Hamburg’s Barclays Arena: concert marathon in an almost empty arena

Hamburg’s Barclays Arena
Concert marathon in an almost empty arena

The basses boom, the lights twitch, the joy of playing is written on the faces of the artists: in Hamburg’s Barclays-Arena around 50 well-known or aspiring musicians stood on stage in front of almost empty stands and still reached several thousand people.

Pohlmann, Cassandra Steen, Revolverheld, Laith Al-Deen, Max Giesinger, Eko Fresh, Joris, Antje Schomaker, Lina Larissa Strahl, the Lochmann twins He / Ro, Luna, your friends, Alex Diehl, WHT?!, Älice, yours Cousin, Nessi, … – the list of the evening was seemingly endless. The concert marathon was to be broadcast live from Amazon Music on Twitch.tv for eight hours, free of charge.

«We have an amazing line-up. It’s great that we can do that. But also sad that we still have to do that, ”said presenter Steven Gätjen shortly after the start of the special show.

Because the musicians and employees on and behind the stage were not only interested in the euphoria of the performance, but above all a lot of donations. With the donation streaming concert of the “AllHandsOnDeck” project, money is to be collected for the benefit of concert employees and artists who are in danger of livelihood.

After more than half of the concert, the online donation platform Betterplace.org raised almost 60,000 euros. The industry is one of the sectors of the economy that have been and are most intensely affected by the Corona restrictions since March 2020.

According to the voluntary organizers, the money will go to four associations and organizations that distribute the donations to those people in the industry who need financial support most urgently.

It was immediately clear to singer Laith Al-Deen that he wanted to contribute a part. “The event was declared from the outset for many in front of and behind the stage who think outside the box. And they’re still falling. There are so many people I couldn’t be here without them. The whole apparatus wobbles in itself and slowly crumbles to itself. “

Politicians are also aware of the problems. “The last few months have again demanded a lot from culture, and especially from the live music industry. In this situation, AllHandsOnDeck directs the spot for the second time to those who repeatedly make unique concert experiences possible on and behind the stage, ”said Hamburg’s Senator for Culture Carsten Brosda (SPD) of the German Press Agency in Hamburg. “After almost two years of the pandemic, the point now is that we don’t lose them, but that there are still prospects for them in the music industry.”

With many musicians, however, their patience is almost gone. Singer Wincent Weiss was frustrated, especially with a view to the almost full football stadiums and the unequal treatment. «My last concert was here in 2019. That was a long, long time ago. For the sake of all of us: I want us to finally be able to play concerts again, as befits an event industry. “

The concert evening was a nice cross-section of the musical landscape for the fans on the screens – and for the few who had won tickets for the arena. Rap, hip-hop, pop, rock, singer-songwriter, soul – almost all genres were represented on the stage. And the artists had one thing in common: the overwhelming joy of being able to perform in front of an audience.

Soul singer Cassandra Steen also came to the arena for two songs. «It’s madness. You have this huge hall and it’s basically nice to have an audience at all and the opportunity to perform with other artists. “

Prince singer Sebastian Krumbiegel’s enthusiasm for the performance and the project was also clearly noticeable. “Real people, awesome.” He strongly encouraged donations: “I don’t really like begging. But that’s coal for the whole periphery, which ensures that the lights are on here at all. “

dpa