Strolz & Razelli provided a very hollow thrill in Tyrol

Both the NEOS founder and Razzelli wore this at the start of the party, reminiscent of the similarly helmeted French duo Daft Punk. Finally, hearts and similar symbols flashed across the Strolls striker’s display built into his futuristic helmet, where one would have expected his eyes. This sets the programmatic priorities for the evening: love, healing and everything related to it.

Because this has become clear: the heroes of the two stages had been, as Strolls declared in one of his many speeches, “away for five years,” and after returning from space, they were “torn apart” by what was happening. to ground. To prove it, we delved into the pity box and also thought about the direction of Rammstein’s brutality: “I Must Win” brought primitive human needs to the stage in a not-so-subtle way, upon which Strolls – now without a helmet – was based on a mask and uniform – the hat being depicted as an unscrupulous dictator. lovable.

The claim made at the beginning of the concert that everything is love in the end would not have come true had he not moved increasingly “in the direction of love and healing.” It was on this path, which was paved with Strohl’s stories of journeys to India and the near-enlightenment, that with Life as a Breakpoint I was able for the first time to come to terms with the fact that life is not a “stopping point” but rather always continues – wherever it may be.

However, in the end, exactly where the duo wanted to go remained unclear. Rampensau Strolls’ various changes to shirts and masks did not change that, as he walked anxiously across the stage and skillfully maintained verbal exchanges with the audience. Razzelli’s beats were truly amazing, the vocals were cleverly executed and completely original. Strolz added his own voice and lyrics to it.

And this is exactly where things became uneven: at times it was reminiscent of a relatively talent-free karaoke performance, where ready-made vocal lines also played a not insignificant role. The NEOS founder rarely sings: influences sometimes make his voice almost indistinguishable and his “real” singing chops can’t always be placed within the scope of usual musical conventions, such as scales or Western harmony. This could also be described as “wrong”, but it may also be charming and amateurish.

After the current album has been almost completely consumed – among others, “Mahatma” and “What’d Love Do?” Or “Hotti Lottie at the Pool” – the audience in the rather full basement of the greenhouse was impressed: with applause and calls for an encore, the duo brought them back to the stage for two more verses. There it continued as it began: with dance music that certainly can be good, but it rarely really works.

(By Markus Stegmaier/APA)