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Arriving early, my fears were confirmed when I saw the line at the entrance: It was going to be packed at Wild at Heart.
Shortly after 10 PM, it was time for the support act of the evening: The Wild at Heart house band "Church of Confidence" took the stage. The band, led by Wild at Heart's Uli, always impresses me. Catchy punk rock with good melodies, sometimes with a slight Social Distortion feel, varied and driving forward. The trio, fronted by singer and guitarist Uli, comes across as very likable, and Beano, who recently played drums for the Outcasts, gives it the right drive here as well. One of my favorite songs is "whatever happened to West Berlin", a homage to the vibe of life on the island of West Berlin.
Great gig.
During the intermission, there was a small raffle where merch bags from Sailor Jerry were given away, before it could finally kick off with The Dictators from New York City.
They started with "The Party starts now", and a visibly in-form and vocally present Dick Manitoba (Richard Manitoba) led the nearly hour-long program. Hit after hit followed, occasionally interrupted by some anecdotes from Manitoba about the band's history and his hometown of New York. The crowd swayed back and forth in front of the stage, and Dick Manitoba even ventured into the audience during one number.
The band played absolutely tight and on point, and the audience celebrated the band enthusiastically to songs like Ave A, New York New York, and who will save Rock'n'Roll. It’s been almost exactly 40 years since the first Dictators album "Girl go crazy" was released, unbelievable.
The Dictators also feature true scene veterans on stage:
Ross the Boss is a founding member and joined The Dictators in 1973!
Alongside him on lead guitar for the tour is Daniel Rey as the second guitarist. Essentially a legend himself, he has written and produced countless well-known songs, including several albums for the Ramones.
His bio reads almost like a who’s who of Rock'n'Roll.
After my personal favorite "Stay with me", the regular set came to an end. As the final encore, they played MC5's Kick out the Jam, which got the place really rocking.
A truly magnificent concert by The Dictators.
After the show, I had the opportunity to exchange a few brief words with Richard Manitoba before he and I said our goodbyes at Wild at Heart.
Really nice guy. And a legend... definitely.
Conclusion: NYC rules!
Line up:
Handsome Dick Manitoba
Ross The Boss
JP "Thunderbolt" Patterson
Daniel Rey
Dean "The Dream" Rispler
Bilder
6 Bilder
