Röck Döts

GOTTHARD with Hardcore Superstar

Location: Posthalle, Würzburg
Date: 11/12/2014

40 € and more are quite a lot of money for a band of Gotthard's status, which is not as big outside of their native Switzerland and Germany. If they do not at least offer their audience something special in the form of special show elements or the like, or not at least boast one or another internationally recognized hit, has yet to explain what justifies the high price. Gotthard today have nothing of it, play only a routine set, and there are some weaknesses that make it even worse.

Hardcore Superstar from Sweden start the evening and do their job despite the stylistic outliers, representing their music this evening. Although the riff-ladden glam metal always sounds the same somehow, the performance of the band is exciting enough Hits like "Last Call For Alcohol" or "We Don't Celebrate Sundays" are recieved just fine, at least from a part of the audience.
The experienced visitors of rock concerts often has a hard time at a Gotthard gig. It is not easy to accept the expected stylistic breadth, including the somehow always immediately recognizable event audience that has not heard of concert netiquette and heavy metal, on the other hand also to demand what they are here for: Hard Rock. Gotthard begin their concert in an appealing way and offer good songs in the first 20 minutes. "Sister Moon," "Bang" and "Ride On" let the rock fan hope for an exciting evening, thanks to the persuasive, friendly-specific appearance of the new singer Nic Maeder. However Gotthard then commit a cardinal sin after another.
One thing is clear: Anyone who visits a Gotthard concert knows that he must deal with some ballads. The density and penetrance the band is serveing the evening with ballads is, however, hard to bear and boring for some very long minutes. The band does ignore rarely played gems such as "Let It Be" and play "Heaven", "One Life One Soul", "C'est la Vie" and another similar songs, thousand times heard for most parts. Who thought the band would get back to action after the seemingly endless first ballad part is disappointed, Gotthard switch back and carry forward some acoustic performances (and "present" is really the right word), they dedicate to the late Steve Lee, which makes it a bit easier to bare...no, not really. Keyboard and drum solo both prove that the band rather work in the collective (Gotthard do ot have Jon Lord or Neil Peart). Wen Leo Leonie and Freddy Sherer play some famous riffs the audience is asked to sing along to, things start to get even worse. The idea to bring drunken concert goers on stage during "Starlight" also proves to be suboptimal: The longer the song, the harder it is to look to the stage and to endure the misery. Gotthard are just not the Suicidal Tendencies. Awkward moment.
After all: Gotthard every now and again try to make some ground. Noteworthy: Amongst the harder songs the Deep Purple cover "Hush" is received best, "Lift U Up" at the end is at least a bit of fun, adding "Thank You" as an ecnore is a classic own goal. 10 minutes recitative sleep music, just as if there had not been enough of just that today. The complete concert Gotthard play with five alternating light lamps, atmosphere through lighting is not a single second availabe. This is no advertising for a good rock show. Probably Gotthard have exactly served their audience. Despite some bright spots, I will accept that I seem to no longer belong.