G. Love and the Special Sauce

By Jenn Ghelardini

G. Love and the Special Sauce is a rock band from the States that incorporates aspects of jazz, improvisation and hip-hop music. I have seen them put on a very good show in America before and was ecstatic to see them again in Munich.

The concert was in a small venue outside of the city called Back Stage. It was a large warehouse-like building split into about five smaller bars. It was quite similar to Asheville’s The Orange Peel.

I was expecting to run into some Americans, since it was an American concert. However, this was not the case and I only ran into Germans. In fact everyone I encountered lived in the Munich area. This is not always the case in America, where many people travel great distances to catch a great show.

Another point worth noting is that while at an American G. Love concert everyone is usually very friendly and will let you just walk up to the stage, this is not the case in Germany. In accordance with the stereotype that Germans are uptight about rules and regulations, the Germans strictly adhered to the first-come, first-serve principle, that the first people to get to the show got the best seats. I noticed one man went to the restroom and complained when he was not easily allowed back to his exact original position.

Overall, I love concerts, regardless of location, although I prefer the much more friendly and relaxed settings typical in America.