Sunshine, clear blue sky, at least in the afternoon my new winter jacket is way too warm. The many paragliders are circling the sky. Again this year, young and old are gliding over the ice rink of the Ice Magic right in front of the concert area. If you don’t like ice skating, just sit down in the cozy, traditionally decorated restaurant area and have a good time. Including heating lamps, although nobody is freezing this afternoon.
A little further on, the “2022” ice sculpture is emblazoned in front of the Victoria Jungfrau Hotel and drips in the sun. Patiently endures the many photos and selfies. The alphorn players are also back on site. There is mulled wine, raclette and alpine macaroni as well as a lot more food at the various stands spread across the area. You can see smiling faces everywhere. Will someone pinch me?! After 2 years we are starting the new year again with the “Touch The Mountains” in Interlaken. After around 2 years of pandemic and the cancellation last year, I can hardly put into words what that means to me! And we couldn’t have a more beautiful day.
Fewer visitors, but great atmospher
This year, Touch The Mountains is limited to 10,000 people (instead of around 30,000 visitors) with 3G certificates due to the pandemic. The site is therefore limited by around 1000 meters of construction site fence. But this did not dampen the mood. Not today, on this great day. I think not only I am fidgety and hyped on this first day of the year.
Well, maybe New Year’s Eve is having an effect on one or the other, to be more precise the Prosecco, isn’t it Dabu? But maybe everyone else just can’t believe it as much as I do that we traditionally start the New Year in Interlaken on 1st January with “Touch The Mountains” again. Some on stage, others in front of it. The music lineup with Dabu Fantastic, Dodo and Lo & Leduc promises a lot of fun – including one or two surprises.
A village festival in the middle of the city
Zurich ‘Cowboys’ Dabu Fantastic open the musical afternoon in In Interlaken with “Jeans” and celebrate a village festival in the middle of the city for the New Year. With “Miin Ort” it gets really cozy. The sun is shining and the whole band is clearly enjoying being on stage.
Unfortunately, technician Aaron accidentally spills Dabu‘s Prosecco after just a few songs. Whereupon Dabu thinks that it is impossible to be suddenly “unprosecct”. Fortunately, the problem is quickly resolved and a new glass is ready. Bandmate DJ Arts also takes a quick sip before he and Dabu take us back to the 90s and show us what hip-hop and dancing was like back then. “Die deet?!?” Greetings from Fanta4. Their sense of humor is liked.
Dabu takes a bath in the crowd. He quickly visits the bar at the back. Even more “drinks”? Yes, of course. But then it can happen that the lead singer suddenly lies in the middle of the crowd and wants a rose hip tea.
Dabu Fantastic are definitely enthusiastic about their first concert appearance of the year and their audience, who not only sing along to “Vo vor” or their hit “Angelina”. The Interlaken audience is not at all “Hässlich”( ugly) or stupid. After all, everyone knows the lyrics. Funny what you can deduce from lyrics 😉
At the end there is a little homage to the sun as well as my personal anthem of the day: Dabu Fantastic’s “Wenn’s mir wieder guet gaht” (When I’m fine again). Yes, today I am – I think all of us – doing particularly well. Especially after the whole 6-piece band stands at the edge of the stage for an accappella serenade to finish – so easy when Dabu Fantastic are there 🙂
A Zurich man in the Bernese Oberland
As you know him, in a brightly colored suit, (orange) hat and with a big smile on his face, after a short break Dodo starts his show together with DJ, the two background singers Dana and Valery and special guest Rita Roof.
“The Minister of Good Vibes” is currently touring the country with his number 1 album “Pass”. After saying goodbye to his Zurich Pfingstweid studio, Dodo actually wanted to travel around the world with his mobile container recording studio to write songs from spring 2020. However, the current pandemic thwarted his plans. Dodo ended up with the converted shipping container on the Swiss Grimsel Pass.
Unfortunately, the “Zürimaa” had a few technical problems right from the start. As annoying as that is, he doesn’t let his good mood spoil. Always with an optimistic word or a few positive lyric lines (“Heb dure” or “Hör nöd uf”), he seeks closeness to the audience. A dance here and there and jumping in the crowd keeps everyone warm. The front row is always there to help – hold the microphone or thank the audience directly on his behalf.
The good mood beats and melodies are contagious. With his hit “Hippiebus” including a short “We will rock you” insert, Dodo celebrates his personal Freddie Mercury moment. Then the musician tells about “Helga”, performs his “Sing my Song” cover “Fudi” by Tashan and shows that the young Swiss are just as ready. For “Nume d’Liebi” Little J skilfully whirls around the stage with the Zurich musician.
Finally, Dodo receives personal support from Dabu Fantastic front man, Dabu Bucher, for the joint song “Brütigam”. What a party!
All good things come in three
All good things come in threes, they say – even if the following duo sings in the song “Chileli vo Wasse”, a third time isn’t necessary 😉 So Lo & Leduc end the festival as the third and last act of “Touch The Mountains” 2022. For the third time (see 2015, 2020, 2022) this early evening the dialect duo and band are guests at the Interlaken New Years event. But they assure they would also come a 4th time.
Well, maybe they should have applied the three rules to the guitarist line-up too?! Because of the bad “C” (we don’t want to pronounce it today), not only does their actual guitarist Jonas sit in isolation that evening, but also his replacement. What, no guitarist? This is not possible at all? Yes, somehow thanks to modern technology and Luc‘s humor, Jonas is also a little part of this evening. Oh yes, the nine band members let everyone smile again this time and put more than a catchy tune into your ears.
“Lug wie mir flüge” (See how we fly): This is how the last part of this year’s Touch The Mountains program flies by in no time. In the 7 years since their first performance at Touch The Mountains, a number of hits have accumulated: In addition to “Bini bi dir” (one of my faves), about “Snooze” (my actually not quite ideal morning alarm clock 😉 ), “All die Büecher”, “079” or of course “Jung verdammt” we get a foretaste of the new album with “Rosé & Benzin ”or“ Wär simer wemer säge mir ”. Which means that Lo & Leduc bring along great news to the beginning of the year: The new album will already be released on 18th February!
A good omen?
I hope today is a good omen for the 364 days to come. May the short-time work finally come to an end and the event industry can work properly and flourish again. May the Touch The Mountains take place again in the original framework (without fences, certificates and restrictions) from 2023. To many concerts and events in 2022 (after all, I’ve seen more shows in 2021 than in 2020 already) ❤️
And thanks to Dabu Fantastic, Dodo and Lo & Leduc, thanks to the Touch The Mountains organizers, we are starting the new year with a lot of positive energy.
Information about the event: www.touchthemountains.ch
Information about the bands:
www.dabufantastic.ch
www.dodomusic.ch
www.lo-leduc.ch
