Freilichtbühne Junge Garde, Dresden, Germany26th September 2020
Eisbrecher - Live Open Air 2020
Rain and fire, freezing cold and heat, restrictions and outburst of freedom - what an amazing night it was on 26th of September in a beautiful amphitheatre of Junge Garde in Dresden. The first and the last show this year for EISBRECHER gave the audience emotions that I think everyone had been desperately seeking for. Months of isolation, dead festival season and overall hiatus in terms of music events made the night special for many reasons.
EISBRECHER, who are on the eve of new album release (‘Schicksalsmelodien’ to be out on 23 Oct 2020), gave a show that compensated a lot to those gig thirsty and I’m sure we may expect even more in 2021 when the rescheduled tour will take place. But to the point. Freilichtbühne Junge Garde is a lovely location, set in a beautiful park. The amphitheatre gave a fine view of the scene and allowed us to appreciate the light show the band prepared in full. The only problem was the weather - it was very cold and rainy on that day in Dresden; in fact, we were freezing and actually it was only the anticipation for the band (and perhaps a bit for hot wine or tea) that kept us standing till 7.30 p.m. when the concert started. Alexx Wesselsky appeared among the fans just before the show to chat a bit and let the fans take pictures with him. It was a very nice thing that fans surely appreciated.
Music & Performance
At 7.30 p.m. on the dot the show began. Artists entered the stage wearing warm, hooded jackets, Alexx had his white hat with ear flaps which he later gave to the audience. They started vigorously with ‘Verrückt’ and I must say the tempo and dynamics of the show made us all forget about the drizzle and low temperature. Alexx stated it numerous times during the show how happy he was to play live again and how he appreciated the fans being at the concert despite the weather conditions. At some point we actually forgot about the cold - the charisma and energy we were presented from the stage made us dance, sing and release all the energy we had in our bodies. I think the artists did too, because they soon got rid of the jackets and appeared to us in their scenic getups - Alexx in his uniform, Rupert - leather jacket.
Fantastic, perfectly prepared show, amazing lights and atmosphere - all those factors made it absolutely unforgettable. We were either blinded by lights or on the contrary, delving into an atmospheric combination of purple, green or blue and clouds of smoke. The scenic animal as he is, Alexx totally controlled the stage and the audience - with the vocalic power and amazingly energetic show he made it all like a constant flow of metal rush, vocalic perfection and incredible flow that carried us all through the concert night. It is hard to grasp the essence of EISBRECHER phenomenon - of course there is attention to details, energy, talent, powerful melodies with metal tint, great stage setting - every single detail in EISBRECHER puzzle has its place and makes the whole thing work like a perfect machine. The drums, guitars, bass - all instruments working together to achieve that fine, vibrating tone that make any heart go badump.
Plus, the concert setting - like a theatre stage where every actor has his place, set in lights and smoke - Alexx, Noel and Jürgen Plangger in front, Rupert Keplinger in the back, giving his usual fantastic bass magic and sided by Achim Färber rocking great drums in silver light. EISBRECHER focus is on all concert elements - music, vocal, light, setting and image and the front man’s leading role in a way to get the perfect harmony. And the music - EISBRECHER music is a combination of hot metal and cold electronics, that makes all tames go and let the energy flow uncontrollably. Raging guitars and characteristic vocal by Alexx create a sensational, profound metal mix that works both for empowering hits such as ‘Was ist hier los?’ or ‘Miststück’ and touching lines as in ‘Engel’ or ‘Herzdieb’.
During the show there was a lot of joking around and chatting with the audience - after all EISBRECHER are known not only for their cool music but also cool attitude. At the end of the concert the band threw teddy bears to the audience and thanked the people for the amazing night. And indeed, amazing it was, like I said at the beginning - the audience reacted in a really marvellous, enthusiastic way - singing with Alexx, waving hands, dancing - it was clear they love the band and that they really missed the concert atmosphere. It was indeed a fantastic chance to enjoy an outdoor show.
To sum up - we are not completely defeated yet - the spirit is high and even though we had all been weakened by pandemic strike the hearts are hot and the souls are kicking - I could see that clearly in Dresden and EISBRECHER gave us a perfect chance to show we are stronger than anything and that music is a fantastic healing and invigorating force. Thank you!
Setlist
01 Verrückt
02. Phosphor
03. Antikörper
04. Fehler machen Leute
05. Augen unter Null
06. 1000 Narben
07. Leider
08. So oder So
09. Eiszeit
10. Drums vs Machine
11. Engel
12. Prototyp
13. Himmel, Arsch & Zwirn
14. This is Deutsch
15. Volle Kraft voraus
16. Was ist hier los?
17. Miststück
18. Herzdieb
Rating
Music: 10
Performance: 10
Light: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9.5 / 10
All pictures by Karo Kratochwil
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