Silbermond - Frankfurt am Main 2009

Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2nd December 2009
Silbermond, Für Immer

Meanwhile, the German pop / rock formation from Bautzen has been on “Nichts passiert” tour since this year’s spring; a long period of time that should have caused visible signs of fatigue on the faces of the four young musicians. However, front woman Stefanie Kloß (vocals), Andreas Nowak (drums), Thomas Stolle (guitar, keys, backing vocals) and Johannes Stolle (bass) appeared alive and kicking when they played a sold-out concert at the Jahrhunderthalle located in Frankfurt.



Just in time, I reached the venue’s parking lot after a stressful ride through the city of Frankfurt during immense rush hour traffic. The hall had already been filled to capacity when I went inside. Many young girls were sitting right in front of the stage - they must have been waiting for hours to get their favourite place. Nevertheless, they had to be patient again as it was the supporting act’s turn at first. According to the statement of the man who announced the appearance of the band FÜR IMMER, the main act had chosen several young local bands that should join SILBERMOND while being on their current tour.


Für Immer

According to vocalist Jan, their name had been UNGESTIMMT, but they had decided spontaneously to name themselves to FÜR IMMER. Consisting of the young guys Jan, Chris (guitar), Tim (bass) and Sebbie (drums), the quartet from Marburg seemed to be predetermined to appeal to that crowd. http://www.myspace.com/ungestimmt



Music & Performance
Firstly, FÜR IMMER received rather restrained applause, but then the mood was getting better. It was obvious how nervous and reverent the musicians were - they even admitted that they hadn’t played in front of so many people before. Despite of all nervousness, they did a good job while presenting their 30-minute set that was dominated by German language songs in the style of REVOLVERHELD. Therefore, pieces such as `Blinder Pilot´ including melancholic guitar-driven melodies connected to thoughtful lyrics dealing with growing up, relationships and everyday life provided relaxed campfire atmosphere.

Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 6
Sound: 8
Light: 6
Total: 6.7 / 10




Silbermond

One thing is for sure: SILBERMOND got into the professional league of German pop business. In 1998, when two of them started playing music together after they had formed the band EXAKT, they surely didn’t expect that kind of success which has gradually come since 2002, after they had named to SILBERMOND. Up to now, the four-piece has released three long-players; `Verschwende deine Zeit´ (2004), `Laut gedacht´ (2006) and most recent `Nichts passiert´ (2009). Over the years, gentle ballads such as `Das Beste´ and `Symphonie´ particularly contributed to the successful development resulting in a considerable echo from media and fan base alike. The latter one mainly consists of very young people aged between 11 and 20 years. http://www.myspace.com/silbermond / http://www.silbermond.de/



Music & Performance
The change over was finished after about 20 minutes. A curtain still hid the new stage setting I was very curious about. Finally, the intro resounded through the Jahrhunderthalle and caused an outcry coming from several 1,000 of throats. Before the curtain revealed the stage, it had displayed a projected video showing some scenes of SILBERMOND´s life on tour. A nice idea and an atmospheric beginning of a solid performance! And then, they were there - Stefanie, Johannes, Thomas and Andreas. My first impression was that the formation seemed to be a very likeable one. Lead singer Stefanie, who was dressed in black and smiling the entire time while swirling across the stage like a whirlwind, is the undeniable eye-catcher of the show. Her clear vocals were pretty good and she was also able to radiate party feeling when she animated the audience to sing and to clap along.



Naturally, the best-known hits `Durch die Nacht´, `Symphonie´, `Das Beste´, `Unendlich´ and `Ich bereue nichts´ shouldn’t be missing as well as the most recent single `Krieger des Lichts´. Though I always kept SILBERMOND in mind for being a specialist in the matter of German language ballads, the band also involved a certain pinch of rock into the show which was mainly the effort of the guys´ playing. For example, there was a great bass solo after `Zeit für Optimisten´ and later on an extensive drum playing I hadn’t expected to hear from SILBERMOND. Admittedly, I was surprised by the positive and energizing attitude the four-piece is obviously loved for by its following. Some girls in the first row even threw various thongs onto the stage. All in all, it was a pleasing show that was clearly addressed to the band’s target group. Thus, special interludes such as stage-diving or crowd-surfing appeared way too intended and planned, but they totally satisfied the audience that screamed for more.



There were some long-term fans in the first rows who complained about a lack of applause and the fans´ reactions compared to other gigs, but as I hadn’t experienced SILBERMOND before, I wasn’t able to support those statements. In my opinion, the band is definitely able to deliver rousing concerts contrary to the general reputation of being a rather soft representative of German language pop ballads.

Setlist (Source: http://forum.silbermond.de/)