When your favorite band retires, the idols are celebrated once again. That’s what around 25,000 fans of the German rap trio Fettes Brot did on Friday evening at the Trabrennbahn in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld – at the first of the giga farewell concerts with the beautiful name “Brotstock”.

In the evening sun between the drinks and food tents, the festival feeling comes up immediately. When the first companions of the “Brote” entered the area around the stage at 6 p.m., many fans were still outside. Because the rush is big, arrival and admission chaotic – but the atmosphere is great.

Positive energy and snappy sayings

When the bands Großstadtgeflüster, Deine Freund, Antilopen Gang and Tocotronic play their homage to Fettes Brot, King Boris (Boris Lauterbach, 49), Dokter Renz (Martin Vandreier, 49) and Björn Beton (Björn Warns, 50) are on stage and let’s celebrate. Then they show a few more photos from their 31 years of band history and go straight to the top with their 1996 hit “Jein”. Everyone sings, raps and fidgets along.

The hip-hop troupe performs their hits with a live band, positive energy and lively sayings in a relaxed and casual manner: “Put your hands in the air, because the air called and wants to be stroked.” There is hardly any room for melancholy at the farewell. “The question is how much sadness is there?” asks Boris Lauterbach. And answers her directly: “I say 20 percent is enough. We are the mother of all party bands. We want to thank you for listening to our music all these years!”

And so the trio fires off a firework of their hits: From “Erdbeben” and “Für immer immer” to “Hamburg Calling”, “The Grosser” (with Boris’ short, red original jacket – “I thought it made long legs! “) and “Amsterdam” to the Low German anthem “Nordisch By Nature” and “Emanuela” with a long instrumental beat and dance part.

“Bread Doesn’t Cry”

Fettes Brot are full professionals, obviously having fun, throwing a big party and obviously enjoying the limelight. Her fans celebrate with them, dance, bawl and laugh at the sayings.

After the song “The last song in the world” there is of course the farewell song “Bread doesn’t cry” at the end, which says: “What I hide behind my very expensive sunglasses are not tears at all. I have just something in the eye, but you know: bread can’t cry.”

A barge forms the stage set, typically Hamburg. But before Fettes Brot finally lifts anchor, they will give a second fat open-air concert on Saturday as a farewell. Because in Hamburg they say goodbye twice.