GnatApr 5, 2013If you haven’t heard of Max Raabe, you’re doing yourself a disservice. He is the most wonderful thing to come out of Germany since black forest cake. Without exception, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Raabe’s campy yet perfectly executed retro sound, and by retro I mean retro – this guy is mining the music and fashion of the 1920s and 30s. Think tuxedos and full brass accompaniment to Cole Porter and Irving Berlin tunes in German and English. I saw him recently at the Waldbühne and it was definitely worth the trip out to Spandau on the S-Bahn. The only off note that night came from the high pitched whine of mosquitoes that descended on the crowd from the surrounding forest (Wald = forest).
Although I was way up in the cheap seats, I could see Raabe and his Palast Orchester pretty well on a screen to the side of the stage. He was wonderful, of course, and delivered what live performances are supposed to be about: interesting variations of well-known songs, the introduction of new material, and a bit of witty banter. In fact, I think I enjoyed the witty banter the most. Raabe is wonderful to listen to even when he’s speaking, but do note that he will be speaking auf Deutsch. So I definitely recommend going to see him, but if it’s at the Waldbühne, bring plenty of insect repellant.
One could call bacon and cheese kindred spirits. Though the two don’t always go together, they’re often spotted in the same places – burgers, sandwiches, breakfast, etc. The two
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Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester User Comments