Music Mayhem in Munich!

On Monday night, a few of us decided to go to a recommended music festival at the "Olympia Stadion" in Munich. We did not know what to expect, but were interested to see what the atmosphere would be like. The trip there was not too difficult, but it took us about an hour to get there. We arrived around 8:00 and walked down a long path, passing the extremely modern and abstract stadiums that held the Olympics in the 1970s. When we got to the end of the path, we saw a few hundred people surrounding a stage at the edge of a beautiful lake. For a little while we just stood at the top of the venue and watched, but could not help but notice how fun it looked at the bottom of the hill infront of the stage. Everyone was dancing their hearts out! We had to join.

Tim, Pat, Kelly, Kristin and I (Betsy) all went down to the floor in front of the stage and had a ball. We danced, did some great people watching, enjoyed the music, and had a great time. The music was definitely not what we were expecting. This music festival was known for having bands that were not very famous, but were getting there. The one that we had a chance to listen to was called "Oy." Their music was very indie and "electronic," but not dubstep. A good way to describe it in the words of our generation would be "chill." The lyrics were also very fun and comical. Our favorite song was definitely "Afro," and we couldn't help but sing the lyrics for the rest of the night: "Praise The Lord for my afro - I am so happy to be nappy!" Obviously, we got a few giggles out of this. There were two members in the band: one boy and one girl. The boy was the drummer and wore a strange potato-sack looking hat over him all night. It was decorated in different colors and was in the shape of a spade. The girl was from South Africa, we believe, and did the singing. She had a very interesting and soothing voice. We loved it!

I must add, the concert culture in Germany is extremely different than in America. First of all, people of all different ages came to enjoy the music. You could be 13, or you could be 60, and still have a great time. Second of all, the concert was extremely laid back (just as all of Germany is). There weren't any fences in front of stage to keep people from jumping onto the stage. Also, the concert was free! It was awesome to be able to roam the place without having to worry about losing your seat or ticket because everyone had equal access to the entire place. Another interesting difference in the concert culture was definitely the behavior. This was probably the most surprising aspect of the festival. In America, we often go to concerts and see people stumbling all around due to extreme intoxication, but at this concert we saw absolutely none of that. People were just dancing and having a great time. I believe the reason no one gets so incredibly intoxicated is because alcohol is seen as such a casual privilege for them. They are so used to having it all the time and at so many meals that it is not a common thing to just drink at extreme levels on special occasions. Also, in America, young people often strive to push to the very front to get the best spot. We saw none of this, either. In fact, the floor in front of the stage was quite small, yet completely spacious. This was because no one was pushing each other or trying to get to the front. And if someone were to step in front of another, it was not a big deal. No one got super upset like they would in America because they "stole their spot." It was very interesting to see how relaxed everyone was. They were content just listening and dancing to the music, even if they were at the very top of the hill sitting on a cement stair. Lastly, my favorite difference was that no one was revolving their entire night around their technology. No one was on their phone and no one was taking pictures every second. People were literally there just to listen to the music. This seems like it would be an obvious reason, but many kids in America go to concerts and tweet all night about how they were in the front row, or instagram a picture of themselves in the front row from every angle. I love how Germans like to get away from the technology and live their life. I, myself, am inspired by their lifestyle.