The Bläck Fööss can finally celebrate their 50th birthday. At the rescheduled anniversary concert, the fans experienced a musical journey through time – and a reunion of a special kind.
Cologne – The Bläck Fööss celebrated their 50th birthday in a large group on Friday evening in Cologne – two years late.
Around 7,000 fans came to the first of three anniversary concerts in the shadow of the cathedral and enthusiastically sang along to many of the songs. The band anniversary was actually in 2020, but due to the corona pandemic, the planned concerts have been postponed until now.
The Bläck Fööss took the fans on a journey through time. From old classics like “Polterovend” to carnival hits like “Mer losse d’r Dom in Kölle” to socio-political songs like “Unsere Familienbaum”, they presented a cross-section of 52 years of music history. Comedian Guido Cantz moderated the evening.
Celebrity guests
The musicians were supported by some prominent guests. BAP singer Wolfgang Niedecken, for example, sang the Fööss hit “Drink but one met”. Before founding BAP, he was inspired by the Bläck Fööss, he said. “At the time, I thought they were making music suspected of being Beatles with lyrics from Cologne,” said the 71-year-old. “Without the Bläck Fööss we would not have existed.”
There was a special jubilation in the audience when the former Fööss singer Tommy Engel (72) joined the band on stage for the first time in 28 years. He left the group in 1994 due to disagreements but is sorely missed by many older fans to this day. With Engel as frontman, the Bläck Fööss celebrated national success in the 1980s, for example with the hit “Katrin”, which Engel sang again at the anniversary concert.
The Bläck Fööss have rejuvenated significantly in recent years. Of the founding members, only singer Erry Stoklosa (74) and guitarist Günther “Bömmel” Lückerath are still there. The Cologne name “Bläck Fööss” means “bare feet” and is due to the fact that the band initially performed without shoes at carnival meetings.
The other two anniversary concerts are planned for Saturday and Sunday on Cologne’s Roncalliplatz. dpa
