We Came By Train To The Perfect Situation
Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, The Bar Stool Preachers, Stevo and The Shotlights
Europe 2024 Tour presented by Destiny Tourbooking, Arena Wien – Open Air, Austria 20240628
What is the best way to spend a Friday evening in summer. Go to Lido Sounds or Woodstock der Blasmusik. See Liberation Orchestra and The Great Gray Funk at Aera, Cousines Like Shit at Musik am Fluss or Dan Plews at Shebeen. Actually, the decision was long ago, to finally hear the new sound system, that had to be bought for Arena Open Airs due to complaints of few neighbours.
A little rain comes down shorty before, but then the weather is simply perfect. Songs of legends like Lemmy and David Bowie create a wonderful atmosphere with the people waiting on the gras, the benches or on a skateboard for the show to begin. It starts with Punk’n’Roll by Stevo and The Shotlights (Pogo’s Empire). The frontman is known from Reverend Backflash and Fia Immer Fett or jumping in for Vulvarine.
Under the banner and after the intro, they ‚kick it that way‘ with a colorful bouquet of songs including „I’d Kill For Some“, soon again to be seen at Gürtel Nightwalk. The Bar Stool Preachers (Pirates Press Records) from Brighton follow with Punk’n’Ska like Guadalajara. The likeable formation is all about ‚equality, family and community‘. They tell about being twelve hours in a van and make the audience sing along with their band-song and dance with ‚knees up‘.
Also Me First and The Gimme Gimmes (Fat Wreck Chords) know how to interact with their fans. Joey Cape, Chris Shiflett and Fat Mike are just some names who played with them and tonight, CJ Ramone and Spike Slawson are on stage. After an Ukulele beginning, they get the move with „Jolene“, „Straight Up“ and „Love Will Keep Us Together“.
The set includes many candies like „(Ghost) Riders in the Sky“, „Dancing Queen“, „Mandy“, „Good 4 U“, „All My Loving“ and „I Will Survive“, concluding in „End of the Road“. Now the impression of the sound is that it could be louder for sure but this was a fun show anyway. And Iceberg is just waiting the day after..