Markstraße Bad Tölz: Bananafishbones and Stadtkapelle play big

It would hardly be easier for the audience to be relaxed, friendly and show love than on this Saturday evening. “That’s exactly what it’s all about,” shouts the guitarist and singer of the Banana fish bones, Sebastian Horn, at the joint performance with the Tölzer Stadtkapelle in front of the thousands of listeners in the Marktstraße.

The amount of positive energy vibrating between the rows of houses rising from the Isar is probably also due to the perfect setting. The musicians chose the last warm summer evening of the year to play. And they did so with so much verve and inspiring dynamism that it was transmitted directly to the 4,500 people in the audience.

This is the number of spectators that is limited this time, almost exactly 18 years after the Bananafishbones and the town band performed together on Tölzer Marktstrasse. One of the few shortcomings. At around 7.30 p.m., two young men in full traditional costumes stand disappointedly in front of the barriers just below the Winzerer monument. The duo couldn’t get any more tickets, everything was sold out. They are celebrating a stag night and would have liked to have seen the concert in front of the stage. “That’s stupid,” they both say and are forced to turn around again.

Young and old, families and groups of friends celebrate “Easy Day”

At least those who have made themselves comfortable on the benches at the Winzerer monument can listen. Everyone will enjoy “Easy Day”, as one of the most famous songs by Bananafishbones is called. This is probably one of the reasons why the musicians all manage to easily get the mixed audience – from young and old, couples and groups of friends to families with children – involved. Meanwhile, people talk, eat and drink in the cordoned-off area between the Winzerer monument and Weinhaus Schwaighofer.

An open-air party atmosphere is the order of the day this evening. The Tölzer Stadtkapelle knows how to continuously increase this atmosphere from the stage in a large formation. The formation, under the long-standing conductor Sepp Kronwitter, enlivens the audience with two medleys of Beatles– and Abba-Songs to sing along to.

Acclaimed performance by the Tölzer Stadtkapelle under the direction of Josef Kronwitter. (Photo: Harry Wolfsbauer)

Florian Rein then gives a taste of what will be the evening’s highlight to the sound of tropical Brazilian rhythms. The drummer of the Bananafishbones supports the brass band’s rhythm section with a whistle and hand rattle. He himself played in the town band for ten years and learned everything he needs to know about playing an instrument and making music, as he says.

The city band managed to create a party atmosphere under the open sky. (Photo: Harry Wolfsbauer)

Josef Kronwitter leads the Tölzer Stadtkapelle. (Photo: Harry Wolfsbauer)

But how well do Bananafishbones’ alternative rock and country and brass music really go together? More on that later. First, there’s Bananafishbones in their purest form from 8:50 p.m. For the trio consisting of Florian Rein, Sebastian and Peter Horn, this is of course a home game. The band comes from Bad Tölz and had their first performance in the Protestant community center in 1987. Bananafishbones enjoyed chart success in the late 1990s with the singles “Come to Sin” and “Easy Day.” The band will of course play the songs that evening, but they also know how to electrify the audience with punk elements. The audience celebrates just as much when Peter Horn sings Jimmy Corrigan.

Home game for the Bananafishbones in Bad Tölz. (Photo: Harry Wolfsbauer)

Florian Rein, Sebastian and Peter Horn celebrated chart success in the 1990s. (Photo: Harry Wolfsbauer)

When the brass musicians from the town band – including district administrator Sepp Niedermaier – finally appear on stage with the Bananafishbones trio for the finale, it seems as if it happens every day. A rich symphonic sound floods the market street and acts as a real emotion multiplier for the Bananafishbones songs. With “Leprosy”, which is played twice and also at the end, it builds up to a breathless Balkan polka crescendo that can be felt right down to your toes.

This is part of a total of four encores and at the end everyone should really know “how it feels to be part of the crowd”. In between, Sebastian Horn asks if they could play more slowly so that the joint performance doesn’t go by so quickly. And why not have more concerts like this on Markstrasse, he asks. I’d love to see more of them.