This was definitely one of the hottest concerts I’ve ever been to. With temperatures outside of almost 40 degrees, the “Musik Arena” of the summer festival “Tollwood”, which is basically a tent, was heated up – and it didn’t get better with people pouring in and spotlights being turned on. The air was stuffy and no ventilation relieved the audience.
I sometimes felt a little sorry during the show because due to these conditions it got more and more exhausting to show the kind of passion and appreciation for the performers on stage that would have been appropriate, because they were nothing short of brilliant.
There was “Fetsum”, the supporting act, with some remarkable Soul songs. There was the “Kahedi Radio Orchestra” complete with a string sections, brass section, double bass, keyboards, background singers and more. There were special guests like Afrob, Megaloh and Samy Deluxe, who brought their special flow on stage. There was Joy Denalane, who never ceases to amaze me! She’s one of the top German artists, definitely one of the best voices and unfortunately highly underrated IMHO. And of course there was Max Herre himself – rapper, producer, singer-songwriter and husband of Joy Denalane.
Although I do like quite a few rappers like Jay-Z, Snoop, P.Diddy (or whatever he calls himself right now), 2Pac or Missy Elliott, I never really got into German HipHop. Most of it is “too chavvy” – although that’s probably not a very exact explanation of why I don’t like it. There are only very few artists I like to listen to, and Max is on top of the list because he provides thoughtful lyrics and innovative HipHop beats mixed with Soul elements.
And this mixture is also what makes the “Kahedi Radio Show” so appealing and what makes her able to also speak to an audience that may have nothing to do with HipHop music and still hit home. If you never listen to rap music, try listening to the following personal highlights of the show:
“1ste Liebe” (with Joy Denalane) – Song about Herre’s hometown Stuttgart but very cleverly worded so you first think it’s about a woman. One of my favorite songs to have a look at with my pupils at school.
“DuDuDu” – Max sings about relationships here, using German sayings to philosophize about love. There is a version using Lenny Kravitz’ “It ain’t over til it’s over” in the chorus on the album, which I even prefer to the live version.
“So wundervoll” – Definitely a “wonderful” song, so uplifting with the chorus based on Billy Preston’s “You are so beautiful”.
Oh yes, and not to forget: Another personal highlight of this evening was the coconut water after the show. Boy, liquids are awesome! 😉
music, the world & me 