On 8 March 2024 the time had finally come: the cult dialect band Plüsch was back on Swiss stages after a break of over 11 years, and their opening concert took place at the legendary Mühle Hunziken in Rubigen. I was quick enough to buy tickets for the first of three Mühli shows. I also had seen great gigs at Kofmehl Solothurn and at the end of the tour at Schüür Luzern.
A journey through the Plüsch hits
Old interview clips were shown on small screens on the stage, adding to the anticipation in the three-storey venue. Then the concert started with one of my personal favorites, the rousing “Ufo”, which triggered a real musical explosion:
“… Du stürsch üses Ufo a jedem schwarze Loch verbi. I weiss genau, i weiss genau, dass i bi dir sicher bi, so sicher wi du chasch si, dass i mir sicher bi, so sicher, so sicher bi…”
The atmosphere was great right from the start and you could immediately feel that the fans had been eagerly awaiting this return all these years. There were goosebumps from the very first second. From the first to the last note, every single concert visitor in the concert venue sang along to every single word. The energy was incredible, overwhelming and beautiful.
Incidentally, Plüsch had encoded their set list, which was on the edge of the stage, with emojis as a precaution so that the front rows could also be surprised. People from there always like to keep an eye on the program. Can you find the mistake in the setlist?
A look back: the history of Plüsch
Plüsch is a band that has been delighting audiences for decades with their unmistakable Swiss dialect and catchy pop/rock melodies. The band was founded in 1997 by Andreas “Ritschi” Ritschard, Roger “Röschel” Meier and Andreas “Hunzi” Hunziker, who knew each other from their school days. Bassist Simon Ryf and drummer Alexander “Bali” Balajew joined later. Originally they started with cover versions, but soon ventured into their own songs, which earned them a record deal with Sony thanks to a 2-song demo tape. They made their breakthrough with their self-proclaimed debut album “Plüsch”. They were played on and off the radios and won a number of awards.
But after 2012, the band went quiet. In recent years, Ritschi has been successfully touring solo, Simi has played bass in the Lucerne rock band Dada Ante Portas and Bali joined the Bernese dialect troubadours Troubas Kater, who are no longer unknown. Also dialect at its finest, but Plüsch is just Plüsch. And Plüsch is cult.
Encore
When Plüsch posted an encore post on Instagram on 18 June 2023, it was probably not just me who had a heart attack and made big eyes. It was clear that something was coming. Just what? New music? New tour? All of it? A few days later, the solution was announced with a 10-concert tour across German-speaking Switzerland.
About two years earlier, when the band was thinking in the rehearsal room that they could play 1-2 concerts in the Bern area again, they didn’t think that so many people throughout Switzerland would be interested in what they were doing. This resulted in a tour with 10 shows, of which the three concerts in the Mühli Hunziken were sold out immediately and the rest of the tour was sold out within 8 weeks.
A friend of mine told me how she used to sit on her father’s shoulders at the plush concert when she was 6 years old. What a flashback for her to see Plüsch live again. Many in the audience had such flashbacks, but so did the band itself.
A significant comeback: the concert at Mühle Hunziken
The concert at the Mühle Hunziken in Rubigen was a home game for the dialect band from the canton of Bern, Interlaken to be precise, and a very special event for both band and fans. The unique atmosphere of the venue underlined the band’s cult status.
Plüsch didn’t bring any new songs with them, even though Ritschi tried to fool us into thinking that there might be a new one after all. In the end, there was simply a good mix of their four albums “Plüsch”, “Sidefiin”, “Früsch gwäsche” and “Eile mit Weile”, released between 2002 and 2012. With songs such as “Irgendeinisch”, “Popcornwestern” or “Jede Tag (u jedi Nacht)”, Plüsch wanted to travel back in time with their fans and enjoy all the nostalgia that was created. They succeeded perfectly and that was all they really needed.
Miracles happen
Wunder passiere u i gloube dra, dass es irgendwenn für mi es wunder git. Wenni d′Hoffnig nie verliere u immer witer ga, bini sicher es isch o für mi emal so wiit…
Yes, miracles happen. Plüsch are back. It was such an incredibly nice feeling to stand in the Mühli, to be carried away by “Bumerang” or the aforementioned song and to sing along to the best-known songs. Admittedly, I – and obviously a few other people – didn’t quite have 2-3 songs on the screen. As a result, however, “Meilestei” has become one of my new favorites.
Ritschi was Ritschi as always – and led through the concert with a lot of humor. At least when he wasn’t ailing, as he was in the second concert we saw in Solothurn, and his voice wasn’t in a bad way. At this first concert in the Mühli, he understandably seemed visibly more nervous and excited than usual. Listening to him recount his memories and stories in detail was once again super entertaining. His mischievousness is simply breathing down his neck and his mischievous grin is infectious. The story about “Liebesspiel” in the Mühli was incredibly detailed and funny. The story actually happened to one of the band members, Ritschi revealed. But he didn’t say who exactly.
The magic of music and the power of the audience
During their medley, which included hits such as “Pfäfferland”, “Natur” and the Rumpelstilz cover “Teddybär”, it became clear why Plüsch has such a loyal fan base. Plüsch skillfully unite generations and manage to touch and enthrall their audience. There were also wonderfully magical moments, such as when Ritschi, standing in the spotlight, accompanied only by Hunzi on the piano, began “Schutzengel” or when the encore with “Schöne Momente” was rung in later. Moist eyes were unavoidable.
Only during “Heimweh” did Ritschi sometimes get het up a little too much during the tour, as soon as the song started and the cell phones shot up. In any case, he confessed this at the end of the tour in the Schüür Luzern. He asked the audience to enjoy the song instead of filming it. Well, he was right. Of course, this wasn’t nearly as extreme around 11 years ago, and cell phone cameras were even lower quality and less widespread back then. But “Heimweh”, somehow the unofficial Swiss national anthem of our country, is still a favorite song for many and after so many years, everyone wants to take a piece of the memory home with them.
With “Heimweh”, however, Plüsch went one better. Everyone sang along from A to Z, beaming with joy and from the bottom of their hearts. At the end of the tour in Lucerne, Ritschi finally admitted that it was really overwhelming to hear “Heimweh” being sung at the top of the voice every time someone was sent to the bench at a field hockey match in the ice rink.
Ein triumphaler Abschluss
The unforgettable “Häbs guet”, 2002 soundtrack of the film “Stuart Little 2”, led to a fantastic finale that left the audience with a warm feeling in their hearts. The spring shows were a complete success. The magic of the music and the energy of the audience carried the band through every performance.
Incidentally, anyone who thinks that every show was the same is mistaken. The setlist yes. But the interactions changed. The audience was different every time. Some of the stories and narratives were changed and told either longer or shorter. In Lucerne, it was also clear to see that the band had become more attuned and relaxed with each concert. Everyone really came out of their shell and had fun. At the end of the tour in the Schüür Luzern, the fellow musicians from Dada Ante Portas were also present, with whom Ritschi was obviously flirting diligently over the heads of the audience.
Looking forward to the next round and a look into the future
The reunion with Plüsch was not just an ordinary concert, but a journey into the past full of nostalgia and wonderful memories. You could feel the connection between the band and the audience at every moment. The anticipation for the upcoming festival shows and the tour extension in the fall is therefore huge:
31.05.2024 STF 2024, Kallnach
20.06.2024 Sounds Of Glarus, Glarus
26.07.2024 Etziken Openair, Etziken
27.07.2024 Vaduz Sounds, LI-Vaduz
07.08.2024 Heitere Magic Nights, Zofingen
10.08.2024 Stars In Town, Schaffhausen
17.08.2024 H2U Openair, Uster
30.08.2024 Summerdays Arbon
31.08.2024 Seaside Festival, Spiez
07.11.2024 Volkshaus, Zürich
09.11.2024 Volkshaus, Basel
22.11.2024 Chollerhalle, Zug
23.11.2024 Bierhübeli, Bern
The only thing that breaks my heart a little is that Plush will be over again at the end of the year. One only hopes that this year’s tour will be so much fun and enjoyable for them that they might change their minds by the end of the year…
You can find information about Plüsch on their official website:
www.pluesch.ch
