So much hasn’t been going on in Munich for a long time. One city, one night, 60 venues, 400 concerts: that’s exactly 400 more than anyone has experienced in the past two years. And all that in one evening? How should it work?
Well, it works really well, above all it feels really good and it’s a lot of fun. Only: Where to go first in this oversupply from A for Acoustic Guitar Duo Gio & Joe to Z for Zweitgeist? It all starts with the Mothers’ Choir in the old Catholic parish of St. Willibrord on Blumenstrasse. You’ve crashed past here a thousand times, but only a few have a view of the listed building opposite the main fire station from the Altstadtring. Punctually at eight o’clock it starts in the half-full church with a snappy “Best day of my life” adaptation, choir director Nicole Baumann introduces her seven fellow campaigners like this: “That’s the rest.” What is left of 25 singing mothers after Corona.
“Alone we don’t move anything, together we move the world”
That’s why you got involved duck39 together, a women’s choir from Entenbachstraße, who has a good hand when it comes to choosing songs: a Portuguese revolutionary song from the 70s, which says “Come friends, sing! Alone we can’t move anything, together the world”. If that’s not a suitable motto for this Long Night of Music.
12,000 visitors were out and about from eight in the evening until two in the morning. Rarely in recent years has the idea of wandering between the worlds of music been better than it is right now. Blissfully smiling faces and everyone seems to be saying: finally back! And for only 20 euros! Rarely has the desire for live music in the city been stronger, never has the willingness to get involved with something completely different been greater. The main thing is that it grooves and swings.
While the guests are standing and dancing at the performance of the band “The Red Eyes” in the Kooks on Geyerstrasse…
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
… at least some make themselves comfortable at the tables in the Monti Monaco in the slaughterhouse.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
There were also celebrations in Gasteig HP 8 and Hall X, here at “Richter und Lippus”.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
Well, then get out of the church and into the fun! A few minutes by bike to the JBL store on Sendlingerstraße: the counter-cosmos to St. Willibrord. Chatty party crowd, a corner with loungers on the sandy beach, cocktails specially created by the drinks caterer for the occasion, such as the JBL Charge (mango puree, a hint of cardamom, gin, sparkling wine, basil) and pop, electro and hip hop in a jazzy guise , played by Bolandi Trio, which, however, occurs in fours – a marketing gimmick. Amy Winehouse has the band in good form, but the crowd still keeps a safe distance. Except for a few timid edge dancers, no one dares yet. It’s still early in the evening.
One can see that some of the dancers have alienated themselves from the dance floor
However, if you think you can still get a place at the Isarthor inn shortly before nine, you are wrong. The folk musicians from play in the small, cozy inn crush plate, almost only beer on the tables all around, and one steaming treat after another comes out of the kitchen. Anyone who has gotten a seat here will not hike much that evening, long night or not. On to the next venue. After the ideal-typical Bavarian inn, it’s off to the very special ambience of the ” Jahreszeiten Bar” in the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten on Maximilianstrasse. Lots of very dark wood, intimate atmosphere, even more intimate séparés.
The formation Time Is Now plays funk, soul and groove with verve, but you can tell by looking at some of the dancers that they haven’t done it for years. You can let yourself go with “Streetlife”! Exactly the same song is playing across the street in the Alter Hof, which is now home to the wine bar “Lump, Stein und Küchenmeister”. The band plays in the underground bar Turn2Ten reggae and blues
The fear of missing something, known in modern German as fomo (fear of missing out), naturally plays a role in the Long Night of Music: Anyone who has waited a long time in front of Café Rischart to listen to the Rock’n’Roll der Joker’s band to experience, but after George Michael’s “Faith” only hears “Thank you, we’ll take a short break” from the singer, who hardly stays seated, but moves on, for example to the Garibaldi in Burgstrasse. But even there it’s so crowded that you can see the folk band Buck Roger & The Sidetrackers only sees from afar and gets stuck in front of the stairs in the Friuli provenance. Now a glass of red wine, that’s it! But too much activity at the bar.
Let’s see what’s going on next door in the Ratskeller. There’s the cover band angry dog announced, and apparently a lot of people want to hear them: the queue under the town hall stretches over two of the huge vaulted cellars. Inside the hall they go Wutzdogs more e-guitar-heavy over the villages, but the 80s light show alone is an eye-catcher. Full throttle will definitely be given to the end here. A gray beard wears a T-shirt with the programmatic inscription “It’s escalating anyway”. Well then.
There was swing at its finest with the “Monaco Swing Ensemble” in the Literaturhaus.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
Not only the Long Night of Music, but also that of the long queues: people not only had to wait in front of the Gasteig HP 8 to be admitted.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
High time for the next hard cut: The classical performance “Cathedral of Sound and Light” should now be in the Theatinerkirche. Just caught the footsteps of this crazy LSD light trip before Arvo Pärt’s wonderful piece “Spiegel im Spiegel” continues, which, however, takes some getting used to on the organ. Another look at the “Dinnerclub im Filmcasino”, where the wild salsa life rages.
And then it’s time to come home to your favorite music. It runs that evening in the also full Literature House and is played by the fabulous Monaco swing ensemble. Django Reinhardt, swing at its finest. Enough hiking, here’s a stop for now, a cool drink with it, and all sensors in the absorbing mode! Life is good.