Let me just cut to the chase. If Milky Chance comes anywhere near you, don’t ask yourself if you should go. Just. Go. You’ll be in for what I like to call “magic moments”. Never heard of them? It’s cool. Let me explain. They’re a German (now trio) made up of folk, reggae, pop and electronic sounds. Think those vibes don’t go together? Trust me. THEY DO. Read on to hear about why I think they’re so good live and then skip to the end for some of my favorite tracks.
From the moment I walked through the doors the whole place felt like this secret club I was lucky enough to stumble into. These guys are incredibly dynamic, talented, CHARASMATIC and the crowd they draw is exactly the same.
I saw them at The Truman — a pretty badass venue in Kansas City you should go to if you can— and it was the best place to see them. It was intimate enough to feel personable, yet big enough to host the large crowd Milky Chance brings in. The great thing was that we went to several spots around the venue and it legitimately didn’t matter if we were up in the front or clear in the back. Clemens Rehbein, Phillipp Dausch and Antonio Greger are showmen to the core who make you feel like you’re a part of everything no matter what spot you watch from.
A lot of bands sound different live. Some musicians are clearly live only bands and some are more of a studio act. How lucky that Milky Chance is both! Listening to their album is great, but the one thing you miss unless you go see them is how much of a jam band they actually are. I was pleasantly surprised. The chemistry they have together oozed out from their fingertips and traveled through the air of the crowd — touching all of us. It wasn’t rare for Greger to lean in and vibe out with Rehbein in a way that we all couldn’t get enough of. More than that, be ready for a lot of harmonica jam sessions from Greger — like really badass harmonica jam sessions.
The whole show reeked of positivity and completely embodied what it feels like when you stop and realize to yourself that you’re having a genuinely good time. However, there was one fight (because #concertlife, I guess). How’d Milky Chance handle that? They legitimately stopped playing, had the lights turned on and said “Hey! Hey…um guys. Yeah, you two. We aren’t here for that, man. No need to punch each other. Let’s just have a good time ok?” It was met with a HUGE positive response from the crowd. And just like that, we all went back to having a great time. Concerts can be rowdy— sure— but I love it when a group will address it and bring the vibe of the crowd back to one that ensures we all have a great time.
They only played for just over an hour, which was too short in my opinion. However, shows like this showcase the magic that happens when you go to a good live show. Between their amazing stage presence and overall positive vibe of the crowd — it was abundantly clear we were all there to have a good time and that’s all that mattered. At the end, this insanely cool thing (in my opinion) happened. Rehbein raised his hand in the air to dawn a peace sign. The light boxes that accompanied the stage also reflected peace signs. Then — without any verbal guidance — people in the crowd slowly started raising their hands with peace signs back in solidarity. It’s as if they were all acknowledging this experience we just had together. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s instances like that when I see how musicians connect to the crowd that get me. It makes me feel so incredibly grateful to witness amazing moments where music and energy can bring people together like that without speaking a word. That’s why we go to concerts. That’s what a good live show does. That’s what Milky Chance did.
Have you seen Milky Chance or had one of those “magic moments” at a show? Let me know all about it in the comments below! If you have no idea who Milky Chance is, here are some of my favorite tracks. Enjoy!
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