Category: Concerts

Allgemein, Concerts

Zurich loves Dean Lewis

kekoaskorner

I was super excited to see Noah Kahan and Dean Lewis on April 7th at Kaufleuten Zürich. I’ve only heard good things about both of them and I guess I wasn’t the only one. When we started queuing an hour and half before doors opened we never expected so many people already there. By the time the doors actually opened people queued around the block! I don’t think I’ve ever seen this at this venue before.

Noah Kahan

We managed to get a good spot in front row and now it was time to wait. Luckily when you are in good company time flies. At 8 o’clock Noah Kahan and his band mates came on stage. The wooping and clapping was already unusally loud. Not only did we get to experience very good songs we enjoyed Noah’s funny stories as well. The guys started with “Passenger” and “False Confidence”. I love when artists crack a joke or tell us the stories behind the songs and Noah Kahan did just that. The set continued with “Carlo’s song” and “Mess”.

But here it is. The song that everyone knows and can singalong to. It’s been on the radio for weeks and the Swiss audience surprised Noah by singing loudly along to “Hurt Somebody”. Noah and his band are incredible musicians and I would have loved to hear more of them but he’s “Only” the warm-up so unfortunately after just a few songs they had to leave the stage. They finished the set with “Young Blood” and I hope they are coming back for a headlining show soon!

Dean Lewis

Holy smokes! Wow! The Swiss audience screamed their lungs out when Dean Lewis took the stage at 9pm. I think I’ve never needed my earplugs more haha
Dean Lewis started his set with “Hold of me” and the Swiss crowd knew every single lyrics. I was super suprised and so was Dean. I think this was one of the loudest singing crowd’s I’ve experienced. “Need you now” and “Place we knew” were next and the singing never stopped. A very emotional song for everyone was “Stay Awake” and I think this totally overwhelmed Dean Lewis. He said that he’s never heard a crowd sing this song as loudly as we did. You could tell by his smile that he loved this show and he loved the Swiss audience.

“Chemicals” and “lose my mind” followed this lovely moment and when he sat down to play a song by himself on his key board he was literally in front of me. And the funniest thing was he actually asked me and the girls how we were and if we’re good. Of course we were and I did my famous two thumbs up haha. With “Half a man” he enchanted Kaufleuten. His beautiful voice, the thoughtful lyrics and his piano skills was all it took to shut the usually chatty Kaufleuten crowd up. I loved it! What a great night it was 🙂

The band came back for “Time to go” and “Don’t hold me”. Back at the piano Dean Lewis performed his biggest hit “Be Alright” and the crowd’s singing got even louder! A magic moment with all the camera lights in the air swaying to the song. Check out my highlights on IG to get a little glimpse of that special moment. A lovely girl in the front row thought of something really cool. She printed out loads of A4 paper with “We won’t stop loving you! <3” on them. During “7 Minutes” we were suppose to hold it up. And our moment came now. A sea of white paper swaying along to the full song and the reaction to this was priceless. First Dean Lewis looked confused and then he read what was written on them and the biggest smile appeared.

Again we were told how cool and awesome of an audience we are and I think he really meant it. Because it really was true. The girls in the first rows were incredibly loud and knew every song. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it now.
Now this made me like Dean Lewis even more. He said that this band made him want to be a musician and of course he’s talking about the incredible Oasis! (Last year I got to see Liam Gallagher live, read more here) I loved Dean Lewis’ rendition of “Don’t look back in Anger”. Since the Manchester attack at the Ariana Grande gig this song means even more to me than before.

“For the last time” which reminded me a bit of the Script’s “For the first time” – just because I’m a bit obsessed with them as you know – was the last song before the encore. I think the people weren’t ready to let Dean Lewis go. With a deafening applause the Swiss crowd wanted him back on stage and of course they got their wish. “Straight back down” and his first single which got him known in Australia “Waves” were his last two songs of the night. Just after 10 Dean Lewis was finished and I think everyone in the crowd loved this amazing gig. A few of us stayed a bit longer and we were rewarded with an unplugged rendition of “Be Alright” on the streets of Zurich. I’ve never seen an artist come out and instead of taking pics and giving autographs he gave us a little private concert. I loved it and again it was such a special way to finish the night.

Dean Lewis and Noah Kahan treated us with a special night of great voices, great music and amazing lyrics to singalong to. I hope they both will be back very soon! 🙂

Allgemein, Concerts

Finding your happy place with KT Tunstall

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KT Tunstall has been in our lives since 2004 but somehow I never managed to see her live! I am so glad that this changed yesterday. A very talented funny lovely scottish musician who puts up the best show for her fans. The last tour date of her tour brought KT Tunstall to Mascotte in Zurich and it really was a brill party to rock out to.

First up I want to say I have the best concert buddies ever! Yesterday morning I got invited to a meet n greet with KT Tunstall. I was over the moon but the best part of this was that we got to see the sound check. Not just 10 mins of it – no – the full sound check. It was sooo impressive seeing the band and KT being super professionall and trying to get the sound and the show just right for the fans. I love every minute of it.

Right after the sound check we were able to meet KT Tunstall and take photos. Two fans brought her a very cool fan shirt. I personally thought it was professional merch but it was actually hand made! Again I was so impressed as was KT.
Another cool gift from the fans was a “Rösti” and some “Bratwurst”. Obviously this is an insider. KT Tunstall started doing KT’s Kitchen. Before her gigs she would set up a little kitchen in the hallways of the venue’s and cook something. Because you know on tour you usually eat pretty bad food but with the little stove KT is actually able to cook a nice meal for her and the band. So while we were waiting for the support act to come on we were watching her IG live wearing the shirt and cooking her Swiss dinner 😀

Laurel

Laurel is a British musician and I don’t know why but I think I’ve heard her before. She must have been supporting someone before but I can’t quite make out who. Laurel has a beautiful voice and she proved it over the next few minutes with “San Fran”, “LoveSick” and “Violet” which I deffo heard before. I loved the song and so did the audience. Laurel was also impressed how quiet the crowd was and were actually listening. They really were. No-one was chatting and actually respected the artist on stage. So I really love the KT Tunstall Fans! 🙂 Laurel finished her set on the last tour date with “Same Mistakes”, “Sun King” and “Adored”.

KT Tunstall

With a new song “In This Body” from her recent album “Wax” – which is the 2nd album in a trilogy – KT Tunstall opened the show. It was clear she means business. The atmosphere was great from the start. She spoke with us a lot and explained songs and told stories. I love this! After the rock mood was set she treated us to an oldie “Other side of the World”. I remember this song so well. It’s amazing how you don’t forget a song you loved and over 10 years later you can still singalong to! What I also love if artists aren’t complaining about people having cell phones but actually using them to create a beautiful atmosphere. A sea of lights and we were only two songs in!

Another new song “Backlash & Vinegar” which I really liked and by then I realized I was fascinated by the crowd, the band and KT Tunstall of course. She mentioned that at every show she tells this story. She wants us to retweet as many cat, elephants dog videos as possible so when she scrolls through Twitter etc. there isn’t as much negativity going on. Living in the US and being British KT Tunstall has definitely her fair share of negative headlines at the moment. I usually don’t like when artists get into politics but the way she did it – in a funny way during her morning coffee – I thought it was amusing and we could all relate to that. The good vibes and the energy kept going strong with “Uummannag song” back from 2010.

Here’s another story KT Tunstall believes that we are all in some sorts connected and imagine if that would visibly be shown with a red thread. So from an airplane red threads would come down to the earth and then from there around the world. All of this she put in the next song called “Little red thread”. “Hard girls” and “The river was next before she launched into another story about people going through a tough time. There might be a sea of Scheisse in front of you. You can’t go around it or dive under it because it’s just too deep. So all you can do is:

You have to go across the sea of Scheisse.

And for that you need to have a good song to get you across the sea of scheisse. So she wrote “Feel it all”. And she did this beautiful song alone on stage with just her voice and her guitar.

After that the band came back and brought Laurel with them. Together they sang “Heal Over” and you could see how much they grew together over the past couple of months touring together. I know I’m kind of gushing now but again I loved how KT Tunstall introduced her amazing band. Every night she would ask them a question and they would have to answer it without any preparation. But because it’s the last night she had a proper tough question and gave them a bit of time. So let me introduce to you:

  • Clare Uchima aka The Medicine Woman – Healing people
  • Mandy Clarke aka Anti-Dick – Calling out Dicks
  • Cat Myers aka Catapult – Teleportation
  • Hattie Moran aka Nosy Bastard – Invisibility

After getting to know them a bit more they performed “Ashes”. Poor Clare who had a little mouth piano got bunny glasses put on while she was playing. Just hilarious! It was time for them to leave the stage again because KT showed us her loop station skills and sang one of her smash hits “Black horse and a cherry tree”. You guys know how much I looove loop stations so I enjoyed this part of the show a lot. The band did too as they were jumping up and down on the sofa in the backstage room which is situated on the right side of the stage and usually covered with a curtain. In what felt like a second the girls ran down and were back on stage for the next song. A song which KT and Nick from Franz Ferdinand wrote after David Bowie died. A nice vanguard song dedicated to a legend: “The Night that Bowie died”.

“Dark side of me”, “The Mountain” and “Saving my face” were next. KT Tunstall tries to combine her cooking / Mind Body & Soul side with her rock’n’roll side. “The Healer” on paper sounds like the first side but you can pretty well just trash a hotel room with it too 😀 Her words not mine but she’s right! The time just flew by and it was time to do the Encore game.

With the crowd bouncing and the energy reaching another level KT Tunstall and her band performed “Push that Know away”. She then asked us: “Do you have any good cover bands?” And everyone was just like “Meh”. And I guess that was what she was looking for because she and band are actually the best cover band in the world! 🙂 They performed a classic Bon Jovi song “Livin on a Prayer” which they are using as KT’s Kitchen jingle and with that they smoothly turned it into Belinda Carlisle’s hit “Heaven is a place on Earth”. They got us singing and clapping again. This made me wonder if I really should buy a ticket to see Bon Jovi this summer??

KT Tunstall thanked each and everyone helping her put this tour together and of course us fans coming to see the show and spending our hard earned money on it. Live music can never be replaced by videos on phones. Never ever. And she is hoping that this is our happy place here with her.

Yes, KT my happy place is deffo live music and if it is as brilliant as yours it’s even a happier place 😉

With this she started the first chords of her Uber hit “Suddenly I see” and now literally everyone was singing along to. All I could see were smiling faces and happy people dancing along to “Girls just wanna have fun”. We do, especially with those girls!

KT Tunstall is still a super talented and funny musician who puts up a pretty incredible rock show. I’ll be back the next time!

Allgemein, Concerts

00s Throwback with Alien Ant Farm and P.O.D

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On Sunday night Goodnews Productions made it possible for Kekoas Korner to watch Alien Ant Farm and P.O.D. in Zurich at Dynamo. It was a major throwback to when MTV still played videos like Dryden Mitchell said.

I really didn’t know what to expect from this night because – obviously – it isn’t the kind of music I usually listen to. However, I was super excited to cross some more “teen years” bands of my bucket list. The 68’s were up first, so early that we didn’t manage to catch them because our belly needed fuel for the night 🙂

Alien Ant Farm – back when MTV still played videos

Three huge Alien Ant Farm logos were put on stage. The third one was printed on a backdrop with a beautiful earth – Obviously the view of an alien. Colour, neon lights made the stage perfect! Who needs more? 🙂
The four lads from California took the stage with “Bad Morning”, “What I feel” and “Movies”. I loved the atmosphere already. People were really enjoying themselves and when Dryden announced the following it was time to freak out:

Back when MTV still played videos and not Jersey Shore etc. we had the pleasure of shooting this amazing video on top of the Masonic Temple. Who remembers it?

And with that “These days” started. I felt like 12 again and I knew exactly what they were talking about. What an iconic video and that song was one of my favs back then.

Dedication to our Mom’s and Chester Bennington

“Rubber Mallet”, “Wish”, “Neverment” followed this early highlight. Dryden Mitchell surprised me with his next dedication. He said that the next song is his Mom’s favourite and he literally just got off the phone with her. So let’s dedicate the next song to all the Moms because who doesn’t love their Mom’s. “Attitude” was another person’s favourite: Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. Alien Ant Farm dedicated “Attitude” to all the Moms and Chester Bennington. What a lovely unexpected touch.

“Courage”, “Lord Knows” and a cover by Bad Brains were next. Someone shouted “Smooth Criminal” and Dryden replied not yet first we do this cover is that OK? 🙂 I’m really glad that this person shouted it because it meant that I wasn’t the only one waiting for that song either. “Sticks and “Stones” came on before Alien Ant Farm had to say “Goodbye” already. The hour-long set was over sooo quickly. But then finally the lights went red and the telltale chords started. Everyone whooped and started singing:

Annie are you OK? Are you OK, Annie?

I loved it! 😀 And with that I knew I had to get an Alien Ant Farm shirt. I thought that a black shirt with a white logo would be amazing but unfortunately, they didn’t have it. However, they had a preeeetty sick shirt instead which was just as nice – reasonably priced as well. Happy camper over here!

P. O. D – Rockin’ with the Best

At around 9.30 the four guys from P.O.D took the stage and the atmosphere was amazing from the start. The energy was rad and the moshpits started to form already with “BOOM”, “Rock the Party” and “Will you”. When Sonny asked us to put our hands up and bounce everyone – seriously everyone – did it. What an atmosphere. I love those Nu Metal, Punk, Rock gigs. Honestly, their gigs usually have one of the best atmospheres. And with that Sonny already jumped into the crowd and said hi.

“Panic Attack”, “Rocking with the Best” and “Soundboy Killa” was next. After thanking both the 68’s and Alien Ant Farm for opening the show and warming up the crowd, P.O.D as well dedicated a song to Chester Bennington – their buddy who will be missed. Sometimes you forget that Linkin Park was actually a Metal band because their songs became so mainstream. I thought the dedication was a nice touch. One band that will forever be on my bucket list to watch – May he rest in peace.

So-Cali in my Head

I really loved the variety in P.O.D’s set as well. From the really hard metal to rap to reggae – they had everything! The new spring weather we experience already made my day and if you are looking for your next summer hit, don’t go too far: “Always Southern California” is the perfect song! Another new song “Circles” followed but the crowd was in full voice again! Big thumbs up for the Swiss crowd and even P.O.D saw that! They said:

You guys go crazy on a Sunday Night!

“Satellite”, “Southtown” and “Murdered Love” were up next. I felt like the crowd got even louder! The sold-out Dynamo definitely peaked when the next song started. The phones went up, the moshpits opened up and we were ready to sing “Youth of the Nation”. Check out my story highlights on IG to get a feel of what I mean. Another song I never expected to hear at a punk gig: A very beautiful ballad called “Beautiful”. I was swaying from side to side and enjoyed it very much.

“On the Radio” got us back on the expected track. With “Aliiiiiiiiiive” the audience was in full voice again and after 90mins we were “Listening for the Silence”. The lights came on and the music started but I think P.O.D had such a great time that they just decided to come back and play 3 more songs! They said we will play until they kick us out! 😀 They really did play until 11 o’clock when they had to stop because of the curfew. Everyone walked out with a smile on their face.

Alien Ant Farm and P.O.D rocked the sold-out Dynamo crowd and more than once we had a throwback feeling back to the good old days when MTV still played music videos. What a fantastic Metal, Punk, Rock evening and another very early highlight of 2019!

Allgemein, Concerts

Chillin' with JPson

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JPson is a really cool dude but not only that he’s also a very talented musician from South Africa. On Wednesday Night we got to enjoy a summery set in the midst of winter including his new music.

Argyle Singh

But before the main act came on stage we got to enjoy a short set by the Scottish musician Argyle Singh. What I love about these intimate shows is that we get to see the artist up close. If he’s joking or really feeling the song either way the emotions are right there and that’s what music makes so special. So Argyle had both! Depressing songs sung by a wow voice and jokes in between… That’s how you do it. Are you watching Dermot Kennedy? So if you haven’t heard of Argyle Singh, go check him out!

JPson

Just a few minutes later JPson took the stage with his drums player and a little while later they were joined by a bass player. I was super happy sitting on a pillow on the floor, chillin’ with my good friend from Loads of Music and listening to a great musician play various songs. Want to see some videos? Go check out the highlights on my IG by clicking here.

JPson

I already mentioned I love when artists tell stories to their song and JP deffo did that. Dedicating songs to his Mom, to various people in the room and to his support act Argyle was just the beginning. He sang a song about boys not needing drinks to speak to a girl. Having lived here he put this girl/boy story in Gräbli bar. A bar that is literally open 24/7 and you can imagine…

As a South African musician he is of course supporting his fellow countryman Matthew Mole with a cover. Unfortunately I missed out on this guy’s gig last year so thank you JPson for giving me a little sneak peek into his music. I will deffo try to catch his next show.

JPson embraced his Swiss side with one of his last songs where he actually sang in German. It was really very cute and deffo a highlight of the evening. And of course he sang his newest song “Hope for change” and he dedicated it to all the people who are in need of a change because they’re stuck in rut. It totally resonated with us so it was even more special to me. The easy breezy vibe reached its peek when he mixed Jason Mraz’ “I’m yours” into his song. What a lovely way to finish a brilliant evening!

You can still catch him live:

14.02.2019 Grand Café  | Zug – CH
15.02.2019 Madeleine | Luzern – CH
16.02.2019 Nangijala | Disentis – CH 

JPson’s easy breezy songs put the spring on the map on the first sunny winter day we had in weeks. Thank you for a chill night with awesome music and great friends. It was just perfect!

Allgemein, Concerts

Savage Night Part 2 with Declan Greene, Saarloos and Gavin James

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Last year in June at Amboss Rampe I got to see Declan Greene, Saarloos and Gavin James. Fast forward 8 months and Gavin James is back at Dynamo selling out an even bigger venue after playing at Energy Air and getting some major airplay time. What changed? He’s brought a whole band with him on stage.

Declan Greene

Declan Greene is Gavin James’ first support act and what a start it was. Standing alone on stage without any music he sings a very powerful song. What a voice. He then grabs his guitar and we got to experience half a comedy show and half a very brill musical performance. Declan Greene also covered Lady Gaga’s and Bradley Coopers “Shallow” midway through his set and many of the people in the crowd sang along. “River” a song dedicated to his fellow mate and part of Saarloos was next. His unfortunately short set ended with “Stay”. The whole crowd helped him out singing along and we experienced already a great atmosphere! Declan Greene really warmed up the crowd.

Saarloos

From last year’s gig I knew I loved the harmonies Craig and Brian create together and I wasn’t disappointed this year. The three lads came on stage and now the stage was big enough for Andy not to be hiding in the back ground 😀 “Feisty” being a cool uptempo song which got the crowd going and I think many of us must have seen them before. The lads were overwhelmed by the crowd’s cheers and singalong support! I loved to see their surprised and happy faces when they earned themselves our support. Unfortunately it was time for a sad song although they weren’t feeling too sad right now.


For the next song “Trust in Me” the crowd again was their backing choir singing “Don’t loose faith” while they sang over it. Such a great atmosphere I have to say it again. No-one wanted the set to end but with “Changes” it did. However the song was another highlight from the Saarloos set. If you don’t know them you really should check out their music! They are freaking awesome! 🙂

Gavin James

At 9 pm it was time for the main act Gavin James to come on stage. I was expecting another one man show which I adored the last time but I got surprised. Gavin James brought a bass player, a drum player and Jeff his piano player along. I wasn’t sure what to make of that and when they started with “Til the sun comes up” I was still processing. “Coming home” and “Faces” followed quickly and I missed Gavin James short stories between songs. If I hadn’t been to his last gig I think I would have loved it! The songs are still great and Gavin James’ voice is still angelic but it kinda felt like it got commercialised.

“Tired”, “Glow” and “Start again” where next. Everyone around me seemed to be singing along and enjoying it while I spent the songs looking around processing. I remembered “The Middle” from last time and I slowly was getting used to this new Gavin James. For “22” it was just him and Jeff at keys playing and I was loving it! But my favourite song of the night and my highlight yesterday was “Nervous”. Gavin James with his guitar and his voice only. Such a beautiful song and I remembered closing my eyes during the last gig and swaying to the tunes.

After this highlight Gavin James was looking to come closer to his audience in the back. He stepped down and parted the crowds like Moses until he was in the middle of the room where he covered a Ray Charles song. Everyone was quiet! In general the people were very quiet tonight which is a stark contrast to last year’s gig. Either the music got louder which it deffo did but the audience got quieter and listened more as well. “Easy” and “Bitter Pill” were next and both songs I liked in the full band version. Am I getting used to the band? 😀

Gavin James’ uber hit “Always” was followed. He sat at the piano and performed the very beautiful ballade while the audience filmed it and sang along to it. I love the fact that he chose to sing this song somewhere in the middle of the set. It just proves that he thinks that this is not his biggest songs and all of his songs are equal. The set continued with “Cigarette Break” and “Two hearts”. And finally my absolute favourite song by Gavin James “Hearts on fire” came on. How different this version was with the full band. It still got the crowd going and of course we had to all kneel down in the middle of the song only to jump up for the chorus while confetti rained down on us! I love confetti and I loved that moment. You can check it out in my stories on Instagram.

Gavin James quickly left the stage only to come back out of his hiding for the encore. I remember it so vividly back at Amboss Rampe he hid behind the curtain 😀 “Book of Love” and “Only ticket home” finished the set. The latter is supposed to be played at 4 am in Dublin Pub because everyone can sing along to no matter how drunk they are. It goes “Hey La La La” 😀 and another set of confetti finished the night! 🙂

Gavin James evolved into an artist with a band. I am still not sure how I feel about this. However I do loved his show including the support acts Declan Greene and Saarloos.

Allgemein, Concerts

Can you feel the Zurich Love Rudimental?

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Rudimental has been one of my fav artists to dance to for years. All I needed to like a party is a song by Rudimental haha From UK fans I heard that their live show is freaking amazing so when Gadget finally announced a Rudimental gig I was over the moon!

I think Rudimental is one of the most underrated artists in Switzerland just like The Script. These guys fill stadiums and over here they struggle. I really don’t understand it but your loss is my gain. At a little after 8 I walked in and managed to score a 2nd row spot right in the middle. I was so much looking forward to this gig and the energy. I was super giddy and my expectations were super high.

At 9 pm the lights went out and everyone was ready to party! The stage filled with 9 musicians during a short intro and off it went with “Right Here”! The energy Locksmith & Co. brought on stage was incredible! The atmosphere was amazing and literally everyone was dancing! What I loved is that you actually had space to dance! And with Rudimental songs you really need space because you go mental without even knowing it haha

“Not Giving in”, “Summer Love” and the title track of their brand new album “Toast to our Differences” were next. With Rudimental it’s hit after hit after hit. No wonder Locksmith is drinking grey goose vodka on stage toasting to our differences 😀 At this point I really want to point out the amazing musicians Rudimental got on stage. The two female and 1 male singers replace BIG names such as Rita Ora, James Arthur, Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sande and you actually do not miss them at all. They are incredible singers doing an amazing job! But of course their brass section is brilliant too! I still got the sound of the trumpet in my head!

Afronaut Zu literally blew me away with his voice. James Arthur you may or may not like him but his voice is super special and brilliant live. But Afronaut Zu made “Sun Comes Up” to his own song. I bet it would’ve become a hit even with him singing it. Then the stage turned red and with the first chords of “Bloodstream” I couldn’t stop moving! I remember it so vividly last summer when Ed Sheeran performed it. The energy of this song is sooo gripping. I think you just have to dance! 😀 And wow it really kicked in just have a look in my IG stories.

With “Walk Alone” we calmed down a little until Locksmith asked the guys on the balcony to stand up. I loved that haha I was like okay what song is next that we need to get prepared to get mental. It was “Let me Live” which I’ve also heard last summer performed by Anne-Marie. SURPRISE SURPRISE MAKE SOME NOISE FOR ANNE-MARIE!! YES, freaking Anne-Marie was there! She performed her song live for us and not only that. She stayed on as a 3rd backing singer. So now you got 10 musicians on stage for 50 francs?! Yes, this time I paid for my ticket and I would do it again. They all deserved my money. They worked hard, put on an amazing show and they love what they are doing plus they appreciate us coming to the show!

“Lay it all on me” from their 2nd record We The Generation was next. And again what A tune! “Run” and “They don’t care about us” followed. DJ Locksmith asked us then: “Do you want to feel free with Rudimental?” A roar he got as an answer! I Loooooove “Free” which Emeli Sande also sang at her last gig and again I wasn’t disappointed by the live vocals tonight. Just On Point!

During “Go Far” Rudimental recreated the famous Daft Punk video “Around the world” where they moved in a circle around the centre. I love the rhythm and the throwback moment. For “Rumour Mill” Anne-Marie sang her part again! 🙂 Usually those surprise performances only happen in the UK or the US. So thanks Rudimental for flying her in! The guys performed their only cover of the night “Human” by Rag’n’Bone man. The brill voice by Afronaut Zu took centre stage again.

As East-Londoners they love to rave so we all went on a little rave (That kinda rave I even love :D) with “Trouble” which turned into “Feel the Love”. Of course we felt the love and the energy in the room so when Rudimental left the stage the whole Halle 622 sang the chorus:

You know I said it’s true
I can feel the love
Can you feel it too
I can feel it ah-ah
I can feel it ah-ah

We were still singing when the Rudimental returned with “These Days” and finally my all-time favourite party hit “Waiting all Night”! And with those two Uber-Hits they let a very happy energetic crowd into the night. And we literally were in a party mood because when Earth, Wind & Fire’s hit “September” came through the speakers everyone continued dancing until we were ushered out by the party poopers 😉 While we got some water into our systems some people were still shouting “Oh oh oh” to the tunes of Seven Nation Army.

Rudimental just gave me one of my highlight gigs in 2019 and we are just 32 days into the new year. I am dying to see if anyone can beat their energy, their hits and their brilliant musical performance including a surprise guest!

Check out my latest gigs: Snow Patrol, Jacob Banks, Black Eyed Peas

Concerts

Snow Patrol melted not only the snow but also the hearts of the Swiss audience

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Snow Patrol came on stage with a huge grin to a packed Samsung Hall after a 7 year hiatus and of course they promised to be back much sooner but let’s start with the beginning of the night.

The awesome support acts: JC Stewart & Foy Vance

Unfortunately I missed out on JC Stewart who was up at 7 but Gary Lightbody calls him the next Superstar so we better check him out! 🙂 At quarter to 8 Foy Vance took the stage with his drummer. I am soo impressed with his voice. At one point during a slow song I closed my eyes and just listened. The goosebumps came and I was super happy. Also the harmonies were on point. He also made me dance and I really had a good time! On top of the voice and the awesome songs he’s also funny and very entertaining so please Foy Vance come back for a headlining show! 🙂

Foy Vance

Take back the city!

On the huge LED screen Snow Patrol said Hello Zurich and with that the 5 lads from Northern Ireland walked on stage to an applauding audience – and that was just the beginning of a brilliant evening. With “Take back the city” the guys literally took the city back and we were all enjoying ourselves and from minute one the atmosphere was really good. People singing, dancing, clapping and having a good time. Maybe was it because I was surrounded by English people?? 😀 The hits continued with “Chocolate” and “Crack the Shutters”. What an impressive start!

It was time to introduce new music to us: “Empress” and “Don’t give in”. But you loyal readers know that due to a lucky hand Kekoas Korner got hear the new songs this summer during a super hot Energy Live Session at Kaufleuten. Lots of people were already able to sing along the new songs! Between those two songs Gary Lightbody saw a sign which read welcome back and then spoke with a guy named Miguel who said that he can play all Snow Patrol songs and to prove it Gary asked him “Which one do you want to play?” I couldn’t hear Miguel’s answer but Gary said “Can’t you choose one off the setlist?!” 😀 He must have said “Run” and so Gary informed him “You’re up in two songs!”

Every Fans Dream

“Open your Eyes” was next and then it was Miguel’s turn. Gary Lightbody said that they’ve never done anything like this before but they were willing to try – and they were lucky. Miguel fit right in and together they performed “Run” while the audience was loving it and supporting them by singing along. After “Run” Miguel got an extra loud cheer by the crowd. I’m loving those surprise moments! I think that’s one of the reason why I love going to gigs! You never know what’s going to happen.

“You could be happy”, “Life on Earth”, “Make this go on forever” followed this highlight. It’s crazy how many Snow Patrol songs you actually know because they’ve just been around for so long creating hits. “Shut your Eyes” and “Called out in the dark” are two prominent examples of that. Snow Patrol are so much more than “Chasing Cars” and Gary had to patient a guy from the audience who shouted that song after 20 minutes. 😀

The last hurrah

Gary Lightbody asked us now for help. The next song has got some super high notes and his voice is basically gone in that range so we need to help him out there and of course the Zurich audience did. Together we sang “Heal me”. For “The Lightning Strike” big see through curtains were drawn and the designs of the video clip was shown on the big screen and on the curtains – what a wow effect! 😀 And then the big moment came and a huge roar went through the Samsung Hall. The nearly sold out hall and Snow Patrol performed together “Chasing Cars”. It still gives me goosebumps thinking about that amazing atmosphere. The 5 lads said their Goodbye with “You’re all I have” but of course it wasn’t the last song.

The applause was super loud so Gary and Johnny came back on to play a very beautiful ballade of the new record “Wildness” called “What if this is all the love you ever get?”. Another highlight for me. But of course Gary, Johnny, Nathan, Jonny and Paul were ready to party I mean it was a Saturday Night after all. So with “Just Say Yes” and a promise to come back sooner than this time they let us into the night! On the LED screen you could see words Snow Patrol <3 Zurich and of course Zurich loves Snow Patrol too. The smiles on everyone’s faces were huge until we got roughly ushered out by the – as always – super unfriendly security at Samsung Hall. I guess nothing changes.

Check out my latest gigs: Jacob Banks, Black Eyed Peas, Walking on Cars
Allgemein, Concerts

Is it okay to stand up during a concert?

kekoaskorner

I’ve been going to concerts for years now and at each gig I fear that we will miss out on good dancing songs because the people behind me are not standing up to dance as well. It’s the same old story every time so here’s my advice to you guys.

Stand up if you feel like it!

You paid to have a good time so you better make sure that you have the best time ever! These days concert ticket prizes are super high so if don’t have a good time because you worry about people around you it’s on you!

I’m usually super considerate but during gigs I don’t understand people who are ruining the fun of other people. When I was little during my 2nd P!nk concert a “Lady” probably more like tramp tipped my shoulders and said would you please sit down. I thought to myself seriously?! P!nk just asked everyone to stand up and dance and she asked me to sit down. Who do you think you are lady… that’s what I should have said but of course my shy me didn’t. And no I didn’t sit down either. That’s the story that stuck with me for years and I swore to myself I’d be never like that.

So each time I go to a gig and even if I don’t really feel the music at the exact moment but someone in front of me does I tell them to stand up. If you feel it, stand up and dance! Lots of times I see people half dancing on their chairs because they are too afraid to stand up from their seats and that’s when I know that I have to tell them to get up. Each time I get a super grateful smile and then they are having the best time.

So whenever I stand up I try to see if I can get out of people’s stage sight but if not possible it’s their choice to stand up as well or stay seated and look around me. It’s not like I’m 10 feet tall and you won’t be able to see anything at all. If I want to see the stage again properly I stand up if someone’s dancing in front of me. That’s the beauty of a seating ticket. You can actually see the stage and no-one is right in front of you. You have options to do something about it unless the peeps down in the standing area.

So is it okay to stand up during a concert? Heck yes!! Have the best time of your life! Enjoy the music, the show, the dancing and the moment because there is nothing better than a good gig and those moment you cannot buy with any money in the world 🙂

Allgemein, Concerts

Concert Highlights 2018

kekoaskorner

2018 was a year with lots of good concerts but also a few bad ones which usually doesn’t happen a lot! So unlike 2017 this year is pretty easy picking my highlights. Of course I can’t name just one but let me highlight a few for you.

The Script gigs:


Like I already warned you in 2017 this year would be a very scripty year. But it ended up to be quite different than expected. First up was 3rd Night in Dublin which obviously was a highlight. Seeing a band in their hometown is always special. Read more here.
A month later the lads should have played the Hallenstadion in Zurich…. the important word here is SHOULD. Unfortunately Danny got a chest infection and wasn’t able to sing at all plus Glen felt slightly under the weather as well. So in 10 years of The Script this was only the 2nd time they had to cancel a show. We were all gutted but read some more of my thoughts here.
With that I was travelling to Milano where I learned that the gig was cancelled too. But hey, we still had a great night out.
Luckily 10 days later Danny and Glen were back and Amsterdam gig could go ahead as well as the Paddy’s day gig in Brussels. Unfortunately I couldn’t get around to write down those memories yet but let me tell you not only The Script had a magical night but also Ella Eyre. She spent the whole gig with technical problems only to have a complete shutdown during her song “Answerphone”. We all got our phones out and lit up the stage. It was magical. I still get goosebumps thinking about it 🙂
Lastly I thought the Caribana gig was the last one on this tour. It really would have been a great end. Read more here.
But thanks to a lucky draw from my friends at Loads of Music we got to see the lads on their final gig of the Freedom Child tour at the Moon and Stars Festival.

The hottest gig: 2 nights of Ed Sheeran

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The two nights with Ed Sheeran, Anne Marie and Jamie Lawson at Stadion Letzigrund were unforgettable. Not only because it was one of the hottest outside gigs I’ve ever witnessed but also because all of them are incredible musicians! But you can read some more right here.
If you want to reminisce in 2019 you can since Jamie Lawson and Anne Marie are back in Zurich! Get your tix via Starticket.ch.
Jamie Lawson 13.4.19 at Plaza
Anne Marie 2.5.19 at Halle 622

The woodiest gig: Justin Timberlake


Justin Timberlake transported us into the Woods and it was incredible – Just like I imagined. I had this vision of how he started and finished plus I had a few deja vu’s from the last time. It was perfect. Plus having my two friends from Loads of Music front row across the room was even more special! You were actually rooting for them to see the Man of the Woods very much up close and they did. Read more here.

The wow gig: Katy Perry


Katy Perry’s show was incredible! I remember her playing Volkshaus and even then the shows were great. Flying planets, huge mosquitos, a basketball court, a huge mouth, a flying clock…. I could go on and on. Try to top that! I had an amazing time. I was dancing and singing and being blown away by her show. But look at some more pics here.

The two biggest surprises:
Jason Derulo


I’ve seen a few of his gigs on TV and I always thought he was dancing more than singing or talking. I guess it must have been the TV’s cut. Jason Derulo is a great singer and entertainer but most importantly he appreciates his fans and the money they spend on him. He tries to give us more than 100% of his energy and that laid back super cool energy infected the Hallenstadion. People were dancing and singing and having a ball. Read more here.

Charlie Winston


Charlie Winston has been around for ages. 10 years ago he sang one of my fav songs of the year “Like a hobo”. For some reason I thought he’d be a singer songwriter who puts up a very thoughtful slow song show to enjoy to listen to but not dance to. I couldn’t have been any more wrong. His energy that came on stage with him infected the whole room. Within seconds people were dancing and clapping and having an amazing time. Shirley from Loads of Music described the gig exactly like I would have done so have a read here. I think this really has been on of my top highlights this year. I walked out with a huge smile and that’s always a success.

Crazy is good: Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats


I saw Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats before so I knew I had to go there and I wanted to be front row however I didn’t know how crazy it got being front row at Nathaniel Rateliff gig! If you want to know have a look at my review: click here.

The king/queen of ballades: Sam Smith


Sam Smith was actually another surprise. He’s hands down one of the best ballade singers but his gig wasn’t all sad gloomy at all. We were actually dancing a lot which I loved – even though I was a bit handicapped at the time. He might not be top of mind if I think of gigs 2018 but he sure deserved a mention in my highlights blog post! Read more about this surprising gig here.

The punkiest gig: Billy Talent


Like Charlie Winston Billy Talent have been around for a long time so when I finally got to see them at the Winterthurer Musikfestwochen my 15 year old self was very very happy. 😀 I was so surprised that I actually knew almost every song… I guess I really like them so please read more here.

Getting my rock on: Foo Fighters


Since I saw Dave Grohl hosting the EMA’s and after I watched the documentaries I knew I needed to see the Foo Fighters live. And they didn’t disappoint – over two hours of guitar riffs, drum solos and loud screams. It was amazing and well worth the money. I do hope I get to see them again sometime. But read more of this amazing legendary rock gig here.

Behind the Scenes with Saint City Orchestra


Seeing them at the Caribana as a warm up for The Script was perfect. As it happens sometimes I was able to shadow them for their gig at Rock the Ring in Hinwil. It was pretty cool being backstage with a band the first time. A new view of the tour life that I haven’t actually seen like that before. The lads of Saint City Orchestra were super welcoming and we had such a good time there. If you don’t know please check them out. They’re a great band from Switzerland and if you wan’t know more have a look at my review.

The tric-iest gig: Kate Voegele and Tyler Hilton


While I was about to fly back to Zurich from my trip to Wilmington I learned that Mia Catalano and Chris Keller aka Kate Voegele and Tyler Hilton are coming back to Zurich. I was over the moon and I couldn’t believe the coincidence! So of course I got home and bought myself a ticket. Nothing can beat the feeling of being in your favourite series whilst you’ve actually visited the set – or what’s left of it – a few months back. When they started “When the stars go blue” I could actually see myself in Tric rocking out to it 😀 #fangirling I know…. if you are ok with that read more here.

The Swiss love Aussies: Sons of the East


I haven’t heard of them before but thanks to Loads of Music I got to meet the three lads from Sons of the East before the interview. They were pretty laid back, nice and funny just how you imagine Aussie guys no? 😀 It was also a super hot summer day so it all fit together. Dynamo was like an oven and we got enjoy a summery show but read some more here.

Getting my Country on: Country Night Gstaad


I got very lucky this year I found someone actually two people who are as obsessed with country music as I am. So finally we were able to go to our first Country Night Gstaad. Midland, Maddie & Tae and Brett Young were the artists playing this year. Little did I know that we’d be screaming like crazy because apparently Brett Young is a huge Gavin DeGraw 😉 Yes, country and pop music go together! Read some more of our Country adventure here. Oh and stay tuned for our C2C weekend in London in March! 🙂

The cool Germans:
Max Giesinger


Max Giesinger is cool dude. He’s super down to earth and sooo funny! His music is great and I love to listen to it live. His gigs are always a mix between enjoying good music and trying not to pee yourself because you have to laugh so much 😀 I don’t know why but each time I walk out of his gigs I’m a little bit in love with this guy. But I guess this is a very good thing and I bet I’m not the only one who feels like that. He’s back in March but unfortunately I just realized that I’ll be getting my country fix in London. So really bad timing Max! 😉
Read more of his last gig here.

Nico Santos


I had the pleasure to interview Nico Santos who sang one of my fav songs of 2018 “Rooftop”. He’s such a cool down to earth guy. Read more of our interview here. I can’t wait to see him live on May 3rd at X-tra. Get your tix now: ticketcorner.ch 

The funniest gig: Lewis Capaldi


Let’s face it Lewis Capaldi should be a Comedian but then again the music industry would love an amazing voice so why not combine those two features into one show. That’s what Lewis Capaldi did. Seeing him supporting Sam Smith was a joy especially since we discovered that we never ever do any exercise because it will kill us haha. I immediately knew this guy needs backing so when he announced his headlining show I was in – little did I know that he apparently reached some more couch potatoes. Lewis Capaldi’s show was sold out! But this guy doesn’t seem to tire because he’s supporting Bastille next year and tix are still available: starticket.ch

The gig from the future: Black Eyed Peas


The Black Eyed Peas are back and celebrating their 20 year existence. They’ve evolved quite a bit from their first record. Taboo, Apl.de.ap and Will.i.am are three childhood friends making music. Even if they don’t fill the big stadiums anymore you can see and feel that they enjoy what they do. The guys are musicians through and through and that’s what I like to see. In addition to this they’ve not been bitter about people having phones at their gigs but actually thought about it and come up with an idea how to involve the phone in the gig. It was one hell of an experience actually sending big hearts to the stage! So much fun! Read some more here.

The good and now the bad ones…

Unfortunately this year we had a few very bad ones like I mentioned at the beginning. I’d like to name them quickly here. Nena, Billy Idol, Kim Wilde, Lily Allen and Hozier were all very disappointing. They didn’t spread good energy and I didn’t leave with a smile on my face. However in all of those gigs some people enjoyed it. It just wasn’t for me.

But I want to end my last blog post of 2018 on a good note. I am so grateful to have spend so many hours with lovely new and old concert buddies sharing what we love – Music. Being able to see my favourite artists is a blessing. Moments like we’ve had this year at gigs are unforgettable and will stay with you forever. So if you see an artist you like is coming to town go and support him – it’s worth it 🙂

Allgemein, Concerts

Jacob Banks got moves!

kekoaskorner

After seeing Jacob Banks last year at Mascotte and trying to see him at his uber full gig at the M4 Music Festival I was stocked to learn that Just Because invited him back to play a gig at X-tra.

Anna Leone – a tiny lady with a big voice

A very shy girl in sweats came on stage with her guitar. Anna Leone fascinated with her voice. However lots of people decided to continue talking which was a shame. They missed out on a very talented artist and I could only hope that they would stop during Jacob Banks’ performance.
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Jacob Banks is back and he got moves

Last year I was front row too but I really don’t remember him having those super sexy moves. What was the same was Jacob Banks incredible voice. A voice that so soulful and magical that it gives you goosebumps every time you hear it. I loved the first song. It had sooo much energy! Unfortunately I didn’t get a setlist this time so you will get a little different review.
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Jacob Banks said thank you for being here very early on and he explained that he will sing songs off his newest record VILLAGE and some songs off his previously released EP’s. With “Mercy”, “Mexico”, “Be Good To Me” we got lots of amazing songs already in the first 30 mins. But one of my highlights – sooo romantic – was the song “Caroline”. X-tra was turned pink and we enjoyed this slow soulful ballade. I bet the many couples in the crowd loved it too. Speaking of the crowd it was so diverse! There were teens, couples and older people enjoying the same good music by Jacob Banks.

This next song “Pilot” is for the people who are coming to the gigs. It is not on any record because I want you guys to have something special others don’t.

With that Jacob Banks took his guitar and sang “Pilot” which is a very beautiful ballade and I was mesmerized by his voice and that song. The time flew by listening to Jacob Banks because he fully captivates you.
oznor
 

Time to dance

Jacob Banks origins are Nigerian and so to honour them he wrote “Kumbaya”. You can literally feel the African vibe and the three LED screens in the back showed some videos from back home. The crowd started moving too. After focusing on him and his voice so much it was good to let loose a little. Another highlight for me was when he covered “Fix You”. Usually I get to hear it during Naturally 7‘s gig without any instruments! I keep repeating myself but I was fascinated to see the actual guitar sounding just the same! It was amazing!! 🙂 He earned so much applause which I think he didn’t expect. His face lit up and we got see a huge smile. So cute!


With “Say Something” and “Unholy War” Jacob Banks rang in the last part of his show. After a versatile music mix we were getting the biggest soulful energetic songs at the end.   The crowd loved it! 🙂 And of course all good things have to come to an end so Jacob Banks and his amazing 4 piece band left the stage before the encore. One by one they re-emerge and Jacob introduced them in a very sweet way. Each of them were brothers from other mothers and sisters from other misters 😀 I loved the fact that Jacob Banks seemed to have opened up a little and spoke to us a little more.

Finally he said that:

Thank you for choosing to be here. You could have spent your evening doing something else but you chose to support us. We really appreciate thank you so much!

and with that he introduced his biggest hit “Chainsmoking” and wooo’s and yeah’s rang around the X-tra. What a song! What a voice! What a man! Amazing moves! But see for yourself:

Amazing right? I’m so glad Loads of Music and I got to see this brilliant gig which was the last one in 2018. Here’s to 2019 with many more gigs to be review here on Kekoas Korner! 🙂
Share your memories right here or on Instagram. 🙂

Check out my latest gigs: Black Eyed Peas, Walking on Cars, Drew Cole