Eisheilige Nacht 2025 in Oberhausen
Oberhausen, Turbinenhalle, Germany, December 19th 2025
By now it has become a cherished tradition: At the turn of the year, Subway to Sally invite everyone to the Eisheilige Nacht event. As always, they are supported by a considerable number of other bands. And as everyone knows, one should not break with beloved traditions.
Thus in 2025, the Eisheilige Nacht takes place once again at the Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen. The opening act is Haggefugg, who had completely passed me by up to this point. Not being familiar with a band’s songs is never ideal. Nevertheless, the six-piece manages to draw me in very quickly. The reasons: catchy hooklines, infectious joy of performing, and an unusual instrumentation featuring guitar, bass, drums, and no fewer than two bagpipes. The audience response is accordingly positive. I wouldn’t be surprised if this band were to replace the established but greying heroes of the medieval rock scene one day.
The following act, Kupfergold, are somehow… different. Visually striking, musically low on highlights, and lyrically heavily leaning toward slapstick. This fits with their announcement that they do not take themselves seriously at all. That is obviously true, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s not my cup of tea at all. Quite a few people see it differently, however, and are clearly having fun. The final ‚Es ist Obst im Haus‘ is then well and truly knee-deep in tomfoolery. The Turbinenhalle doesn’t mind and rewards it with plenty of applause.
Anyone who hasn’t followed Schandmaul for a while may be wondering who the brown-curled youngster at the microphone might be. The answer is given by former singer Thomas: “For health reasons I can no longer sing, so please welcome Till Herence!” And Oberhausen does just that! Till comes across as if he has been in the band forever. No trace of shyness or restraint—just vocal power and pure entertainment. A strong start! And Thomas? He now reaches more often for the acoustic guitar or the keyboard, or takes on the role of audience motivator.
It’s no wonder, then, that the Turbinenhalle is wax in the band’s hand from the very first second. Even the fact that the setlist mainly focuses on newer songs doesn’t change that. This can sometimes be a risky move, but today it works out. The first highlight is ‚Tatzelwurm‘, during which two chosen ones surf over the crowd on inflated crocodiles. The next highlight: ‚Bunt statt Braun‘, which Till introduces with a strong statement against hate and agitation before singing in the audience while waving a rainbow flag. But of course, none of this compares to the grand finale: ‚Dein Anblick‘, as always sung along with great vocal force, followed by ‚Knüppel aus dem Sack‘ and ‚Walpurgisnacht‘, which bring a strong performance to a close.
After Subway to Sally faltered somewhat with “Schwarz in Schwarz” and “Hey!”, they made an impressive comeback with “Himmelfahrt”. The current album “Post Mortem” even raises the bar further. Singer Eric Fish explains that the release of the latest album was anything but a given: “After ‘Himmelfahrt’ we considered calling it quits. But those declared dead live longer!” The audience is, of course, delighted and celebrates a total of six songs from the two most recent albums as if they had been on the playlist for decades.
Speaking of decades: Subway to Sally have now been active for over 30 years, and it is naturally difficult to create a setlist that equally satisfies all tastes and all phases of the band. They nevertheless manage the balancing act between new material, classics, and a few songs that haven’t been on the setlist for a long time. The latter is handled through two medleys: the first consists of folky works from the early phase and is performed on acoustic instruments only in the style of the “Nackt” unplugged tour. This is followed by the second medley, which mainly covers the metallic phase of the 2000s.
All of this is presented in a visually impressive way with plenty of smoke, fire, and sparks. The highlight comes toward the end of the show, when STS first perform the joint song ‚Räuber und Narren‘ together with Schandmaul, before inviting the musicians from the other two bands on stage as well for the final ‚Veitstanz‘. After that, it’s over for the moment—until three more songs are played as an encore and, finally, 5,000 people sway blissful and exhausted into the night, already looking forward to the next year at the same venue.
Setlist Subway to Sally:
Phoenix
Wunder
Leinen Los
Was ihr wollt
Kleid aus Rosen
Auf dem Hügel
Folk-Medley: Sag dem Teufel, Ohne Liebe, Tanz auf dem Vulkan
Metal-Medley: Henkersbraut, Knochenschiff, Falscher Heiland
Post Mortem
Eisblumen
Räuber & Narren (mit Schandmaul)
Veitstanz (mit allen Bands)
Zugabe:
Wenn Engel hassen
Sieben
Julia und die Räuber
