"Stoppok and fellows" and the wild 13

Created: 04/10/2022 07:09

By: Andrea Schmelzle

Old and new songs, sung alone or together, and a musical journey of discovery presented (from left): Stefanie Hempel, Anne de Wolff, Iris Romen, Stefan Stoppok, Tokunbo, Jan Plewka and Ulle Rohde.

© Schmelzle

Landsberg – long since cult: For the 13th time, Stefan Stoppok invited artist friends – “fellow species” – to Lechstadt to give the audience two wonderful evenings in the almost sold-out municipal theatre.

This time he shared the stage with singer and composer Tokunbo, The Joni Project (multi-instrumentalists Stefanie Hempel, Iris Romen and Anne de Wolff), Selig singer Jan Plewka and guitarist and songwriter Ulrich (Ulle) Rode: great music, more intelligent humor and touching moments.

13 is sometimes a lucky number: "For the first time, we have managed to have this evening take place twice," says Edmund Epple, who is responsible for music at the Stadttheater, happily in his opening speech.

Saturday evening starts with two songs that Stoppok presents alone, just with guitar.

Among them (now already!) a love song for the audience, "it can't be more languishing": "I think of you when night falls in the headlights" from the song "Every Hour".

On Saturday, however, the 13 lives up to its reputation a little: When Stoppok wants to switch to the semi-acoustic guitar, the amplifier only reacts with loud hissing.

"If a technical defect occurs before the third song, it will be a wonderful evening," he says calmly and without further ado grabs the other guitar to play his song "Alles Klar".

"No crisis can shake me," it says, somehow appropriate.

He wants to know how the audience is doing.

"If you ask us, everything is clear with us," she replies with sure lyrics and singing loudly.

The ice is broken, the atmosphere is already perfect.

Time to get the first "fellows" on stage - guitarist "Ulle" Rohde and "The Joni Project" from Hamburg.

But the e-bass of the Joni bassist Iris Romen doesn't work either.

"You would switch off on YouTube now - you have to go through there," jokes Stoppok.

The audience cackles, Romen improvises and grabs the double bass.

The three musicians have teamed up in 2021 to mark the 50th anniversary of the legendary Joni Mitchell album "Blue".

In new interpretations and colorful instrumentations, they bring Mitchell's songs to the stage with their very different voices - and take the audience on a journey, leading them from a love song to "heavy folk" to the "sadest Christmas song of all time".

The next one comes: Selig singer Jan Plewka, who as a "fervent admirer" of Rio Reiser, not least accompanied by a great Ulle Rohde on the electric guitar, interprets Reiser's "Der Traum ist aus".

Strong, touching and, because it is so topical, affecting: "I dreamed the war was over."

The "last fellow" Tokunbo, actually Tokunbo Akinro, presents - carried by her velvety voice - quiet songs from her current album "Golden Days", which began in lockdown.

"I wanted to leave with music from that time that exudes confidence and hope," she says.

Goosebumps come up when Stoppok and his "fellows" sing the beautiful Reiser song "Junimond" together as the last track.

"Bye bye, it's over"?

– the enthusiastic audience doesn’t allow that yet.

All members of their species 'have' to go on stage three more times - including the repetition of the Stoppok song "Wie low can man see" - "Friends come, strangers go" - it says.

"But you don't leave as strangers," emphasizes the host as he says goodbye.

No, we are friends, somehow everything feels comfortable and familiar.

Thanks for that!