Family reunion with a little drinking and brawling potential: This was the first Böhse Onkelz concert in Dresden
At the first of two Dresden concerts by the band Böhse Onkelz, it becomes clear: the band and their fans have become tamer.
This weekend the band Böhse Onkelz will play two concerts in Dresden. © kairospress
Great potential for violence? No way. You may be standing in the middle of older white men in black T-shirts with slogans like “Hated, Damned, Idolized.” But on Friday evening, there are also grandpas, aunts, grandchildren and nieces in front of the Böhsen Onkelz stage.
In addition, the stage sound is whisper quiet compared to the AC/DC concert. And when you stroll through the family festival grounds, you can hardly believe that a band is playing here that once cultivated a right-wing extremist image with loud and long-since-abandoned songs like “Turks out” and “Germany for the Germans” – but actually wanted to be apolitical punks. Now children with headphones are standing in the front row and forming the catchy choruses more precisely than their parents, who are celebrating their youth here with around 70,000 other fans.
“Three generations are united here”
The Onkelz are celebrating their 44th anniversary with “Kuchen und Bier” and other catchy tunes. The songs are simple, so that even strangers quickly become godfathers who know the lyrics, sing along, even roar along and are still amazed by the children in the front row. “Three generations are united here,” the singing bassist Stephan Weidner will later say. The joy is great.
And the constant anger has turned into a constant wheezing, especially in singer Kevin Russell. At first he seems like the nice uncle in the wing chair, but later his voice gets stronger. Then there is guitarist Matthias “Gonzo” Röhr, who comes along wearing a floppy hat, as if he had just walked onto the stage from his country house in Tuscany. Not so with drummer Peter Schorowsky. With his baseball cap and his force of punches, he looks like he’s come from a shabby punk bar of the 1980s.
Musically, the Onkelz are held together primarily by guitarist “Gonzo” and his countless, sometimes virtuoso solos. And by clearly stolen sound quotations from music history. At times, one is clearly reminded of the rock band Motörhead, only with German lyrics. Other songs are reminiscent of music greats such as Iron Maiden or Van Halen. But what the heck – in the Onkelz universe, everything seems coherent and fluid. Gonzo’s son, Vincent Röhr, occasionally provides keyboard sounds that are untypical for the Onkelz but enriching.
Valuable tips from the “drug uncle”
Sure, there was a time when the band clearly played into the right-wing milieu. But, similar to their South Tyrolean bandmates from Frei.Wild, this was also due to the environment that promised violence and the clashes between youth cultures in the Frankfurt suburbs. It was also clear that the Onkelz wanted to provoke, polarize and sometimes “punch someone in the face.” All that remains today are Stephan Weidner’s statements dripping with pathos.
It is not political statements that are celebrated, but universal truths. A striking example: one should not create an enemy image and instead look for the fault in oneself. Yes, the world of the Böhsen Onkelz is certainly manageable. But this mental “high security zone” is clearly highly valued. And so, as an observer, you feel like part of a large, beer-loving community that doesn’t catch you, but keeps you on an orderly party track. “We’ve been around for so long, but we still want to change the world.” Or, more briefly: “We’re making history.” And later, Weidner removes every last speck of cliché dust: “Do you also notice that the right and the left are trying to divide us? That we are all human and belong together?”
A band that wants to sell lots of tickets is wise not to position itself clearly. But maybe they really don’t want to. The audience is a little clearer: “East-East-East Germany!” In election times, you can vaguely imagine who means what by that. Meanwhile, the overall mood remains as subdued as the volume level. Many people sing along euphorically, but there are no big choruses. Instead, people joke around at the garlic bread stand.
The Böhsen Onkelz played their first of two concerts in the Dresden Flutrinne on Friday. © kairospress
Songs like “Auf gute Freunde” are so accurate that you’d think you were in an alternative chart summer show. If it weren’t for the ruffian look, which also becomes apparent physically as the alcohol level rises and the sun sets. Many stagger into the dusk, but are kindly nudged in the right direction by the amateur Onkelz stewards. The Böhsen Onkelz aren’t made for everyone after all.
Fan died at concert in Berlin
At one point, a young, visibly dazed woman has to be escorted out of the crowd. The headline pops into my head: “On Wednesday evening, a 41-year-old woman died at one of the band’s concerts in Berlin.” This is not discussed on Friday evening.
Rather, the past is musically buried: “I’ve been clean for 13 years since August 1st,” says singer Kevin Russell. “Keep your hands off drugs. I’m the best proof of that.” With songs like “Nothing is for eternity,” he gives it his all. And the Sombrero hit “Mexico” makes it crystal clear: Böhse Onkelz also want one thing above all else: to celebrate, celebrate, celebrate. For once, it’s a good thing that the show has to end at 10 p.m.
