United Against Poverty

With the G7 meeting right around the corner, several NGOs put together an event in Munich to ask the heads of governments to act on the issue of poverty. Their declared goal is to end extreme poverty unit 2030. To make people, and especially the decision-makers meeting in Elmau, aware of their demands, the event was supported by German and international politicians and stars, who came together on the Königsplatz right in the heart of Munich.

Unfortunately, the event was very badly promoted. I only heard about it through a friend about a week before and I believe that many people did not know about it at all. I guess that was the main reason why, instead of the 17.000 people the organizers expected to be there, there were only a few hundred, which was very sad, especially with regards to the cause!

Still the event went ahead as planned with German comedian Michael Mittermeier and host Shary Reeves presenting, Austrian singer Claudia Koreck or German TV-star Jan Josef Liefers’ Band “Radio Doria” playing and people like Mandela’s grandson Kweku Mandela, German actor Katja Riemann or Liberia’s president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf talking. There were also video messages from Bono of U2 and Herbert Grönemeyer. In-between these more famous people, all participating NGOs presented their missions. Some also brought people with them who had been helped by their organization and could talk about the conditions they had faced in their country. Although we all know stories like these, it is shocking again and again, especially if you hear these accounts personally.

The highlight came with Usher arriving on stage. Unfortunately, he did not perform but talked about his charity work. Through his “New Look” foundation, he fights for the education of children. He’s also involved with Global Citizen. At the end of his speech, Shary Reeves challenged him to do a rap with her, so Usher did some beatboxing and Reeves rapped. Afrojack finished the show with some DJing.

Altogether, the event was a great cause, although the burning sun didn’t make it easy to stand for hours. However, there was one fact that irritated me a lot: As the event already started at one o’clock, at some point you needed something to eat. All we found were two food trucks, one selling hotdogs, the other one was a grill. There was not one option for vegetarians, so I had to leave the grounds to get something to eat in a nearby bakery. If I fight against hunger in the world but only offer people meat, then this shows a huge error in reasoning! I really wonder why so many people are still in denial that eating meat is not only an ethical and a health choice, but that it also affects the environment and world hunger. Go look it up if you haven’t! I think whoever really wants to fight poverty and hunger has to be aware of these facts and act accordingly. Although this left me wondering, I have to emphasize that I really admire the work these NGOs do, as well as all the volunteers who spend their time and energy to help others! It always makes me realize that we all should do so much more!

Usher – URXTour

When I last wrote about Usher, I finished the article saying I was hoping for a European Tour. Well, my prayers were answered – even though somehow differently than what I had in mind because my old-school belief expected an album to drop first. Well, it didn’t! There are three singles out now – “Good kisser“, “She came to give it to you” and “I don’t mind” – with the first having been released ten months ago, and still no album in sight. Allegedly Usher postponed the album to take more time and get it right. Well, I like all three new songs and hope he won’t take too much time to chance the vibe!

Anyway, the tour, which had initially been concepted to support the album, went ahead and so audiences around the world were/are able to enjoy Usher live again!

I don’t think I have to mention that this guy can dance! And sing! And put on a show with lights, screens, fire, special effects, moving stage parts etc.! That’s what he’s known for, that’s what you expect from an Usher concert and that’s what you get. What’s more interesting is what you got on top this time!

With this tour Usher is moving into a different direction as well. He’s focussing on the music itself much more than on his last tours. That means, for example, that he has special versions of many songs, especially of some of his great hits like “You remind me“, which he played in a very slow R&B version. “U got it bad” was performed only with a set of bongos, guitar and a Fender Rhodes. He even sat down behind the drums himself for “Good kisser”. I think it’s a good way to grow, to slowly move away from this womanizer image (he didn’t even take off his shirt!) towards a more mature musician.

What I didn’t really like was the setup of the stage, which was v-shaped. It was interesting to have a completely different kind of layout and I guess it really worked for those people seated or standing further away. But for those at the front there was only a very small zone from which you could see the concert head-on – the way the show looks best. If you stood somewhere else, you saw it from the side and partly even from the back. This kinda made it difficult to feel “in” the show. But maybe that’s a matter of taste.

I was glad Usher did so many of his old songs! I really could do without “DJ got us fallin’ in love“, “Scream” or “Without you“. I said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t like this electronic Eurodance stuff and I’m more than happy that this phase in R&B seems to be over. Well, a lot of the young members of the audience of course had come to hear exactly these songs, so I guess it makes sense to play them at the end, although my highlights were others.

All in all a wonderful evening of great entertainment. My 7th Usher show so far and I hope there are many more to come!

Usher – OMG Tour and new stuff

Usher is preparing a new album! “Good kisser” is the new single:

I really like it. It sounds fresh, new, and still Usher. Moreover, it’s not this Eurodance-like ish anymore that was going on for muuuuuch too long! The lyrics…well… Anyways, I still kinda like the video, though. And I’m now really excited for the new album! 

When I saw the video, I kinda got a feeling as if I had been missing Usher for years. And that’s probably true, because he has long been one of my favorite musicians. The video not only brought back the memories of that time but also started something new. I’m glad he’s back like THAT!

So, to re-live some Usher, here are some pictures from his last show in Munich. As I hadn’t really liked his last two albums then, “Here I am” and “Raymond vs Raymond/Versus“, I actually didn’t expect much, but Usher live is always an experience!

My friend and I waited for Usher afterwards and he did stop to say hello. That was the third time I met him. The first time was in 2001 in Cologne when he was still not widely known in Germany yet. He was awesomely nice, took a lot of time, signed autographs, took pictures, everything. Then  “8701” dropped and he became huge. The album is actually still my favorite and the tour will probably always stay my favorite. But unfortunately the success seemed to have gone to his head. He was really arrogant that time. Well, maybe he had a bad day, but that was my impression. Now in 2011 the real big hype was over and he seemed to be grounded again. He signed some autographs and did a little small talk with us about the show and stuff.

But no matter what, he is an amazing showman, probably one of the few all-round entertainers, and I cannot wait to see him back on stage! Fingers crossed for a European tour!

 

 

David Garrett – “Teufelsgeiger” Cinema Tour

I have this friend. Somehow every time we meet, there is some “star action” going on nearby. We’ve even been running into people like Usher just by chance. Last time we met, it was in a little town in the region Harz, where nothing ever happens… well, kind of… And lo and behold, George Clooney was filming his new movie “The Monuments Men” on that very day in that very place. So we had the chance to observe some of the shooting, which was really interesting. Now this time we met yesterday in my hometown Kassel, where I was for a visit. We actually just wanted to chill and talk in some nice restaurant or something, but again: two days before, my friend messaged me that David Garrett would be in town that very evening. What a coincidence again! He is touring cinemas right now to advertise his new film “Teufelsgeiger” (“The Devil’s Violinist”), a movie about the life of Italian violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini. Unfortunately, of course, all tickets for the premiere were already sold out. We decided to go anyway and see whether we could get tickets right before the show. Although that was not possible, we still had the chance to see David Garrett, who came out into the foyer to sign autographs and pose for pictures before the premiere.

I was able to experience David live last year because a friend of mine had invited me to his concert in Munich. So I thought it was fair enough that I would get her an autograph now that I had the chance. David was very patient with the about 500 people who had come to see him. Although he obviously was sick with a bad cold, he tried to fulfill every wish his fans had. So I cannot say anything about the movie (yet), but I really though Garrett himself was a very nice guy.