Tom Jones opening act Open air concert series Kunst! Rasen starts soon
Bonn · The Bonn outdoor event "Kunst! Rasen" kicks off on June 28 with a concert by world star Tom Jones. It is the seventh season of the concert series. A total of 14 concerts and a classical music picnic are scheduled. Organizers expect around 60,000 visitors this summer.
The Scot tends to be thrifty but there are exceptions. Praise doesn’t cost anything so Jim Kerr proves to be very generous on this point: “We have played often in Bonn, these were great nights under open skies,” said the singer recently from Glasgow in a GA interview. It was this feeling that spurred he and his Simple Minds band to make another guest appearance at the outdoor event. On July 25, the four Scots will play at Kunst! Rasen, Based on their 60 million records sold, they are just one of the best-sellers among the 14 bands and solo artists who will play on the big lawn in the Rheinaue this summer.
Canadian singer Alanis Morissette has also sold around 60 million records. But this is topped by Tom Jones, who is estimated to have sold 100 million. Already in 1965 he had a hit with "It's Not Unusual". Among his greatest successes are "Delilah" (1967), "Kiss" (1988, released after Prince) and "Sex Bomb" (1999) by the German producer Mousse T.
Tom Jones opens festival season
78-year-old Welshman Tom Jones opens the seventh festival season in Bonn-Gronau on June 28th. On the program from June 28 to August 21 are 14 concerts and an open air picnic with the Beethoven Orchestra. Just under 45,000 tickets have been sold already in advance of the concert series. Last year, 35,000 music fans attended nine concerts.
“The response so far shows that we did a lot of things right," says organizer Ernst-Ludwig Hartz (58) .The Fantastischen Vier concert was sold out already in autumn with 9,000 tickets purchased.
There is a lot of interest in the shows from the band Querbeat of Bonn and LaBrassBanda from Bavaria. Simple Minds is also selling well, as is the German singer Lina and Alanis Morissette. But like every year, there are a few harder sells. This year, Steve Wilson and friends are not doing as well and for Tom Jones, there’s also room for ticket sales to increase. Although, one must say he is making his fans happy worldwide, having just been on tour in North America, among other places. The number and sequence of the songs is fairly constant among today's touring artists. On June 1, Jones played 20 pieces at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, "Sex Bomb" was the seventh song. Plus three numbers as an encore, including "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong and "Kiss." This line-up can also be expected in Bonn.
Set-up has begun
Organizer Hartz has lots to do in these days but she remains calm. Kunst!Rasen runs on “autopilot,” so to speak. On Monday, they began building up the site, including construction of a foyer area, VIP tents and restroom facilities. 31-year-old project manager Katrin Weinreis says the stage will come on Friday and it will take three days to build it up. There won’t be a beer garden this time around but there will be catering in the entrance area. On the 30th, there will be a silent party with headphones and three DJs.
For more information about the event, please see: www.kunstrasen-bonn.de
(Orig. text: Heinz Dietl / Translation: ck)
