Events

17.02.2012 – Photos Kaizers Orchestra (Samfundet, Trondheim)

Sunday, February 26th, 2012
17.02.2012 – Photos Kaizers Orchestra (Samfundet, Trondheim)

19.02.2012 Kaizers Orchestra (Trønderhallen, Levanger)

Monday, February 20th, 2012

After the rather small Samfundet in the rather big city Trondheim, it was now time for a concert in a huge hall in a tiny town. The hall in Levanger had place for a few thousand people, and almost 2000 were actually there in the end. Wow, pretty impressive! In the beginning, we were a bit skeptical, because the hall was divided into two parts: one without age limit and one with an 18-year limit. As a result, the “free” part filled up quickly, while there was hardly anyone in the other section. But until the concert started, both sides had filled up nicely, and the atmosphere was great.

The concert started with the support band Blomst, who had won the competition to get to warm up for Kaizers. And rightfully so! The music was really good, and they managed to warm up the crowd, with their own songs and a strategically placed Raga Rockers cover. =;-)

Kaizers didn’t have to do much afterwards to conquer the crowd – in the beginning, the Jackal joked a bit about how more and more of the people on the stands in the back (thus the parents *g*) would stand up the more Kaizers would be playing. Lateron he didn’t even have to mention it anymore; everyone got up on their own, and in general, everyone participated and was engaged in the concert, singing and clapping along, in the front and in the back. Yay! As a result, the audience was really loud as well, and the atmosphere was amazing. When the Jackal lost his microphone at some point in time, he took a looooong time to find it and get it to work again, so that the audience “had to” take over the singing in between. Which we gladly did, of course. =;-)

Before they played “Din kjole lukter bensin, mor”, the Jackal explained that they had practiced a duett with an artist from Trøndelag, but well… he got sick, so Hellraizer had to jump in and take over. No problem!

Hjerteknuser got the Russian introduction again, and Helge had the shot glass for the intro in his jacket pocket. (Who knows, maybe he also did in Trondheim, but I couldn’t see it there. *g*) This time, I could see Helge much better and could watch him throughout the concert, suddenly going into slow motion, bewitching his lamps, or going completely crazy during Svarte katter. Hach, so cool!

At the end of “Drøm videre, Violeta”, there were “2000 wolves in the hall”, howling at the moon – really impressive. At the end of Maestro, the Jackal changed the chorus into “Sving din hammer, Levanger!”, and after the encores, he dragged each of the band members (and Helge a couple of times) into the spotlight so the audience could applaud – which we did, of course!

There’s not really a lot more to report in addition to that. As mentioned, the atmosphere was great; so it wasn’t necessary for the band to talk a lot. We were standing pretty much in the center in the front, so of course we had great fun. And even though the setlist didn’t contain many highlights for me, the concert was awesome! Entirely different from the one in Trondheim, but great (and with much better sound)!

The full setlist: I ett med verden, Tusen dråper regn, Knekker deg til sist, Delikatessen, Støv og sand, 9mm, Din kjole lukter bensin mor, En for orgelet en for meg, Diamant til kull, Prosessen, Bøn fra helvete, Enden av november, Apokalyps meg, Den andre er meg, Evig pint, Kontroll på kontinentet, Svarte katter & flosshatter, Hjerteknuser. Encore KGB, Drøm videre Violeta, and Maestro.

After the concert, it was snowing strongly outside, and it was quite chaotic. So we didn’t have a chance but to change our plans and drive to Oslo the next morning instead of that night… Which made it much more exciting to see if we’d make it back in time for the Sonny play that night. But it was much easier driving during the day than in the dark of night with huge amounts of snow in the air and on the ground…

17.02.2012 Kaizers Orchestra (Samfundet, Trondheim)

Saturday, February 18th, 2012
17.02.2012 – Photos Kaizers Orchestra (Samfundet, Trondheim)

Gnaah… the concerts on this Kaizers tour are really really inconvenient for people who don’t live in Norway. Lots of concerts in one city (which would be great!), but from Monday to Friday… yeah, sure. =:-( And on the weekends, Kaizers keep playing up in the VERY north… *sigh* But well, that just means you have to be really creative when planning your concerts and figure out that Trondheim and Levanger are fairly close! So like that, I managed to fit in two concerts and another evening with Sonny (this time in Oslo), with a reasonable amount of vacation days. Yay!

So I got on my way to Trondheim for the last of the concerts there. Samfundet is known for an amazing atmosphere and great concerts – yeah! But actually, it started out rather disappointing. Last time at Samfundet, we stood on the stairs and had a great view at the stage. This time, no one was allowed to stand there… So we decided for the stands instead, and got a good place with okay view there, but the sound was just awful! I’ve never experienced such bad sound at a Kaizers concert before… probably that was mostly due to where we were standing and it would have been better in the center, but where we were standing, it was almost impossible to even understand anything that was said on stage… And the setlist didn’t really hold any surprises in the beginning – at least no positive surprises. 9mm?! I mean, really…?! =:-/

After half the concert I started wondering what I should write in the report – up to then, Kaizers just played one song after the other, without any talking in between; and while the audience obviously was in a good mood, I’ve definitely seen a more enthusiastic audience before. And the bad sound… No, that wasn’t what I had expected and hoped for for my trip to Norway. =:-(

OK, there were some highlights – we got to hear Diamant til kull and Prosessen, but they were followed by Ompa til du dør and Bøn fra helvete. These two are great songs, no doubt, and I usually like to hear them, but considering that I could have gotten songs like På ditt skift and Tokyo Ice instead?!

And then the concert finally started. I mean, REALLY started! Hellraizer took over the microphone and started out with Rullett. =:-) And as a “mini encore”, we got another Hellraizer song, namely Dr. Mowinckel, yeah! (After the Jackal put on the required protective clothing – read: working gloves. *g*)

And then, from one second to the other, the concert turned absolutely awesome. No idea what the reason was that I couldn’t enjoy the concert that much before – maybe it was just me and my mood, maybe it was that the audience was too “reserved” (even though I don’t really think that; shortly after, the Jackal said that this was the best of the concerts in Trondheim), or if Kaizers themselves had to warm up a bit first – but well, it doesn’t really matter either. In any case, from then on we got a lot of talking between the songs, the audience didn’t just sing along but was fascinated by everything that happened on stage, and everything was just amazing! =:-)

The Jackal mentioned that Kaizers have the world’s best fans (and no, this is not just something that the newspapers write, but it’s true!) – but well, that’s not much of a surprise, since he himself is a big fan. He attended ALL concerts! And he actually knows the band! And he hangs out backstage!! *lol* Probably he even knows all the songs, pff… *g* And the best fans in the world don’t only like the old songs, but they like the new ones even better! We were about to protest when we found out that the next song was… Drøm videre, Violeta. So we didn’t complain. *g* And when the whole Samfundet waves their hands in the air in unison, this looks really really impressive…

Not sure, that might have been later when they played Hjerteknuser. Or during both songs, don’t remember. *g* Before Hjerteknuser, we were asked to decide if we wanted the French or the Russian opening for the song. Seems like this was not the first time that the Russian opening won – but we are supposed to tell everyone who’s going to attend a concert the next weeks to decide for the French opening, because they came up with a great intro there as well! So you know now. *g* And we got the Vodka opening, and the song started when the Jackal put down his glass. =;-)

Svarte katter was very impressive – in the beginning, Killmaster got up on his barrel (which works especially well if you’re busy writing down some setlist notes and don’t look at the stage until the song has started, and you’re completely surprised *g*). Since his hair is gone again, Helge did not take out a comb this time under his “big moment”, but wiped off his sweat. And anyway, he was the coolest guy on stage during the whole concert, as always. *g*

The Jackal stated once more that he definitely has the best job in the world. And we should get such a job as well! Don’t worry, that’s easy, no problem at all. “I mean, Hellraizer can’t play guitar either!” You just need some good ideas, and then it doesn’t matter, you can get this job even if you can’t really play the guitar… *lol*

As encore, we actually got the Gypsy Finale – even with the old “Do you want one more song? Or two more songs? Or THREE more songs?” to start it. Yaaaaaay! Nostalgia! =:-) And party! *g* By that time, Kaizers had the whole Samfundet under their control, absolutely. So it was no surprise whatsoever when the audience won the competition between band and audience about who was louder! But the band put soooo much more heart into it! At least that’s what they said… pff. We were louder and more heartily!! *g*

As conclusion, we got a beautiful version of Bris, with only the Jackal on acoustic guitar and Helge on the organ, and off they went… And then the boxes with shot glasses were sold out, grr… Let’s hope they find some more until Sunday!

But in any case: AWESOME! I WANT MORE!

And here’s the complete setlist:
I ett med verden, Tusen dråper regn, Femtakt filosofi, 9mm, Støv og sand, Din kjole lukter bensin mor, En for orgelet en for meg, Diamant til kull, Prosessen, Ompa til du dør, Bøn fra helvete, Rullett, Dr. Mowinckel, Philemon Arther & The Dung, Kontroll på kontinentet, Drøm videre Violeta, Svarte katter & flosshatter, Hjerteknuser, Dieter Meyers Inst. First encore Sigøynerblod, Bak et halleluja, and Resistansen, second encore Bris.

26.01.2012 Kaizers Orchestra (Vega, Kopenhagen)

Saturday, February 4th, 2012
This entry doesn't exist in English.

Bericht von Maestro Morker

Für Kaizers aus dem Frankenland zuerst nach Wien und dann nach Kopenhagen? Hell yeah! Das klang zumindest bei der Buchung noch nach einem grandiosen Plan (war es am Ende auch, keine Sorge… nur teuer und arschkalt), und ich freute mich sehr auf diesen, für Kaizers Orchestra ja legendären, Konzertsaal und erwartete gute Stimmung – zu Recht!

Nach dem viel zu kurzen Auftakt in Wien einige Tage zuvor war ich auch mehr als heiß auf ein richtiges, langes Konzert. Zum FM4-Geburtstagsfest sei im Übrigen noch gesagt (die wirklich Interessierten werden ja den Mitschnitt gesehen haben), dass es eine viel zu kurze, aber dafür höchst intensive Regen-Matsch-Schlammschlacht war und Kaizers einen extrem schwierigen Job sehr gut bewältigten. (Kettcar war übrigens auch großartig, aber das nur am Rande.)

Zurück zum Vega. Das Ding war sehr voll, wenn auch wohl ein paar mehr noch reingepasst hätten, und die Leute waren heiß auf Kaizers. Nach der Vorgruppe “The Eclectic Moniker”, die für mich den Stempel “höchst amüsant” verdiente (völlige Durchgeknalltheit als Showkonzept ist auch nicht schlecht, musikalisch allerdings fast ein wenig zu klassisch Rock&Western, aber ich war auch einfach ungeduldig evtl.) und bereits vom Publikum über Maßen gefeiert wurde, steigerte sich die Stimmung unter klassischem, immer lauter werdenden Bak-et-hallejula-Lalalalalala, je näher der Russian Dance rückte.

Dass Kaizers hier im Vega ein absolutes Heimspiel hatten, war von Beginn an klar, und Janove hätte bei den meisten Liedern problemlos sein Mikro weglegen können (wie es dann bei Resistansen und später Die Polizei auch geschah). Die Band nutzte wohl die Gelegenheit, um ein wenig etwas auszuprobieren, die Setlist überraschte mich auf jeden Fall einige Male kräftig. Nach dem Einstieg mit I ett med verden schien man sich erst einmal zu denken: “Lassen wir die Verrückten da unten sich ein bisschen müde tanzen”. Hevnervals und Knekker deg til sist als zweites und drittes Lied waren daher dementsprechend perfekt gewählt. Hier erst einmal die komplette Setlist:

I ett med verden – Hevnervals – Knekker deg til sist – Di grind – Tusen draper regn – Støv og sand – Drøm videre Violeta – Kavalér – Bøn fra helvete – Apokalyps meg – Jævel av en tango – Bak et halleluja – Resistansen – Kontrol på kontinentet – Din kjole lukter bensin, mor – En for orgelet – Svarte katter & flosshatter – Hjerteknuser
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KGB – Maestro – 170
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Die Polizei

Nur dreieinhalb wirklich neue Lieder, dafür mit Kavalér, Apokalyps meg und Jævel av en tango drei Lieder, mit denen ich wirklich nicht gerechnet hatte. Gerade Jævel av en tango war unglaublich überraschend, und ich habe zum ersten Mal verstanden, wie das Lied live funktionieren kann… nämlich dann, wenn ein gesamter Saal mitsingt… es war sehr beeindruckend.

Apropos Saal grölt mit: Es ist natürlich schon etwas anderes, wenn man Kaizers in einer ihrer Hochburgen erlebt, als in, sagen wir, Schorndorf. 😉 Und gerade die klassischen Mitsingstellen in Bøn fra helvete, Maestro oder auch Din kjole lukter bensin haben in der Masse richtig Spaß gemacht (von die Polizei oder Resistansen gar nicht zu reden). Drøm videre, auf das ich mich sehr freute und bei dem ein Stoffelefant auf die Bühne flog, funktionierte live fantastisch, und das Wolfsgeheul am Ende hat definitiv Potential, Kavalér hingegen wirkte irgendwie verloren. Vielleicht auch, weil es evtl. nicht ganz so bekannt ist wie der Rest und man den Eindruck hatte, dass viele das Lied nutzten, um einmal durchzuschnaufen.

Nun hin zu den kleinen Dingen, die mir im Gedächtnis geblieben sind. Bereits die Vorgruppe hatte einige Luftballons losgelassen, die auch bei Kaizers noch ab und an durch den Saal schwebten. Bei Bak et halleluja schwebte einer der Ballons, just zum ersten Refrain, Richtung Janove, der, wie jeder Mann der mal gekickt hat, nicht widerstehen konnte und versuchte, den Ballon möglichst schön wegzuschießen. Allein: Der Ballon flog ein wenig hin und her und kam nicht ganz bis zu Janove, der sich streckte, aber das Ding nicht wirklich erwischte. Die erste Reihe gab ihm einen erneuten Versuch und spielte den Ballon zurück. Dieser Versuch gelang, aber Sänger und Publikum standen so im Bann dieser sportlichen Eleganz, dass fast vergessen wurde, mit dem Lied weiterzumachen. Ich glaube, Helge war schon seit ‘ner Minute am Pumpen für die zweite Strophe. 😉

Bei Resistansen gab es ein Lautstärke-Duell zwischen Rune und Publikum, bei dem Janove mit Runes Perfomance nicht wirklich zufrieden war. In der Folge zeigte sich, dass auch Kaizers Spinal-Tap-Fans sind, als Janove Rune anwies: “Turn it to eleven…” <Rune schreit irgendwas zurück> “Well, that’s one louder, isn´t it?” Auch für Dänemark hatte Janove bei En for orgelet (große Trommel) sprachliche Leckerbissen bereit. Da die Artikel durcheinander zu wirbeln ja nicht möglich war, entschied er sich dafür, den Songnamen auf sehr sehr dänisch (vermute ich, meine Dänischkenntnisse sind eher gering) auszusprechen, En for orgelet en for maaaaaaaaaaaaaiii… Das Publikum war in jedem Fall sehr amüsiert. Das Gleiche galt für eine kleine Einlage vor Bøn fra helvete, als Janove das Publikum darüber abstimmen ließ, ob er den großen oder den kleinen Axtstil zum Verdreschen der Fässer nehmen sollte. Selbstredend wurde es der große…

Verwirrend für alle war die Platzierung von Bak et halleluja und Resistansen, ziemlich in der Mitte des Sets. Die Folge davon war absolute Uneinigkeit, auf welche Art und Weise nach Hjerteknuser denn Zugaben zu fordern seien. Das klassische Lalalala, wildes Schreien und Gestampfe sowie Versuche einzelner, die Polizei anzustimmen, ergaben eine grandiose Kakophonie.

Für mich persönlich waren Hevnervals, Drøm videre Violeta und Jævel av en tango die Höhepunkte bzw. unvermuteten Höhepunkte des Sets. Mit Støv og sand dagegen konnte ich mich bisher nicht komplett anfreunden, und das hat sich auch live nicht wirklich geändert. Und Apokalyps meg war noch nie mein Lieblingslied…

Das Set endete mit Die Polizei, bei dem Janove eigentlich gar nichts mehr sagte, sich an eine Tonne lehnte und sichtlich zufrieden mit dem Geleisteten war. Das sehe ich genauso, wobei das wirklich euphorische Publikum natürlich viel zum gelungenen Abend beitrug. Die Sucht ist damit erst einmal gestillt für den Anfang, und dann kommen ja auch schon bald die Deutschlandkonzerte. Man sieht sich dort!