The Band with the K

Hola everyone.


And welcome back to this new week. I hope you’re all doing great and that so far your Monday hasn’t been all too bad. On my behalf, I’ve got so much to tell you guys that I don’t even know where to start. And everything’s so exciting and I’m so glad that I get to share it with you. Otherwise I think I’d burst or simply bore all my friends and family into delirium – probably the second one, but oh well.

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Anyway. In order to at least start ticking off all the topics on my list, today I’d like to tell you about the uber-amazing concert I went to last Friday. Those of you who’ve been following me and my posts long enough will probably know this band. No joke, if you haven’t heard of these guys you’re seriously missing out on something great, because these boys are freaking fantastic. And yes, I’m talking about the one and only band called Kraftklub. Yes, they’re German. Yes, they’re all pretty much crazy, as are their shows. And yes, I freaking love their music. I know I’ve already talked about them so many times, but I just can’t help myself. And when I saw that they would be doing a show, open-air, in the middle of summer and, on top of that, also at my favorite venue ever, I just had to see them again, although it was my actual fourth time. But hey, if a band is that good, you can’t see them often enough, am I right?

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So, the concert was at the Arena in Vienna and like I said, it was an open-air concert, which is such an amazing concept on its own. I just really love the venue like crazy, because it doesn’t just have those special indie and alternative vibes to it, it also features a small lawn you can chill on before the show and the whole place has this kind of tilted ground. I know, what a rubbish description. What I mean is that the ground gets lower the closer you get to the stage, which also means that you can easily have perfect sight of the stage, because, like I said, those in front of you will always be standing just a bit lower than you. And that’s so cool, because let’s be honest, I’m not the tallest person and whatever gives me the chance to look over most people at concerts simply gets a yes.

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So, the venue was amazing. And of course the show itself was too. Even more than that. God, I had so much fun, I can’t even put it into words. You guys have to know that Kraftklub shows are something else. Like, seriously. Firstly, because, like I mentioned, the guys are pretty crazy and weird and funny, in the best way possible, and secondly, because they have this special fanbase that just knows how to party and perfectly syncs with the band. And then there’s their music, which is like a mix of pop and indie and rap and is just so so cool and so much fun to sing and dance and jump to. And just the whole dynamics and atmosphere are so overwhelming and exciting and they completely draw you in and believe me, even if you don’t like the music, sooner or later you’ll start bobbing your head and it won’t end there. And last but not least there’s Felix, the lead-singer/rapper and for me the heart of the band or at least the show. Because while the other guys just simply step from one place to another, Felix floats, climbs, jumps and tops everything with dramatic hand gestures and a huge smile on his face. Watching this guy dance and party to every single song really gives me life and it’s just so so much fun.

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In hindsight, I’d say that out of the four shows I’ve attended, this one has to be my favorite. And not just because of the phenomenal thing that happened during the encore, which I’m going to tell you all bout now. Buckle up. So, as you can probably guess, I know how Kraftklub shows work, I know what happens and when. Thus, when they went off stage before the encore, I knew they would pop up at some other place as a surprise. For bigger crowds they usually use some kind of mobile platform, which they use to “drive” through the crowd. And that’s why, while all the others there were screaming for the encore, I was twisting and turning my head in search for the platform. And then I found it, right at the back of the lawn, next to the tower for the sound and lights techs. And I got all excited and showed it to my mum and was like “THAT’S where they’ll be in just a minute!!!”. And it was so funny, because I was pointing at it, clearly seeing the mics that had already been placed on it, and everyone around me followed my gaze and then looked at me like I was crazy. And I thought “yeah yeah, now you think I’m crazy, but you just wait for what will happen in just a minute”.

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Mum and I then decided to just make our way to the platform and started pushing through the crowd. And guess what, we got there right when the boys stepped on the platform. And it was so funny, because even then most people didn’t realize what was happening and Felix was like “hey everyone, we’re right behind you. I know, it’s a bit confusing.” Guys, we were so so close. And it was so much fun. But that wasn’t the best part. After the song they played on there, Felix proceeded to high five my mum and just a second later I was right by her side, shouting “mum, they’ll stage dive now, watch out”. You have to know that my mum is a teeny tiny person and if one of the boys jumped right at her, they would both end up on the ground with a loud thump. And at first she wanted to get out of the crowd that was building up, but I kept her right by my side and I’m so happy I did. Because just after that they all got ready to crowd-surf right back to the stage – which was quite a way to go, to be honest – in order to continue their official crowd-surf competition. Felix then decided to use the part of the crowd we were standing in. And when he looked at me – I was smiling at him with such a huge grin – I just knew he would go right our way. And before I knew what was happening, Felix jumped and I was holding his hand and tried to push him over the crowd. And then he was gone again, rolling over the crowd together with the others like a human ball dressed in black and white. Unfortunately he didn’t win – Karl, the second singer and guitarist, did and, if I’m not wrong, also won the whole contest (the show in Vienna was their next-to-last show of their tour before their upcoming chill-out-pause) – but he came second which is also something, right? And I know, some or even most of you probably won’t find this any special, but for me it’s still like the biggest thing ever, because before that I had always watched them do this kind of stuff from afar, wishing I was there, and it was also my very first time of being an actual part of a “a band does a crowd-surf”-moment and it just makes me so happy and feel all excited.

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Apart from that there was simply everything you could wish for at a Kraftklub concert. Moshpits, people crowd-surfing and rowing on the ground, quite a lot of dancing, loud and pretty amazing music, huge smiles, funny outfits, underpants being thrown on stage (mens ones, for the first time ever, according to them), a spinning wheel to decide which song would be played next and someone being brought up on stage to spin it and of course political speeches and actions from both the band and the crowd. So yeah, a perfect show. But what I enjoyed the most was seeing how happy the guys were. I don’t even know how many times Felix thanked us for being such an amazing crowd and for dancing and singing. Which, I have to say, is seriously true, because the crowd really was something else. It was such a great evening, no joke.

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So yeah guys, there you go. That was last Friday for me. Oh, and also, just before the concert I drove to my uni and handed in my second bachelor thesis, which means that I’m now officially finished with my studies. How crazy is that? I still remember the first day like it was yesterday. And the concert was literally the perfect way to end it and to celebrate. If any of you guys ever get the chance to check Kraftklub out, please do. They really are such a cool band and deserve all the appreciation they get and so much more. And until then I hope you enjoyed this not so short post about the concert. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below and I wish you a great week. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

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