The brilliant speed that the hockey players from the Netherlands and Germany showed when they met on the blue synthetic surface in the Sparkassenpark was seamlessly recorded by the Hermes House Band. She also made a guest appearance at “Hockey meets Music” in the stadium and with fast rhythms and a groovy sound she further heated up the already good atmosphere in the stadium’s glowing furnace.
During the half-time break, the musicians tried to comfort their Dutch compatriots, who were already hopelessly trailing 0:3. “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor was intended to serve as a pick-me-up for the players, then became the dance and gossip spectacle of the high-spirited visitors in the stands. The will to survive of the hockey players from the neighboring country was not significantly strengthened, unlike the cohesion of the audience. Torsten Knippertz, aka Knippi, as the stadium announcer in Borussia Park, had no trouble motivating people in the Sparkasse Park to one La Ola wave after the other. The short performance during the break was followed by the actual short concert by the Hermes House Band after the final whistle of the game and before the next game.
Even if the Dutch pop group tried their best, they didn’t stand a chance against the thirsty and enthusiastic fans of the German team. They left the stadium in droves, while the musicians tried to keep the party atmosphere high on the almost empty grandstands with their cover versions. Whether with “Amarillo”, “Those were the Days”, “Ciao bello”, “Que Sera” or “Ring of Fire” – the band banged on the makeshift stage in the grandstand while the visitors of the hockey park refreshed themselves or quite that wide. “I’m only here because of the German game,” admitted a spectator from Erkelenz frankly. “The music doesn’t interest me.” Like a young couple from Krefeld, he was impressed by the atmosphere in the stadium and in the surrounding area: “Quiet, informal, a festival for young and old.”
At the same time a festival to touch: The players of the German women’s national team wrote autographs diligently. Many children took the opportunity to have their picture taken with the German men’s World Cup. “That’s how you create closeness and win new fans,” said the father from Mönchengladbach, who patiently queued up with the offspring to get close to the cup. The atmospheric music of the Hermes House Band played in the background. Visitors rocked and hummed to it while chatting or cooling off in the shade. Only with the final “Country Roads” did the attention outside of the stadium increase again. With their cover version of John Denver’s catchy tune, the band had their breakthrough in the German-speaking world in the 80s. But this time it wasn’t enough for a breakthrough in the sense that hockey fans stormed the stands in droves again. At “Hockey meets Music” the music faded into the background. The musicians from the Netherlands didn’t show their supporting role. They still won – unlike the Dutch players. The show put on by the Hermes House Band definitely whetted the appetite for this band’s next performance.
#Concert #European #Hockey #Championships #Mönchengladbach #Hermes #House #Band
