The Souls at Ride on Music Gstaad

My alarm clock went off shortly before 8 am. It was going to be a sunny day and still I was thinking in this moment: Do you really want to do this? I almost wimped out. When I read about “Ride On Music”, that took place this weekend from 9-12 March, I was totally excited. The festival was sounding great, they had a fab programme with free concerts of The Souls and Red Shoes the same day. Well, I wasn’t so thrilled anymore when I read, that I had to get into a gondola to get up the mountain to the Gstaad igloo village. And to get down to the Red Shoes concert could become complicated too. I don’t even like the train to the Snowpenair much. But I gave myself a start then. The desire for sunshine, friends and good music was just bigger. So I was off to Saanemöser.

With a little distraction from friends and partly closed eyes, it worked out then. Not, that I want to do that too often. A little clumsily we were tramping from the station down to the igloo village, where the stage was standing. But yes, to follow your favourite bands ist just great. Not only you see their development and career, they take you to the greatest places. Steel blue sky, sunshine and great music – what do you want more? It was so warm up there, the sun kept blazing down on us. If winter would be always like that, I could live with it a lot better, hehe. Various bands had already played at Ride On Music. Some down in the valley, some in the middle of the slopes. Super concept, that of course mainly is made for winter sportspeople.

Next to the small igloo village, the for the event especially built snow stage was standing. The sound was super, the band was gushing after an obviously successful soundeck. They were all a little k.o by the way. The Souls only arrived back from London late the night before, where they had played some showcases with other Swiss bands. And this morning they had to be early at the valley station with all their equipment.

The closer the show time of the Souls got, the more people gathered around the stage. Some sat down into the snow, others got cosy in the red canvas chairs, that were standing in front of the stage. The meat skewers, everyone was walking around with, looked super delicious and sadly were out sold out, when I wanted to get one. But the apiritif plates with sausage, cheese and dried fruits were super delicious too. Though, would we have known that you could even get fondue there, we would probably have had one.

Not exactly in time The Souls finally started their concert around 1 pm – and this with a surprise: They played a new, still nameless song, before they continued with the usual setlist. “Live”, “Stay” or the Ryan Adams cover “Gimme Something Good” and my favourite “Ask Me” were part of it again. It was a great concert with wonderful atmosphere, in front of an unique scenery.

Even here they stood into the middle of the audience, singing their “Tandem” in the middle of the snow, only accompanied by an accoustic guitare. Michi almost had an accident jumping off the slippery snow stage. And also the festival mascotte came around then to dance in the audience. It was a concert, a day, to totally enjoy.

When the concert had ended and it became slowely cooler in the late afternoon, we sat into the gondola again direction home. The concert of Red Shoes we left out then as non-skiier or non-snowboarder. Though “California” sounded til up to the top, and we could see and hear them quickly, floating down past them in the gondola.

On our downswing we noticed, that the equipment transport of the Souls obviously hadn’t gone all smoothly. We suddendly spotted their eye sticking down in the snow. Their album logo, that was hanging in the background of the stage. They had lost it on the way down. I got confirmed though, that it was rescued and already given back to them. With this surprise and the discussion about, therefor the gondola ride was quickly over then. Haha.