Stefanie Heinzmann & HR Bigband – 30.01.2025 – Batschkapp Frankfurt

Stefanie Heinzmann and the HR Bigband was an event I didn’t want to miss. On the one hand, I always think it’s worth reporting on performances with Stefanie Heinzmann, especially when it’s part of such a special event, and on the other hand, I find it very exciting to photograph larger ensembles. The evening was also special because there were many cameras present to record the concert for a livestream, which was shown on the Arte website.

Right on time at 8 p.m., the musicians of the HR Bigband took to the stage and kicked things off with On Fire. Stefanie then came on stage singing, accompanied by Eva Schröder and Leslie Jost. Both had already accompanied her at the concert in the Alte Oper. Right from the next song, Shadows, the audience was able to show how well they could sing along. Despite the early stage of the concert, they did a great job. Anyone who knows Stefanie knows that she always likes to tell a story or talk about serious topics. Just like before Knocking Down the Wall, when she told the story of a bout of depression she had last fall and how she managed to pull herself out of it step by step for the first time in her life. She said how honored she felt to be on stage with such a great band as the HR Bigband. But she still sometimes had doubts about whether she could really do it all, and that’s exactly what the song was about… and she said about the little voice in her head, “Sometimes it just has to shut up.” During the song, she also called on the audience to sing along, because that’s the best medicine. She announced Mother’s Heart with the words, “The next song is a song that means a lot to me,” and conductor Jörg Achim Keller began to set the tempo. “And um… yes, and you’re going to hear it now… because… he’s always right,” she said, pointing to the conductor, and it was clear that she actually wanted to say something else, but took it with humor. What followed was a really beautiful version of the song, with a solo by the keyboardist, during which Stefanie and her singers stood to the side so that everyone could see him. After the song, however, she returned to the previous situation and asked the conductor, “May I say something?” She then spoke about the feelings that connect us. That simply being is valuable enough. The uniqueness of each person, which is suppressed in society, but that everyone has the same feelings in some way. She asked the conductor if he would accept strangeness as a compliment, to which he replied, “Sort of.” And that by strange, she meant that someone is worthy of her remembering them. And that she would rather be strange than not be herself. This is also the core message of the song that followed, Colors. What followed was a very beautiful, quiet version, introduced by a trombone solo, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar.

With Carry the World got really funky, perfect for dancing along to, introduced by a double bass solo and a flute solo. But Labyrinth continued in a similarly funky vein, this time with a trumpet solo opening the piece. Both Leslie and Eva got to show off their amazing voices, proving they were every bit as good as Stefanie. Without a break, accompanied by rhythmic clapping from the audience led by the three singers, the band seamlessly transitioned into Diggin’ in the Dirt. The announcement that usually takes place before the song was made during the song, with Stefanie saying that if someone had told her at 17 that she would be playing with the HR Bigband at the Batschkapp in Frankfurt at 35, she would probably have laughed and cried, but above all, she wouldn’t have believed it. She recounted that at the time, she had a slipped disc, eating problems, and was very self-destructive, which meant she was not doing well at all. She then had herself admitted to a closed psychiatric ward. Her therapist at the time told her that when she was released, she should go to the forest regularly and just write. And now she does that full-time, and the audience was her forest for the evening. And now she wanted to do a little scream therapy with the audience. Everyone was to form a ball with their hands, put their problems and worries into it, and then shout “Ohohoh” loudly and throw it at her. Since she was there by car, she would simply pocket the balls and throw them into Lake Thun, which is near where she lives. And the audience had a lot to shout about. After Diggin’ in the Dirt, things quieted down for a bit, with only a few instruments, and continued with In the End, which then suddenly got the familiar momentum of the song with all the musicians and even more. Afterwards, she thanked everyone involved who had made this truly wonderful evening possible. From the musicians to the HR to the individual employees of the Batschkapp. Finally, she performed Best Life, a song from her latest album Labyrinth, which was very lively. She first danced with the conductor and then with her singers, standing between them to show that every musician is equally important to her. To conclude, she sang an old classic for her, Only So Much Oil in the Ground, a song she had already sung successfully at SSDSDSSWEMUGABRTLAD* and which, on her way to victory at the time, showed what a brilliant soulful voice she has.

Setlist: On Fire // Shadows // My Man Is a Mean Man // Knocking Down the Wall // Build a House // Mother’s Heart // Colors // Carry the World // Labyrinth // Diggin‘ in the Dirt // In the End // All We Need Is Love // Best Life // Only So Much Oil in the Ground