: an exquisite selection of bands, paired with a culinary offering directly on the Rhine and set against a magnificent backdrop. I would very much like to see it return next year. If I were allowed one wish, though, a slightly drier edition would not go amiss.

Event 21 August, 2026

Two things had been forecast for the opening night of the Rhein Feier Festival in Neuenburg’s Rheingärten: the first rain in weeks after an exceptionally hot summer, and the cowboys of The BossHoss. Everyone had been longing for rain — just not that evening. At least the forecast had promised no more than light showers.

Undeterred, several thousand cheerful visitors made their way to the festival site in the afternoon, many of them wearing cowboy boots, hats and waistcoats. On site, numerous volunteers were already ensuring that everything ran smoothly from early on.

Jamie Clarke’s Perfect opened the evening: an international folk-punk band founded in Germany in 1997 by former The Pogues guitarist and singer Jamie Clarke and banjo player Pierre Lavendel. They were followed by Freiburg outfit The Human Touch. The six-piece classic rock covers band celebrates its 30th stage anniversary in 2026 — an impressive run, and one you can hear in the effortless interplay between the musicians. The band sounded superbly tight and warmed up the crowd for the night ahead with real conviction. Their repertoire stretched from Abba to ZZ Top. When their set ended at around 7.30 pm, the audience loudly called for an encore, which the band gladly delivered before leaving the stage to generous applause.

By then, those forecast light showers had turned into a full-on downpour. Yet the mood in the crowd never faltered. People sheltered as best they could under umbrellas and ponchos. Anyone wearing a leather cowboy hat suddenly found themselves with an advantage not to be underestimated.

And then The BossHoss took to the stage. With their “Back to the Boots” tour, the band were presenting the 2025 album of the same name while also celebrating their 20th anniversary. A sizeable crew joined Alec Völkel and Sascha Vollmer on stage: alongside the seven-piece core line-up on drums, percussion, bass, mandolin and guitar came the three-piece brass section The Tijuana Wonderbrass, who have been touring with the band since 2010.

Alec and Sascha found themselves facing a thoroughly drenched crowd and did their utmost to keep spirits high with humour and good-natured teasing. They were engaging throughout, talking openly about themselves and repeatedly drawing the audience into the conversation. They had never played this far south before, they said — naturally only because nobody had booked them here until now.

Sascha remarked that he too came from Baden-Württemberg, albeit from Swabia. This earned him a few joking boos, which he acknowledged with reference to the rain: “the Lord will continue to punish you”.

The band were plainly having a fine time. Musically, they played as a unit, while still giving every musician a moment in the spotlight. The brass players in particular, appearing in a succession of changing outfits, repeatedly moved centre stage and added enormously to the show’s Tex-Mex swagger.

The setlist struck a strong balance between classics, plenty of material from “Back to the Boots” and a handful of covers. The show opened with Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again”, followed by “Lions Den” and “Do It”. The first major high point came with their hugely successful take on OutKast’s “Hey Ya!”, with The BossHoss energetically — and successfully — urging the audience to sing along.

Watching that soaked but jubilant crowd celebrate every song in the pouring rain, it was hard to see much merit in some of the criticism levelled at The BossHoss. The question remains: are they truly an authentic country-rock band?

That depends entirely on how one defines authenticity. Of course, a German band lacks the socialisation that comes with growing up in the United States and the cultural imprint that goes with it. If one were to follow that logic consistently, however, there could be no European blues bands either. And anyone who recently saw Dan Mudd feat. bearbeat at Z7 knows exactly what we would then be missing.

And what of the Stetsons, waistcoats and shirts? Should a band be dismissed as mere costume theatre because of what it wears? In my view, certainly not — above all because The BossHoss make technically excellent music that reaches a large audience, and because on stage they come across as entirely genuine.

You do not have to like this music. If you do not, it should be for musical reasons — not because you dislike the band’s outfits.

But back to the concert. It is one thing to rally a completely soaked audience from the stage. Alec and Sascha, however, went further. After heading out into the crowd, the pair climbed onto a small platform in the front-of-stage area and played an acoustic set there, creating a wonderfully intimate atmosphere. Just as wet as their fans, they then returned to the main stage, where the band was already waiting.

The concert continued, and the energy rose along with the rain. “Burn Baby Burn” was clearly a favourite among the guests in Neuenburg.

For Dolly Parton’s magnificent “Jolene”, Swiss singer Chiara Castelli joined them as vocal reinforcement. Taking on the harmonies associated with the wonderful duo The Common Linnets is a brave undertaking, and alongside the two frontmen Chiara handled them with striking ease and naturalness.

With their biggest hits “Don’t Gimme That” and “Dos Bros”, the concert seemed to reach its rousing finale. But of course the loudly demanded encore followed. After “Stallion Battalion” and “German Angst”, The BossHoss brought a thoroughly enjoyable evening to a close at 10.30 pm with an extended version of Cameo’s “Word Up”.

The organisers of the second Rhein Feier Festival — Stefan Weisser, Jörg Steck and Achim Herr — deserve considerable praise. Neuenburg had previously offered little in the way of cultural events on this scale. We are already looking forward to next year.

Event 7 August 2026

Every concert location lends its own distinctive character to the events held there. In this respect, Königswinkel Open Air in the Baroque Garden at the Festspielhaus Füssen has a great deal to offer.

Situated directly on the shore of Lake Forggen, the stage stands before a truly fairytale backdrop. Framed by the Tegelberg on the left and the Säuling on the right, you can even spot Neuschwanstein Castle at the foot of the Tegelberg. Together, the mountains, lake and castle create a cinematic scene when the weather plays along.

For Sarah Connor’s performance on 7 August 2026, as part of her “Wilde Nächte – Open Air 2026” tour, the weather could not have been better. Around 5,500 visitors made their way to Füssen. The concert was not completely sold out, yet the atmosphere on the site was excellent long before the show began.

DJane DayBee provided the perfect warm-up as special guest, getting the audience ready for the evening ahead. As the Baroque Garden slowly filled and the sun set over Lake Forggen, she fired up the crowd for Sarah Connor’s appearance.

Then the moment arrived and Sarah Connor took to the stage with her band. Alongside the instruments one would expect in a rock band, the line-up also included three backing singers and six dancers. Like the previous “Arena Tour”, the “Wilde Nächte Tour” relies not only on the music but also on elaborate and varied staging. Sarah appeared in several different outfits during the show, which, given the summer temperatures and her consistently high energy level on stage, was no doubt welcome for her too.

Anyone who had hoped for a relaxed evening spent sitting down was quickly proved wrong by Sarah. Time and again, she encouraged the audience to stand up and dance. When, after one song, some visitors returned to their seats, she dryly commented: “Are you sitting down again already?” The prompt had the desired effect. Over the course of the evening, the area in front of the stage repeatedly turned into a large open-air party against this magnificent lakeside backdrop.

Musically, Sarah traced an arc through various phases of her career, moving again and again between the often reflective and personal German-language songs of recent years and the English-language hits from her early career. While songs such as “Vincent”, “Das Leben ist schön” and “Wie schön du bist” created quieter, more emotional moments, the older English-language titles regularly transformed the grounds into a big summer party.

As always, her audience knew every word. Many visitors sang along line by line. Unlike fans of many other artists, who tend to identify mainly with one particular creative phase, Sarah’s audience quite clearly loves both phases of her career.

One of the highlights of the evening was Sarah’s interpretation of Melissa Etheridge’s “Like The Way I Do”. She performed this classic with tremendous energy and evident enthusiasm.

“And … do you know this one?” she asked with a wink, proving just how well her voice suits the rock genre too.

Sarah was not the only one allowed to take centre stage that evening. Her three backing singers also had their big moment on stage. Their version of En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go” had already been a highlight of the Arena Tour in Frankfurt and was celebrated accordingly by the Füssen audience as well.

Children from the audience have long been a regular part of a Sarah Connor show. In Füssen too, a few of them were given the chance to be in the spotlight for a moment.

Particularly special was the reunion with a boy whom Sarah had already brought on stage two weeks earlier. Back then, the excitement had been too much and his planned singing part did not happen. In Füssen, he was given a second chance together with two other children. This time it worked, and the serious young guest mastered his appearance with flying colours.

The way Sarah interacts with the children is wonderful. She takes them seriously and can laugh warmly with them when, in all the excitement, an answer is not quite what one might expect — such as the emphatic “No!” in response to the question of whether they were in a good mood. Anyone who is allowed to sing on Sarah’s stage experiences something that goes far beyond an exciting concert evening. These are moments that will probably stay with the children for the rest of their lives and from which they can draw a great deal of confidence.

At times during the evening, Sarah had to contend with a cough. Rather than glossing over it, she promptly turned her band into part of the entertainment, asking openly on stage where the cough might be coming from. While one band member tried to get out of it with demonstrative cluelessness, a dancer’s answer came immediately: “The cigarettes.”

By the time the first invitations to stand up and dance had been issued, it was clear that this evening was never intended to be a seated concert. Together with her band, the dancers, the backing singers and an audience that sang along to every song, Sarah delivered a concert that perfectly matched the exceptional setting of the Baroque Garden.

Event 1 August 2026

For me, this concert evening began rather differently from usual. For the first time, I was there not merely as a visitor, but had the opportunity to photograph a band throughout the entire concert. Working with my camera directly in front of, and on, the stage rather than capturing individual moments on a mobile phone certainly brought a certain nervousness beforehand. At the same time, there could hardly have been a more fitting occasion for this premiere.

COVERnights 2026 drew a large crowd to Markgräfler Platz in Müllheim. The venue was sold out, and the anticipation for Phil It was palpable everywhere. It was a special evening for the band as well. They had already appeared on the COVERnights stage in 2024, but on that occasion their performance had to be abandoned after only a few songs for safety reasons due to a severe thunderstorm. Two years later, they now had the chance to make a successful second attempt.

The evening was opened by the cover band GetWet. The line-up around singer and guitarist Maren Disch presented a varied mix of rock classics and more recent songs, creating a superb atmosphere on Markgräfler Platz from the very first number.

Maren in particular shaped the performance with an exceptional stage presence. With tremendous physical commitment, visible joy in playing and an impressive voice, she repeatedly stood at the centre of the action. Together with Alexander Stocker on guitar, Jürgen Wernet on bass, Ralf Rees on keyboard and Markus Stratz on drums, GetWet connected perfectly with the audience.

Musically, GetWet stayed pleasingly close to the originals. Even so, the songs never sounded like mere copies. Maren’s strong voice gave the familiar tracks a fresh character of their own, which suited them remarkably well.

The audience were swept along from the outset, singing along and rewarding the performance with generous applause. GetWet achieved exactly what one hopes for from a support act: they warmed up the crowd early on and ensured that the anticipation for the evening’s headline act grew with every song.

By the time the final notes had faded, Markgräfler Platz was perfectly prepared for Phil It’s second attempt at COVERnights.

After a short changeover, it was time for the evening’s headline act. The moment they stepped onto the stage, it became clear that Phil It are no ordinary cover band. Curtain up for an impressive line-up of 14 musicians. In addition to the classic members of a rock band, the ensemble included a five-piece brass section, three backing singers and an additional percussionist. One glance at the stage was enough to reveal the effort and attention to detail with which Phil It devote themselves to the musical legacy of Phil Collins and Genesis.

For me, this appearance also had a very personal significance. My friendship with guitarist Sascha Happle goes back to 1996. We worked together for twelve years, which made me all the more delighted to see him on stage that evening.

After only a few songs, it was obvious why Phil It enjoy such an outstanding reputation — one that even took the band to the renowned Oerrock Festival in Ureterp in the Netherlands in 2025. The musicians performed the familiar songs with impressive precision and a tangible passion for the originals, at a level of quality that soon made it easy to forget that this was not the original line-up on stage.

Singer Sascha Spitz played a major part in this. His astonishing physical resemblance to Phil Collins was almost uncanny and gave the show a remarkable authenticity from the very beginning. Together with the outstanding performance of the entire band, it created a concert experience that felt surprisingly genuine. For me personally, it was a journey back to the years when I actually had the chance to see Phil Collins and Genesis live.

Having free access to the stage allowed me to experience the concert from perspectives that remain hidden from most visitors. Observing from such close range how intensely the musicians communicated with one another, and how much pleasure they took in performing together, was extremely fascinating.

Singer Sascha Spitz was no easy subject to photograph. With his enormous stage presence, he used every available space, moved spontaneously across the stage and often appeared in completely different places from where one might have expected him a moment earlier. This demanded constant attention, but at the same time made the work all the more exciting.

Musically, the evening offered a wealth of songs deeply rooted in the DNA of many music fans. Among the absolute highlights were, without doubt, “In The Air Tonight” and “Land Of Confusion”. These songs belong to the soundtrack of a whole generation’s lives.

The large line-up is by no means mere spectacle. The powerful brass section, the backing singers and the additional percussion provided precisely the fullness of sound that defines many of these songs. In doing so, the band developed exactly the dynamism and energy familiar from the originals.

Müllheim has a pleasingly generous approach when it comes to how late concerts are allowed to run into the evening. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why COVERnights have retained their special charm for so many years. Bands are able to present their shows without unnecessary time pressure, and the audience can enjoy a concert evening that is allowed to unfold naturally.

This had a noticeable positive effect on the experience that evening as well. After thunderous applause and loud calls for an encore, Phil It brought their performance to an energetic close with “Sussudio”, rounding off a show that visibly thrilled the sold-out COVERnights audience. Afterwards, the band made way for the Queen tribute band Break Free, bringing their successful second attempt at COVERnights to an end.

A question I had often asked myself about concert photographers answered itself that evening. Despite working with the camera, I was able to enjoy the show without restriction.

The finest memory of the evening, however, remains a remark by guitarist Sascha Happle: “You are now part of the Phil It family and welcome as a photographer at every concert.” After my first concert as an official photographer, I could hardly have wished for a greater compliment.

Event 25 July 2026

“How many visitors are actually already inside?” I asked security at the entrance check. “A little over 42,000,” came the reply.

That was still hours before Die Toten Hosen were due to perform.

Even then, it was clear that I would not be experiencing this concert anywhere near the stage.

Doors opened at 3.00 pm, and three support bands — Sondaschule, Pascow and The Dead End Kids — began warming up the crowd for the Hosen from 5.30 pm. The closer showtime came, the more people poured onto the Messe Freiburg site. When Die Toten Hosen finally took to the stage at 8.30 pm, the grounds were packed to capacity with more than 53,000 visitors.

It was not only the number of people that was impressive, but also the make-up of the crowd. Old punks stood alongside families with young children. Rockers politely made room for elderly ladies who had presumably been making the pilgrimage to the band’s concerts for decades. Looking more closely at the audience, it became clear that Die Toten Hosen are now far more than a punk band. Few German bands manage to bring together people from so many generations and such different backgrounds quite so naturally. The Hosen have become a German institution, comparable with Udo Lindenberg and BAP.

Also noteworthy is the policy that Die Toten Hosen have upheld for years. While many large concerts sell expensive front-of-stage tickets for the area directly in front of the stage, Die Toten Hosen follow a different principle: Anyone who arrives at the venue early enough receives a wristband and is allowed into the roped-off area in front of the stage. Once capacity is reached, no more wristbands are issued. So it’s not your wallet that determines how close you get to the band, but solely the time of your arrival. In an era of increasingly exclusive concert offerings, this concept feels refreshingly democratic and fits perfectly with the band’s philosophy.

Also noteworthy is the policy that Die Toten Hosen have upheld for years. While many large concerts sell expensive front-of-stage tickets for the area directly in front of the stage, Die Toten Hosen follow a different principle: Anyone who arrives at the venue early enough receives a wristband and is allowed into the roped-off area in front of the stage. Once capacity is reached, no more wristbands are issued. So it’s not your wallet that determines how close you get to the band, but solely the time of your arrival. In an era of increasingly exclusive concert offerings, this concept feels refreshingly democratic and fits perfectly with the band’s philosophy.

The tour, “Trink aus, wir müssen gehen!”, accompanies the band’s latest studio album of the same name and may well be Die Toten Hosen’s farewell tour. After more than four decades, another true giant of the music scene could be preparing to bow out.

Yet what Campino and his fellow band members delivered on stage left no room for thoughts of retirement. In excellent spirits, in superb voice and right on point, the band worked its way through song after song from its extensive repertoire. By the end, there would be 35 pieces in total, if one includes the intro and the legendary outro, Vicky Leandros’s “Ich liebe das Leben”. The result was a truly mammoth concert.

From the opening bars of “Opel-Gang” to the final encore, the energy on stage never let up. Campino seemed determined to savour every minute of the evening, and of course that carried over to the audience. Some fans from the early days probably wished for more songs from the Hosen’s wild beginnings. Even so, the set left nothing to be desired. After all, this was no mere string of big radio hits. Classics such as “Hier kommt Alex”, “Alles aus Liebe”, “Zehn kleine Jägermeister” and “Tage wie diese” alternated with newer tracks and rarely played songs. The fact that “Ein guter Tag zum Fliegen” and “Strom” even found their way into the programme as tour debuts showed how much effort the band puts into surprising its fans again and again.

Freiburg is familiar territory for Die Toten Hosen. This was already their 16th appearance in the city. Accordingly, Campino looked back several times during the evening on earlier visits and made it clear that Freiburg is a special place for the band.

One story from the early years, which had taken place at Freiburg’s Crash, caused particular amusement. Although the club was still officially closed, the owner happened to be there already. At that point, he did not yet know Die Toten Hosen. He let them in anyway, whereupon one of the band members first threw up in front of the bar and then ordered a gin and tonic. Out of this rather unusual first encounter grew a friendship between the band and Crash. The Hosen played there in 1983 and 1986, back then still to small audiences.

As impressively as the band performed on stage, the organisation outside it was chaotic. In all the years I have been going to concerts, I have rarely experienced an event that asked so much of its guests.

Anyone wanting to buy a drink had to bring a great deal of patience. I myself experienced a wait of well over an hour. At the end of it, however, there was not the hoped-for beer, but a huge disappointment. Card payments had failed in the meantime, and without cash there was nothing to be had. Incidentally, nobody had to go thirsty, as free water dispensers were available across the site — excellent in this heat.

Yet what would probably have led to aggression and stress at most other events was taken very differently by the Hosen audience. Naturally, nobody had a good word to say about the conditions. But people queued together peacefully and got to know their fellow sufferers quite well. The man next to me on the right was already at his 29th Die Toten Hosen concert and proudly showed me a photograph of his first concert ticket from 1983. His son, of course, was there too.

This mixture of decades-long attachment, memories and new stories ran like a thread through the concert.

For all the quality on stage, there were also one or two brief human moments there as well. During “Was ist mit uns los”, Campino briefly stumbled over the lyrics and seemed a little annoyed with himself. During “Alle sagen das”, the band had to start again. But moments like these are exactly what show that this is a live concert by a band, not a show choreographed down to the very last detail.

One of the evening’s special moments was the appearance by Frankie Bartelt. The now 83-year-old singer from Emmendingen, frontman of the band The Yankees, came on stage with Campino for the song “Halbstark” and was greeted enthusiastically by the audience.

The story behind this appearance went back a long way. In 1966, The Yankees performed “Halbstark” in the first edition of Beat-Club and briefly achieved cult status. More than half a century later, Frankie was now standing in front of over 53,000 people on a Die Toten Hosen stage. Frankie was in excellent spirits, even if he sometimes seemed slightly overwhelmed, which was more than understandable given the crowd in front of him. Before the first notes rang out, he winkingly called on all visitors from his year group to raise their walking frames in the air. It was precisely moments like these that made the evening special.

But of course, above all, it was an evening for the Hosen. When 52,000 people sing together with a band, it creates goosebump moments. The audience had plenty of those, and more than one tear could be seen on the screens when the camera captured the crowd. What remains, on the one hand, is the feeling that I made a big mistake in the past. Fifteen times, I had failed to see this band in nearby Freiburg. More importantly, though, I was able to enjoy this evening to the full — even without beer.

Event 23 July 2026

It was already clear from the car park that the concert was completely sold out. The weather could not have been better, and the Z7 audience gathered in excellent spirits on the square in front of the venue. As always, guests were welcomed by the very friendly security team and admitted to the site.

The evening was opened by Dan Mudd feat. Bearbeat, a blues duo from Switzerland — and not just any blues act. As winners of the Swiss Blues Challenge 2024, they represented Switzerland at the European Blues Challenge in Braga, Portugal, where they prevailed in the Solo/Duo category against participants from 21 European countries. Only a few months later, they received their next accolade with the Blues Music Award Switzerland 2025.

Singer and guitarist Dan Mudd, together with percussionist Dominik Liechti, had won the audience over from the very first note. Dan’s distinctive voice was a perfect match for the blues compositions, at times raw and at others gentle, and proved just as convincing on excursions into other genres. His richly nuanced guitar playing added further accents and impressively underlined the duo’s musical range. Their homage to Led Zeppelin ultimately became one of the highlights of the performance.

Dominik’s creative cajón playing gave the overall sound its rhythmic framework and enriched the songs with depth and expressive power. It was clear in every second how much both musicians were enjoying the evening and how much pleasure the performance gave them. That enthusiasm carried straight over to the audience, who followed the set attentively and enthusiastically from start to finish.

Dan Mudd feat. Bearbeat had prepared the Summer Nights audience perfectly for Beth Hart’s appearance.

Beth Hart’s concerts are always something special – and this evening was no exception. One got the feeling that the woman on stage is exactly the same human being away from the spotlight. Her authenticity and natural way of interacting with the audience make every performance a deeply personal experience. The fact that she took her shoes off immediately after taking the stage, and even returned barefoot for the encore, fit this effortless sincerity perfectly.

On stage, she spoke openly about her demons, about tears and anxieties, as well as how much her band has since become a family that supports and protects her. Her husband accompanied the tour and, after Beth described how much she can always rely on him, he came onto the stage for a brief kiss.

Beth Hart entered the stage alone and, after a short greeting and a few reflections on the current state of the world, opened the concert at the piano without any accompanying musicians. The almost reverent silence with which the audience followed her already hinted at the direction the evening would take. From the very beginning, her voice was at the centre of everything. After a few songs, guitarist Jon Nichols joined her on stage, and together they performed further pieces in a stripped-back acoustic setting. Gradually, bassist Tom Lilly and drummer Bill Ransom joined them too, until the full line-up was finally on stage.

Beth Hart moved effortlessly between quiet, fragile moments and powerful outbursts. With extraordinary presence, she performed her songs seated, standing, and even lying down. The setlist included well-known classics as well as tracks from her current album You Still Got Me and a handful of carefully chosen cover versions.

Again and again, she sought direct contact with the audience and even asked for the crowd to be lit a little so that she could see them better. This created an unusually intimate and personal atmosphere.

The band conveyed exactly the impression Beth Hart had described at the start: a family that gives her the support she needs on stage to follow her feelings spontaneously, even when that means changing the setlist at short notice.

The audience thanked her with complete attention and enthusiastic applause. Without relying on grand show effects, but with immense authenticity, emotion and musical class, Beth Hart once again showed why she is one of the most outstanding voices in modern blues and rock.

Anyone who was there that evening experienced a concert that will live long in the memory.

Z7 once again proved why Pratteln has held a firm place on the tour schedules of international top acts for years. The fact that world stars of this calibre regularly make their way to the Basel region is anything but a given, and it makes Z7 one of the country’s most remarkable concert venues.