A garden party with Rea Garvey & friends? You sure wouldn’t say no to it either. But only possible at Seaside Festival in Spiez 😉 It was two days of summer, sunshine and great music. And for a few hours it really felt a Little like in a different world.
Great line up at the first festival edition
At the weekend the 1st Seaside Festival in Spiez took place, in the middle of the “most beautiful bay of Europe”. Yes, I know, not everyone agrees with the self-proclaimed title. But Spiez is really nice. If you walk down from the train station to the bay… You get such a fantastic Outlook, especially with such summery weather and steel blue sky. Would have loved to be a fly on the wall and see the reaction of the musician (especially the foreign ones) to this place 🙂
I could take place at this wonderful new festival both days. The programme trumped with a big star contingent. The first day with Hecht, Pegasus, Züri West, Rea Garvey, Emeli Sandé and Lo & Leduc was arranged especially on the younger audience. 9000 visitors came for it. Many parents brought their children. Accompanied by an adult children up to 12 years old had even free admission to the festival.
Days ahead the second day was already sold out with 10’000 visitors. At the concerts of rock legends Span, The Hooters, Manfred Mann’s Earthband, Krokus, Status Quo and yes, Trauffer (well, actually a Little legend too 🙂 ) the average Age was a little higher.
Have you noticed that the Summer Days Festival (www.summerdays.ch) in Arbon was the partner festival and took place the same weekend with even some of the same bands ? Yes, Hecht, Pegasus, Trauffer, Rea Garvey and Status Quo performed there the other day.
The festival
The Seaside Spiez was launched by the festival makers Philippe Cornu and Sacha Altermatt. The huge stage was put into Spiez’ bay into the middle of a wonderful festival area. I’ve heard that it was even the old Gurtenfestival stage that was used on the Bernese hill few years ago. That’s maybe why it was so familiar to me? Just kidding. As if I could differ stages 😉 .
But what not only I noticed, was how incredibly high the stage was. What wasn’t very great for photographers and maybe the first 2-3 rows in the audience, was a plus for everyone else: You could see to the stage very well from all over the area.
The grounds with a huge variety of food and drink stands as well as bars, reached all over the area. There were the Dockbar, the Hopfenbar or Seasidebar as well as the Campfire. At the campfire you could, like at Zermatt unplugged, broil your Cervelats on a stick over the open fire (I sadly again didn’t make it). In-between the main concerts there were also a few small concerts for entertainment. Among others Span front guy Schöre Müller was also playing in a trio.
You could get burgers, Pizza (super delicious pizza caprese, yum!), Asian or next to many more also fish & Chips. The coffee, especially the iced latte at the two stands, was great. The ice cream of “Glacenheit” was a little pricey, but incredibly delicious and cooling. Two festival days weren’t even enough to test everything. 😉
The rest of the area was super equipped as well: There were lockers and containers with proper toilets. If anyone was too hot, he could go to the outdoor Swimming pool to get refreshed. The admission was included into the festival fee.
The concerts
On early Friday afternoon the atmosphere was great already: Jolly and good-humoured, but still totally relaxed. The “die hard fans” sat down in front of the stage already right after admission to be in the very front. Though, the audience came and went from concert to concert. You could easily get into the front at any time. Others went to get themselves some shade first and got cosy. Although I have wondered earlier, whether there would be anyone around already by this time. The audience was spread well over the grounds, so you wouldn’t feel cramped.
Hecht
Zurich dialect band Hecht kicked off the very first Seaside festival and swept the audience away from the very beginning. For “Gymnastique” front guy Stefan let everyone build a gap, so four of them could get down into the audience to show their “choreography”. For “Fiji” he asked Young and old to jump along, before keyboarder Gisi played a wild solo. During “Adam+Eva” all the woman should get up on the shoulders of the men. Stefan himself also went to look for a strong man’s shoulders to be in the middle of it all. 
There were only a few quieter moments during the concert. In one of these moments the front guy was raving about the beautiful Spiez bay and started to tell about the only place that was even a little more beautiful.
Stefan was talking and telling, didn’t notice that out of a sudden the sound was completely gone and no one could hear him anymore. Only when one of the engineers came to tell him, he noticed the disruption. Obviously he still could hear himself with the in-ears. Well, so which one was this even nicer place? Well, “Brissago” 😉
For “Charlotta” the band brought everyone to their knees again, before they said goodbye to Spiez butt shaking and with “Tanze Tanze”. Hecht went on to another late concert at Badenfahrt the same evening and at Summer Days in Arbon the next day. Three Shows in such a short time? Well, they sure won’t need any gym 😉
Pegasus
Pegasus continued, who are finally touring again after the release of the new album “Beautiful Life” at the beginning of summer. They started their concert with “Digital Kids” and played next to known songs like “Raise Up”, “Streets Of My Hometown” or “Technology” even some new songs. “Fragments”, “Lost To Be Found” or the wonderful “Get Over You” can be found on the new album. 
At the end of “Get Over You” Noah, Gabriel and Stefan grabbed their acoustic instruments and a microphone to get down into the audience for “Man On Mars” and the beginning of “Skyline”. Back on stage bass player Gabriel and drummer Stefan had a drum battle before they went on with “Skyline”.
With “Last night on earth” Gäbu wanted to let the lake slop over. Well humoured especially front guy Noah did entertain between the songs with stories and comments about the band. For the new songs he had lived together with Gabriel, probably the first and last time though. He tried to get along with the Spiez audience as an YB fan. Drummer Stefan should get paired off.
Way too soon their concert came to an end with their big ballade “I Take It All”.
Züri West
Since 27 years Züri West hadn’t been in the area anymore. The more the fans of the band around Kuno Lauener were looking forward to the old, but also new hits. Their newest album “Love” was released in May.
Also happy were the two children of Kuno, he mentioned, as the Seaside Festival was their very first openair visit. So he sang for the two of them their favourite song “Fingt zGlück eim?”. For me it wasn’t the first openair, but the first Züri West concert.
Did I first believe I wouldn’t know any song of the band, there were a few in the end (yes, “you GOT to know Züri West” I got to hear often enough 😉 ). Ahead of everything else of course “I schänke dir mis Härz”; but also “Göteborg” and “I ha di gärn gha”. Relaxed the festival visitors were watching the concert, also didn’t mind to sing along.
Rea Garvey
The heart was beating a little faster until the black curtain finally fell and the colorful stage design of the Irish guy appeared. Rea Garvey, ex Reamonn frontman and The Voice Of Germany judge was happy about the performance in Spiez. If we knew how beautiful it was there and whether we might have too much of it? He was going to take the one or other mountain with him then.
I have seen Rea Garvey some years ago at Argoviafäscht and this time he was as smitten by him as back then. But not only I: He thrilled the audience with his likable way, the Irish accent and many musical facets. So he played the wonderful, calm “Candlelight”, he had written for his father. Then he turned up with the Irish folky “Can’t Say No” and also with the synthies orientated “Can’t Stand The Silence” it became a lot wilder. Besides some Reamon hits were on the setlist: “Through The Eyes Of A Child” he dedicated to two Swiss friends. “Supergirl” was written back then for his wife.
Rea’s wife had adviced him to get some confetti to let the audience go wild properly. So we got a huge confetti rain with “Saving An Angel”. His wife was right, it worked out 😉 Additionally he cheered the audience on with his stories and tellings.
Rea discovered then above the concert area some inhabitants in their garden. Only they didn’t feel addressed at the beginning and the conversation became very onesided first. Imagine, a garden party with Rea Garvey, Pegasus and Co… After Rea got the attention of the neighbour next door, also the originally addressed ones noticed him. The audience was all enthusiastic when they finally waved back.
After „Oh My Love“ Rea had to apologise. The planned and announced encore couldn’t be played. Like his father he simply kept talking too much and so Emeli Sandé would have gotten delayed. But with this friendly, fair apology after a brilliant concert, probably no one was miffed about it.
Emeli Sandé
The atmosphere became a little calmer with the concert of Emeli Sandé. The Brit, who’s actually touring with her second studio album „Long Live The Angels“, was quickly charming the audience with her beautiful, strong voice and great stage presence. For a moment you didn’t even feel like being at Spiez’ bay. It was kind of magical, almost like in a different world.
You sure know the song “Read All About it” Professor Green had released in collaboration with Emeli few years ago. Other known hits are “Next To Me”, “Beneath You’re Beautiful”, “Free” as well as “Heaven”. For two songs, one of them “Clown”, the talented musician even sat down behind the piano.
Surprisingly she ended the concert about 15min earlier than planned. She might have had problems with her voice?
Lo & Leduc
With their concert at Seaside festival not only the first festival day ended, but Lo & Leduc also celebrated their festival tour final. So there was another wild party at this late hour, which they started with “Walter” from their actual album “Ingwer & ewig”.
Next to „Damevelo“ they also played my favourites „Mond“ as well as „Bini bi dir“. Already before the show I have heard, that Manillio was seen on the grounds. He jumped then on stage with the band for “Räuber & Poli”. And everyone was holding up their “gun hands” into the air.
During band introduction Lo struggled a little with the new engineers. The small slip he simply used in his freestyle then. Therefore this time Leduc didn’t get the words from the audience, but from the camera guy on his left. The stage was simply too high to get to the audience.
For a really successful concert end and final of the 1st Seaside festival day, of course their uber-hit “Jung verdammt” couldn’t be missed.
A successful first festival day
Züri West frontman Kuno Launer said during their concert in the afternoon „the festival got something“. There were quite a few technical problems during the day, but still there was a lot more at this 1st Seaside festival day than just “it got something”. It made you wish for more and very much looking forward to the second day.
With the provided extra train everyone went off home. The STI driver in Thun seemed quite surprised and overstrained with this many Moonliner passenger (at least on this route;) ). And then he even ran out of ticket printing paper. Ooops!
About the second festival day I will tell you in a separate post 🙂
Info about the festival you can get on www.seasidefestival.ch
Info about the bands you can find here:
www.hechtimnetz.ch
www.pegasustheband.com
zueriwest.ch
www.reagarvey.com
www.emelisande.com
lo-leduc.ch
