ZAPPANALE 2013 - - - PART THREE : THE JULY 31 HAMBURG CONCERT

Wednesday, July 31, 2013. 18:00 h

I was able to park the car about 60 meters from the St. Katharinen church. Timing was good. I shook hands with Georg and two of his friends (seated on the square in front of the church) and went off for a stroll.

Wandering through the new harbour part of Hamburg, I ran into Steffen, Marga, Clint, Shaun, Klaus, Giles and Rob. Some familiar and some new faces. It was great to see them. You have to understand that Zappanale is the best music festival that I know. The music is great, and in addition to that, it’s also the place where you get to meet like-minded people and friends from all over the world.

After a short break (with refreshments) we walked to St.Katharinen where we saw Tim, Chantal, Mick, Steve, Mary Jane and Joe. The party was really getting international with freaks from Germany, Holland, Belgium, the UK and the US of A. Everyone was feeling good and rather eager to hear the Bonnen ensemble.

(picture by Steffen Schindler)

“Dietmar Bonnen, Alexei Aigui and Lothar Burghaus, performing the music of Dylan, Hendrix and Zappa.”
The Bonnen / Aigui duo & Bonnen / Aigui / Burghaus trio played a diverse set. Actually, two diverse sets. Lots of Hendrix and Zappa, a bit of Dylan, and a Sonny Boy Williamson piece, plus some classical pieces.
Hmmm. I guess my expectations were a bit too high…

As I said earlier, I have fond memories of a certain Bonnen concert in Brussels. Furthermore, the Zappa tunes on Bonnen’s albums are a treat.
Somehow, at the Hamburg concert, the sparkle wasn’t there. Or at least, it didn’t reach me.

The sound in a church is never easy to control. There’s just too much resonance. In this particular case, the result sounded too muddy. A pity.
And they should have kept it instumental. Dietmar Bonnen’s parlando didn’t do it for me.

Don’t get me wrong. This was an OK happening and a fine start for Zappanale. However, mainly because of the excellent company.

Here's 'Let's Make The Water Turn Black' from the excellent "Black Water" album.