In an empty Stadthalle

Jan Böhmermann in Vienna: witless, sapless, powerless

A political song recital with lots of slapstick, but not much subtlety or reference to Austria: Jan Böhmermann in the Wiener Stadthalle.

(Bild: Andreas Graf)

Sharp-tongued, brash and boundless - that's how German political satirist Jan Böhmermann is known on TV. But for two hours straight on a concert stage, his political song recital fails to create a comprehensible arc of suspense. It remains an ambitious but inadequate satirical piece.

Every few years, German political satirist Jan Böhmermann tours German-speaking countries with his radio dance orchestra Ehrenfeld at the beginning of the year to present his mixture of music, slapstick, satire and theater live. For the busy media professional, this is the only time of year when television does not demand his full concentration. His last rendezvous in Vienna took place almost exactly two years ago and the Gasometer Hall was sold out for weeks. Accordingly, the Böhmermann team euphorically booked themselves into the Wiener Stadthalle for this year's edition and experienced a rude awakening on Tuesday evening. Just 3700 Böhmi fans came to pay homage to their hero. All the seats and upper tiers are covered, and there are meters of space to move around in the standing sections - an almost ghostly atmosphere.

(Bild: Andreas Graf)

No arc of suspense available
The Bremen-born singer opens the evening with a stage curtain inspired by his song "Böhmermann ist schuld!". The 15-piece dance orchestra and the two backing singers are in full swing right from the start and give the opening a poppy big band feel. Böhmermann himself enters the stage shortly after the instrumental intro for his single "Faschismus Is Back", which was successfully launched in the fall, only to leave it again and again. An ongoing problem in the arc of suspense becomes apparent early on - there is simply no arc of suspense. The magnificent orchestra poaches back and forth between rap, flamenco, folklore and pop, but does not manage to convey a coherent narrative thread. What works well in individual songs with the usual political points harmonizes poorly or not at all in a concert setting.

(Bild: Andreas Graf)

Böhmermann himself seems rather exhausted and lacking in energy towards the end of his month-long tour. Neither gestures nor facial expressions can elicit much motivation from him, and the countless steep slopes that Austria's domestic politics, economy and justice system are currently offering him are hardly packaged in humorous jokes and corny jokes. He points out with surprise that even after four months without a government and opposition, the country can apparently survive without any accidents or damage to the system; he is also particularly keen to see more initiative in setting up and participating in trade unions. Otherwise, he remains surprisingly tame.

(Bild: Andreas Graf)

Circus theater revue
Two years ago, the satirist was still ranting about the Ischgl coronavirus shelter, police horses and Andreas Gabalier, but today his personal attacks can be counted on one hand. He defames former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz as Thiel's foster son, introduces himself as René Benko's probation officer, the designated ÖVP party leader Christian Stocker is briefly included in "Licht an! Licht an!" and FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl is only touched on twice. For a "political song recital", as Böhmermann likes to announce his concerts, an astonishing number of obvious match points are not utilized. Thankfully, Böhmermann dispenses with the enervating "Wienern" until the end, but the Low German humor elements are more frequent in this year's segment. Low point: the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany called "Grundi", which runs off the stage as a "Bernd, das Brot" crossover and ends the regular set in a kind of circus theater revue with a foreign shame factor.

(Bild: Andreas Graf)

Musically, the orchestra, which is beyond reproach, whips him through the set at breakneck speed. During "Herz und Faust und Zwinkerzwinker", the hood is pulled over for the first time and rapped with sunglasses and autotune, "Claus Weselsky" is a hymn to a German trade union official and during the Dirk von Lowtzow cover "Das ist die Kunst", Böhmermann is pulled towards the hall ceiling in a ballet tutu until a puppet falls down and is revived by his fellow musicians - before the real artist floats down in an angelic pose and proclaims hope. Incidentally, "God" is played over and over again from the tape to give the loose scenery a kind of funny cement - the plan fails with a crash.

(Bild: Andreas Graf)

Lots of program, few highlights
A swift sip from the water bottle - for Böhmermann "the tears of Alexander Schallenberg, which taste of remorse and hopelessness" - a few rest breaks backstage and numerous semi-funny announcements later, the lengthy program finally draws to a close. Böhmermann wants to use the free Wednesday in Vienna for excessive scooter riding in the city, but then, during the quirky "Allemagne Zero Points", he kicks into the broad cliché racket and stirs up domestic song contest resentment towards his native Germany. Quite a lot of program for quite a few highlights. Maybe it's a lack of ideas, maybe it's tiredness, maybe it's listlessness, but the main aim of a concert evening - to create a symbiosis between artist and audience - is missed by a landslide. A great name does not make a great evening.