Travis in Berlin

So, on Friday we went to see Seeed, who are an awesome reggae/hip-hop band and Berlin natives. They were welcomed home in open arms and sold out three amphitheater-sized shows in a matter of days. The show was epic, with a massive stage, costumes, set-changes and some of the most kick-ass reggae/dancehall music this side of Kingston.

This is one of many live shows I've gone to in the past month (I saw New Zealand's own The Black Seeds twice). And I've come to another cultural observation about Germans: They love going out to concerts and will do about anything the band tells them too. Like when the lead singer says "put your hands in the air!" no one is "too cool" as in America to get involved. They love to clap along, even the ones with no rhythm. They also love to buy merchandise and dance their white guy 80s moves. This is absolutely wonderful for a band, but I couldn't help thinking...

These Germans will do anything for a good showman with a microphone. Give a man a stage and a Sennheiser and the crowd wave their hands just as Simon says. It made perfect sense all of a sudden how Hitler brainwashed them all some 70 odd years ago.

Labels: Berlin, Germany, seeed, the black seeds, travel