FZW, Dortmund, Germany21st May 2025
The Baseballs - “That’s Alright Tour 2025”
No other German band embodies the spirit of modern Rock’n’Roll in the style of the 1950s and 60s quite like THE BASEBALLS. Their concerts are a full-blown celebration, with dancing, singing and partying all night long. With their “That’s Alright Tour 2024”, THE BASEBALLS and their live band currently rock the stages of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Right from their debut album Strike! in 2009, THE BASEBALLS shot to the top of the charts - not only in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but in numerous other European countries as well. They received gold and platinum awards, played sold-out tours, and won accolades including Finland’s EMMA music award, the European Border Breakers Award, and two ECHO awards.
Over the course of seven more studio albums, THE BASEBALLS continued their mission of transforming current hits and timeless classics into the Rock’n’Roll sound of the 50s and 60s. When Digger announced his departure from the band in summer 2023, fans were understandably emotional - but there’s good news: the musical journey continues in 2024, with Sam and Basti carrying the torch.
“We’ll soon be back where we feel most at home - on the club stages!” says Sam with excitement. “It’s unbelievable that 15 years after our debut album, we’re heading out on our ninth tour, celebrating the spirit of Rock’n’Roll with the crowd for two hours every night and simply living in the moment,” adds Basti.
Music & Performance
Originally, THE BASEBALLS were supposed to perform at Dortmund’s FZW back in October of last year, but Basti (Sebastian Rätzel) injured his shoulder, and the entire “That’s Alright” tour had to be postponed. Whether that also contributed to the rather underwhelming record sales of their sixth studio album, which was released at the end of September, is hard to say for certain. Perhaps fans are missing Digger (Rüdiger Brans), who left the band in 2023. Or maybe the audience still prefers the Rock’n’Roll covers to the original Fifties-style songs Basti and Sam (Sven Budja) have been writing in an attempt to move away from the cover band label.
Whatever the case may be, after going platinum with their 2009 debut ‘Strike’, gold with the 2011 follow-up ‘Strings ’n’ Stripes’, and securing high chart positions for the subsequent albums, ‘That’s Alright’ failed to even make it into the Top 100. Nevertheless, the FZW was very well filled on this balmy Wednesday evening, with many in the crowd having bought their tickets for the originally scheduled October date. But the question remained: what would the live performance look like without Digger?
In truth, it wasn’t just one less vocalist on stage - THE BASEBALLS’ band itself had been pared down to just three members. Till Kersting still manned the electric guitar, Klaas Wendling continued to pluck the double bass, and there was a new face behind the drum kit. He was introduced as having travelled from New York and goes by the name Dr. Henry.
Still, it seemed the lads felt the stage looked a little empty, so for the track ‘Life Goes On’ from their latest release, they brought in some reinforcements: the CANDYLIKES. The trio hails from Dülmen in Westphalia and, dressed in candy-coloured petticoats, looked as if they’d stepped straight out of a 1950s diner and into the FZW. Vocally, they blended in beautifully, and later in the set they were given another chance to perform a song of their own, while Sam and Basti briefly exited the stage.
Unsurprisingly, the two have aged a bit - THE BASEBALLS have now been going for 18 years, and both lead men have crossed the 40 threshold. The hip swings are still spot on though, as they proved convincingly during their rendition of the SUGABABES’ track ‘Overload’. That said, there’s no harm in sitting down every now and then. And so, all band members apart from Klaas (whose instrument is simply too large) took a seat at the edge of the stage to perform an especially emotional number: ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams. It was, of course, perfectly suited to a more intimate performance - yet the musicians didn’t hold back on the energy, and the audience showed themselves to be word-perfect. No surprise, really - the song is a global hit and also one of the most successful entries in THE BASEBALLS’ discography.
While HANSON’s ‘Mmmbop’ was more of a one-hit wonder in this part of the world, the tune works remarkably well in a Rock’n’Roll style. Who would have guessed that back in 2011 there was actually a BASEBALLS cover band in the Netherlands? Whether they genuinely covered Sam, Basti and Digger or merely copied their winning concept is anyone’s guess - but their name, THE BITTERBALLS, came rather close to the original. No wonder, really, considering THE BASEBALLS’ popularity in neighbouring countries like the Netherlands, Switzerland, and even Scandinavia. A big part of that must be down to the band’s accessibility and fan-friendliness, which was once again palpable in Dortmund.
They even sang “Happy Birthday” for a woman in the crowd, and were in constant interaction with the audience, who quickly learned to scream with enthusiasm every time the word “Dortmund” boomed from the speakers - and were tireless in singing along, clapping, and waving their arms. During the emotional ‘It’s Okay’ from their latest studio album, countless phones lit up the venue in a sea of lights.
THE BASEBALLS themselves had also pulled out all the stops when it came to lighting, bathing the stage in atmospheric colours throughout the show - occasionally even flicking on the house lights to take a closer look at the audience. Here and there, a few people had even dressed the part in vintage style, though this was more prominent at earlier gigs. Also missing this time around were the umbrellas usually raised during the final number, ‘Umbrella’ (originally by RIHANNA). Perhaps such props were confiscated at the entrance.
In any case, the cool track was once again a must for a BASEBALLS gig and provided a rousing finale in Dortmund at 9:45 pm after 135 minutes of playtime. Credit here must go to the tight and skilled BASEBALLS band, sporting red sequin shirts, who even performed ‘Rock’n’Roll Queen’ by THE SUBWAYS without Basti and Sam - complete with impressive solo performances.
I did miss Jan Miserre’s piano a bit, but Sam made up for it with his increased use of the acoustic guitar. Overall, a BASEBALLS concert remains a fantastic experience. I personally really enjoy their original compositions, and their new covers - including ‘Unwritten’ (NATASHA BEDINGFIELD), ‘As It Was’ (HARRY STYLES), and ‘Whole Again’ (ATOMIC KITTEN) - are a real treat in the band’s signature style.
And when songs like ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ and ‘Footloose’ pop up on the setlist, I may not be whisked back to the 1950s, but I do feel transported to the Eighties - I saw the films these tracks were taken from in the cinema, after all. (Though I should point out, unlike many others, I only saw ‘Dirty Dancing’ once on the big screen - there were plenty of repeat viewers at the box office back then.)
Let’s be honest: the Fifties were, at heart, rather stuffy - which makes it all the more delightful that THE BASEBALLS give us such an entertaining excursion into the sound of that era, while letting us enjoy the biggest hits of recent decades and the advantages of the present day. Thank you to THE BASEBALLS for a lively and thoroughly enjoyable evening. Site note: the tour manager was a very kind guy and even served the photographer with some drinks. A rare experience which was much appreciated!
Setlist
01. Sad On A Summer Day
02. Hot n Cold (Katy Perry cover)
03. Unwritten (Natasha Bedingfield cover)
04. Overload (Sugababes cover)
05. Life Goes On
06. As It Was (Harry Styles cover)
07. ...Baby One More Time (Britney Spears cover)
08. The Sun Comes Up
09. Whole Again (Atomic Kitten cover)
10. THE CANDYLIKES-Song
11. Angels (Robbie Williams cover) (Acoustic Set)
12. I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ (Scissor Sisters cover) (Acoustic Set)
13. Black Or White (Michael Jackson cover) (Acoustic Set)
14. Mmmbop (Hanson cover) (Acoustic Set)
15. Suddenly I See (KT Tunstall cover) (Acoustic Set)
16. On My Way (Acoustic Set)
17. Happy Birthday Song
18. Wannabe (Spice Girls cover) (Acoustic Set)
19 Rock’n’Roll Queen (The Subways cover - The Baseballs Band only)
20. I Believe I Can Fly (R. Kelly cover)
21. Bleeding Love (Jesse McCartney cover)
22. (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life (Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes cover)
23. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Wham! cover)
24. Candy Shop (50 Cent cover)
25. Born This Way (Lady Gaga cover)
26. It’s Okay
27. C.C. Rider
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28. Can’t Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley cover) (Acoustic Sam & Basti only)
29. Footloose (Kenny Loggins cover)
30. Rock Me Amadeus (Falco cover)
31. Umbrella (Rihanna cover)
All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
