13.06.2015 Eisbrecher

Blackfield Festival

Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen (Germany)

(Pentax K-5 with Tamron SP AF 17-50mm 2.8 XR Di II LD Asp IF and Sigma AF 50-150mm 2.8 EX DC APO HSM II)

The day is coming to an end and despite the warm temperatures, Eisbrecher was set to rock the stage and the Blackfield Festival (even though front man Alexander Wesselsky had some trouble finding the right name of the festival). In full sailor attire, Wesselsky and his band mates, drummer Achim Färber, bassist Rupert Keplinger, guitarist Jürgen Planger, and musical mastermind Noel Pix, took the simple stage and immediately started with “Volle Kraft Voraus”.
As expected, it was a professional show, but not as slick and seamlessly scripted as with many other bands. Alex Wesselsky bantered with band members and the audience between songs. Otherwise, it was hit after hit, with the audience (the amphitheater was now filled to the last seat) fully joining in, singing loudly, and celebrating the band. Mainly, songs from the current album “Schock” were played, like the newly announced ballad “Rot Wie Die Liebe”. Unfortunately, the “Old Man” (as he repeatedly called himself) had to be caught by his colleagues, as the song was supposed to be played later.
Changing props were, of course, not missing. After quickly shedding the sailor uniforms (it was still quite warm), not only were drums brought on stage for all musicians, but for “This Is Deutsch” from the 2008 album “Sünde”, Wesselsky dressed in a dapper traditional jacket and hat. Then came the first break where the band left the stage, but not for long. Fitting the song “Eiszeit” from the identically named 2010 album, they returned in full polar explorer gear, including ice picks, fur collars, and storm masks. All I can say here is: Respect! With the temperatures and stage lighting, they must have been sweating buckets. It continued with two more encores, including the obligatory Megaherz cover “Miststück”. Here, the audience was really challenged again. The chorus was sung loudly by different sections of the amphitheater, exactly as instructed by Wesselsky. After another short break, the show ended with “Schlachtbank” after about 90 minutes, much to the audience's dismay.
After Wacken 2013, this was the second time I got to experience Eisbrecher, and I wasn't disappointed for a second. It was fantastic! Everything fit together perfectly: stage design, lighting, outfits, and not to forget the songs. The pounding Neue Deutsche Härte numbers are so catchy that everyone quickly gets into them and starts singing along. This also contributed to the excellent mood. Thus, Eisbrecher was probably (at least for me) the absolute highlight of the entire Blackfield Festival and a great conclusion to the second festival day.