Monday evening is a great time to go to a show. Especially when it is such a special opportunity to see John Garcia in an unusual unplugged concert.
When I was younger (about 20 years ago), I started to listen to different types of music and one of the first bands I encountered was Kyuss. I never had the chance to see this amazing band live on stage, so thats why I took my chance now and drove to Bochum, which is about half an hour drive from my place.
I know the Matrix venue in Bochum from previous shows, but I have never been in the Rockpalast area. It is a very cosy, small place, with a nice little stage. There was a big couch in the background of the stage and two chairs for the musicians. It felt very intimate like in a living room with this table and the lamps everywhere.
I arrived a little late, when the first band Bellhound Choir, a solo project of Danish Christian Hede Madsen was already playing. A long-haired tall man alone on the stage with his electric guitar. Nice, what you can do with just a voice and the strings.
After a short break, John Garcia and his guitar player Ehren Groban entered the stage and sat down on the chairs. I actually prefer people acting on stage and thought: „Wow, this can be a visually boring night, especially when I want to take some photos for my project.“
But from the first moment I was captured by the sound and the great voice of John and this massively talented guitar player Ehren. The songs had as much power as a regular electric set and I was happy to listen to some old Kyuss songs. Especially when they later plaid my most favourite song „Rodeo“ from the „When the circus leaves town“ record.
Inbetween the show, John was giving away some of his whiskey, that he was constantly drinking to people in the audience. At the end they even asked, if there might be any married couples in the audience. Two couples actually were there and they were invited by John to join them on the stage to sit on this couch in the back of the stage. They could stay until the end of the show and were given free drinks.
Hmm, I should have asked one of the ladies next to me, if we would be married for a minute to sit down a little and get a different view from the stage.
Altogether it was an amazing show and one of my best concerts during this year. John and Ehren were very familiar and talkative and told the audience some nice anecdotes and backgrounds to John himself and the songs. A great evening without the regular swooshing afterwards, because it was all great, but not loud.
John Garcia unplugged at Rockpalast Bochum on 07. December 2015.
Nicholas Ganz 