The doctors at Rock am Ring 2019
Photo: Dieter Jacob. All rights reserved.
Die Ärzte concerts are sometimes like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get. And the self-proclaimed “Best Band in the World” also caused surprises at their gig in Vienna on Tuesday evening (29 August). Because instead of the hits, Farin, Rod and Bela also brought many old songs, songs that had never been played live and B-sides to the stage.
The doctors give a cross-section of 40 years of band history
As part of their “Autumn of Life” tour, Die Ärzte were drawn to Austria, where they performed in the sold-out Vienna Arena. There was also the usual nonsense and jokes of the band. But that’s not all, because the extensive set list of 39 songs had more rare songs to offer than well-known hits like “Westerland” or “Lasse redn”.
Right at the start, Die Ärzte belted out “Who loses, has already lost” in the fans’ ears, which was performed live for the first time. The rest of the set was then a colorful mixed potpourri from 40 years of band history. These included “Trick 17 MS”, which was first heard on PLANET PUNK in 1995. Also “Banane”, from the same album, was performed in Vienna. “Einschlag” and “Leben vor dem Tod” also made it into the track list as further live premieres. Both songs are included on the 2021 album DUNKEL.
As an encore, even Farin Urlaub admitted that the choice of songs was probably unusual for many in the audience: “We expect a lot from you on this evening with the unusual set list: a lot of stuff that has never been played before and few hits”. As usual, however, Die Ärzte said goodbye to the audience with “Good night”.
On August 30th, Die Ärzte will play again in Vienna. After that, the trio will go to Offenbach, where they will be in the Stadthalle on September 1st. Two concerts at the Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin have even been announced for 2024. Maybe again with the “unusual set list”.