Max Raabe delights fans with new show at Dresden's Kulturpalast

Good mood in bleak times: Singer Max Raabe remains the measure of all things in the nostalgic field for his fans. With his current program "Wer hat hier schlechte Laune?" ("Who's in a bad mood here?"), the Berliner-by-choice and his Palast Orchester got the Dresden Kulturpalast in the mood on Monday evening. While Monday demonstrators articulated their weekly displeasure with politics in the cold drizzle outside the hall, Raabe and his musicians warmed the hearts of the audience.

The show was about the big picture, Raabe told the audience, setting the mood with music from or in the style of the 1920s and early 1930s - and thus also focusing on the little things in life that should bring joy. Raabe and his swinging Palast Orchester then performed old and new songs from the band's 30-year history, including "Marie, Marie", "Es wird wieder gut", "Ein Tag wie Gold" from the series "Babylon Berlin" and, in keeping with the evening's motto, "Es ist ein guter Tag, um glücklich zu sein".

At the end, there were standing ovations and three encores, including the song from the little green cactus. Afterwards, some fans already arranged to meet again for the new tour. Because in 2025, Raabe and his orchestra reveal themselves as animal lovers in the show "Hummel streicheln", wanting to "stalk deer through the woods" and "put cookies in the kangaroo's bag" in the song of the same name. Until then, however, they will be performing in Halle (15.11.), Jena (16.11.) and Chemnitz (13. and 14.12.).

Not a nostalgia show

The trained opera singer Max Raabe has often emphasized in interviews that he does not want to offer a nostalgia show with his programmes. He once said that he considers the music of the 1920s and 1930s to be "simply very timeless and gripping in its elegance and wit". He wanted to bring this humor and repartee to the stage. This quick-wittedness, ambiguity and irony are lacking in today's pop music. He also liked the sophisticated harmony sequences of the time.

Raabe has also enjoyed great success abroad for a long time. He is a regular guest in the USA, filling prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York. In March of this year, he played there as part of a music festival about the Weimar Republic: "Fall of the Weimar Republic: Dancing on the Precipice" included various concert formats and was accompanied by exhibitions and discussion events.