BAP

In the organizer's words:

For more than 40 years, Wolfgang Niedecken's BAP has been a true rock institution in the German music scene - as well as an inexplicable phenomenon. The band thrills fans all over Germany and even in German-speaking countries far beyond the borders of the Rhineland. They celebrate successes that were not thought possible, astonish the media and critics and, as a matter of course, overturn many a golden rule of the music business.In the early 1980s , they were "pop stars of almost unbelievable greatness" (Rolling Stone / 2023) and their songs had a lasting impact on people's musical tastes, especially in this decade. Hits such as "Verdamp lang her", "Kristallnaach" and, of course, "Do kanns Zaubere" burn themselves irrevocably into the ears and hearts of their fans. In 2024, BAP will embark on a musical TIME TRAVEL, where they will play all the songs from the two double platinum albums from 81/82, with which they became nationally known and which have been at the top of fans' wish lists ever since, as part of the tour of the same name through Germany, Switzerland and the Benelux countries.

Since BAP made it to the top of the charts with their third longplayer "Für Usszeschnigge" (1981) and thus achieved their national breakthrough, their songs have spread like wildfire - playing just as hotly on stations in the deep south and on the coast as in their home country. The stories that the charismatic singer and frontman Wolfgang Niedecken tells with his warm, smoky voice are taken from life, authentic and close. The genius of his songwriting is evident in the fact that for decades they have struck a chord with the times and, in the 1980s, especially with people's longing for moral reorientation. At the same time, they are captivatingly timeless. The rock band from the Rhine did not avoid difficult topics - it is all the more significant that, contrary to all the predictions of the music label at the time, it was the song "Verdamp lang her" that got everything rolling, as it tells the deeply sad story of the conversation that never took place between Niedecken and his deceased father. But the fact that he doesn't just scratch the surface, but goes deep into it, touches people and triggers a veritable avalanche of enthusiasm that not only fuels his stellar musical career, but continues to this day.

With more than 30 top ten albums, twelve of which have reached number one in the German charts and are sometimes holding hands at the top of the charts, sales records have been broken and numerous precious metals collected. Their musical influence, especially in the early years, is enormous, and their politically committed, socially relevant and often highly emotional songs are still regarded as legendary milestones. The band, which has existed since 1976, has been playing nationwide for 42 years - uninterruptedly and tirelessly in front of tens of thousands of people who not only know how to sing along to the choruses. As if the whole of Germany was born in Cologne. They play until the fans can't take any more - it's no coincidence that the longest BAP gig of all time lasted an impressive four hours and eight minutes (1984 at the Sartory).

The ZEITREISE 81/82 tour the following year continued the idea that developed during the SCHLIESSLICH UNENDLICH tour for the last album ALLES FLIESST. Although an above-average number of new songs were played on this tour, there were also some rarities - songs that had not been on the setlist for more than 30 years. The reaction of the audience was phenomenal. The band had not expected such an overwhelming response. So it was only natural that Niedecken gave more and more space to the idea of playing a few concerts exclusively with the songs from these two breakthrough albums and the five previously unreleased songs from the live album "Bess demnähx" that followed in 1983.

If you take a closer look at these two career-defining million-sellers, you get an idea of why they were so hugely successful: The thematic breadth of the song lyrics is enormous and their multifaceted nature reflects everything that moved young people at the time. The generation of the time was searching for newly defined values, a new self-confidence and independence. It was a time of peace movements, anti-nuclear activists and a new musical direction - one in which the songs of BAP played a key role. And so, of course, the ZEITREISE 81/82 - Tour 2024 will also reflect this wide range, because all the songs from this era will definitely be played. Even those that have never been on a setlist before. For example, "Fuhl ahm Strand" and "Koot vüür Aach". Of course, the essential BAP classics "Kristallnaach", "Müslimän", "Jraaduss", "Waschsalon" and "Frau, ich freu mich" are not to be missed.

The new arrangements of the songs, which have been made carefully and with all due respect, ensure that they meet the demands of contemporary tour productions. And yet they will lose none of their original magic and impact - for Wolfgang Niedecken it was a top priority to preserve the soul and quintessence of those very songs that for so many people are the soundtrack of the eighties, irrevocably linked to their very personal, formative experiences, feelings and also historical events. Although none of the songs played on the tour will be more than 40 years old, there is no danger of BAP running out of repertoire. If necessary, they will fall back on material from their first two albums. For example, "Anna", "Ne schöne Jrooß" and "Stell dir vüür".

With the last tickets for the four Heimspiel concerts for the 2024 tour sold in record time, it is clear that the initially perhaps somewhat daring idea for the ZEITREISE 81/82 - Tour 2024 is once again hitting the nerve of the times. The four dates in December 2023 will not take place in the Sartory Halls in Cologne by chance - but because this is where most of BAP's Cologne performances took place between 1980 and 1984. So if you are not one of the lucky ticket holders, you will have the chance to attend one of the 29 concerts on the tour next year.

Further information at www.wunderino-arena.de