Fiddler´s Green & The Manky Melters @ Westpark Ingolstadt

12.12.2024, Ingolstadt, Germany

Click here for the photo gallery!

In the middle of an industrial area, between large stores, cinemas and casinos, the fans of Fiddler’s Green found a nearly hidden entrance – to the Westpark event hall. Small and cozy, that’s how the hall presented itself,and it was served – at least some of those present were visibly very ready for the show.

The audience was very mixed on this evening, though the older crowd definitely had the upper hand – and this was reflected in the atmosphere. Less ecstatic and loud or rocking, but rather dignified and with a reduced urge to move.

The French band THE MANKY MELTERS opened the evening – and set off a firework display of good vibes and energy. Any other audience would have been in a dancing mood straight away, but here it took quite a while and you could almost have thought the audience had been overrun by the energy.

The band’s choice of songs was well thought out, the audience had to join in, there was something instrumental (during which singer Giada simply strolled through the audience swaying back and forth), something old (i.e. a cover) and a few original songs. For me it was an all-round successful performance, everything was just right – musically, vocally, everyone on stage had so much fun. Gladly again! And that’s exactly what many people in the audience thought and said, even if you couldn’t quite see it so clearly during the performance.

After a changeover break, the show continued on the comparatively small stage (compared to the first part of the tour) with FIDDLER`S GREEN. After the first part of The Green Machine Tour was a complete success, the band took to the stage again in winter – albeit largely in smaller venues and with a slightly different set list compared to part 1.

Here, too, they accelerated from 0 to 100, with the opener “Shanghaied in Portsmouth”, followed by the newly added “The More the Merrier” (to the delight of some, judging by the beaming faces) and the must-have for the start of every concert evening: “Perfect Gang” simply is about what you want, should, will – or however you want to put it – experience together that evening.

Where I had already hoped for it to happen in the first tour block and was left disappointed, now it was actually happening: the perfect combination for me of “My fairy of the west” and “Ready for the ball” finally came to stage. The two songs fit together perfectly and also worked really well live as a somewhat calmer interlude before the rocking continued.

It was impossible to imagine the set list without the 3-piece solo, in which drummer Frank Jooss, who was back on stage after recovering from a broken arm, multi-talent Stefan Klug and violinist Tobi Heindl showed how melodious and thoughtful can turn into wonderfully danceable and rousing. Tobi’s solo on the ladder, in the middle of the crowd, was also rousing, even if the crowd in the circle pit around him could definitely have been expanded and used some more temper.

Everyone who was part of it visibly had fun and that’s what counts. What was a shame, however, was that the rest of the band didn’t join the crowd and play as before. This has always been something of an absolute merging of band and audience and that’s exactly what Fiddler’s Green are all about – their closeness to the fans and easily being able to transfer the the spark from stage to audience.

One last surprise in the varied set was…a Christmas song, as there were only 12 days to go until the festive season, so it was definitely something to do. But don’t worry, it wasn’t “Last Christmas” or “All I want for Christmas”, even if that would have been entertaining – no, it was “Rudolph, the red-nosed Reindeer”. A song that the band around Albi had already immortalized on CD. Many people didn’t know the version and their eyes widened – just like at Christmas.

All in all, once again a very successful evening with the two bands – no matter how often you see Fiddler’s Green, it never gets boring, simply because the band is exactly who they are on stage. And you never quite know what’s going to happen.

So if you still have time over the next few days: 19.12. Darmstadt, 20.12. Saarbrücken and tour finale on 21.12. in Tübingen. Buy your tickets and have an early Christmas!

 

Setlist The Manky Melters
Adrift
YOLO
Par dessus bord
Star of the county down
Gin´s my sin
This wandering day
Shenanigans
Yee Haa
Guiness Boys
Bro Hymn

Setlist Fiddler´s Green
Shanghaied in Portsmouth
The More the Merrier
Perfect Gang
A Night in Dublin
Down
My Fairy of the West
Ready for the Ball
Greens and Fellows
Tobi Solo
I Need a Volunteer
Bottoms Up
A Good Old Irish Bar
A Fleecy Cloud
The Bog
Yindy
Victor and His Demons
One Fine Day
Folk’s Not Dead
—–
The Galway Girl
Rudolph, the red-nosed Reindeer
—–
The Wild Rover