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Nightmares are there to be experienced. Nightmare can become true very easily. And nightmares belong to Rock'n'Roll as well, like tonight on the way from Munich to Augsburg, where Swiss Rockers Gotthard play their very last german gig of this tour. 
Not thinking anything bad, I run off Munich to get to Augsburg within the usual 45 minutes. - Thought so... About 1,5 miles from Augsburg east, I get stuck within a terrible trafficjam due to a huge buildingsite right across the motorway. . Time is going by quickly. The supportband The Poodles are playing without me. And I'm still stuck .

Finished with my nerves I had already decided to return back as soon as I get outta this hell. It's senseless. But suddenly one car just before me gets out the line and speeds ahead on the sideshore. I decied quickly and follow straight after to the close exit - Augsburg East. A friend of mine tells me via cellphone where and how to go to get straight to the venue the shortest way I could possibly take. No parking spaces, who cares. I leave the car on a - no parking space - In the end I have arrived at the very last second and after 2 1/2 hours journey. (thats definately a case for the Guinessbook of Records). After some more hazzle on the door because of my photopass I storm the front in the middle of the first song of Gotthard. Yep, I made it and still got the endless digital time of two more songs to get my pictures. And I can manage as well to get some decent shots. Operation successful, victim is dead.  But like I said before, - I made it. 


After taking my pics I've got finally the time to look around at this place, I've never been before and is named Congresshall. Usually this is a venue for mainly classical events, I've been told, but there are exeptions. And one of those exeptions is Gotthard tonight. Why? Okay, it's simply the fact, that there are two more venues in this town. One is much too big and the other one too small for a set of the Swiss guys. This place here is the goal in the golden middle. And I guess, that there are about 1.500 to 2.000 fans tonight. It's the typical Gotthard audiance consisting off the typical blonde rockersbride with a lot of make up, and the Mr. Rock'n'Roll Universe with a wild image, but a top styling. Apart from that, I've got the feeling sometimes, I am not in Augsburg but back home in Munich, because aprox. every two minutes i spot a wellknown face in the audiance. 
Fact is, there are more girls than boys, maye also due to the swedish supportact The Poodles.


                              
                                                                                                                                   
The Poodles


And The Poodles do everything and their best on stage and off stage later on at the merch to play with their charming mentality to win the kids for them. 
Like I mentiond before unfortunately I've missed their gig due to the trafficjam on the motorway. But I remember them from last time very well, when the supported hammerfall about three quarter of year ago in Munich. And that was well done indeed. 

http://
www.poodles.se/
 

Reviewing Gotthard is getting harder everytime I see them playing. Simply because of the reason, that I've probably seen 'em too often yet. When I look at the first rows from the photopit, it somehow appears to me that Gotthard is a sort of Housewive's Rock'n'Roll Band. No, I don't mean this in a negative sense, don't worry. But this word for me combines not too hard, but also not soft Rockmusic with singalong melodies. Performed by pretty boys, who get hailed by beautiful rockladies. 

What else do you want? - Gotthard have become an institution over the years, the rockexport no.1,who's songs everybody knows more than well. It's rocking straight throught the eyes, interrupted with the usual acoustic set. And there are two encores of course. The Poodles starting a good bye joke by heading on stage half naked with signs saying: where are the showers? Because this is the last concert together in this package. 
The final song is Bob Dylan's hymn 'Mighty Quinn'.




So - what?! 
Gotthard are still a great Liveband and the living prove for commercial Rock'n'Roll. Rockmusic for everybody, without any sidesteps, neatly served on a tablet, without edges. Maybe a trace too even to be good for more surprises. But beware.... At some point this could go wrong some day, who knows.... 
I  only said - "could".....
http://www.gotthard.com/

PS: The way and getting lost again -  back from the Venue back to the motorway Autobahn (at least without jam at 3 in the morning)
I don't wanna mention anymore.... 

                                                                                        Click 
Diary for some Aftershow snapshots