Heart over head to Regensburg

When back in May my cousin offered to go to a Joris concert in Regensburg with me, there were two points that I thought needed clearing up: firstly, would I be able to get to Regensburg at all (because at that point I had no idea that I would be moving there for an internship), and secondly … who on Earth was this Joris? I had never heard of him before. After I’d listened to his single “Heart over Head”, I thought “Why not?” He’s got a good voice, and Regensburg is always worth a visit as well”. So despite my uncertainties I accepted – and I haven’t regretted it for a single second.

Joris emerged as the DER’s Newcomer of the Year, and the radio stations are meanwhile playing his single incessantly. Born in Bielefeld, he’s been on his “Hopelessly Hopeful” tour with his band since May in the German-speaking countries and since then has played a lot of gigs.

On 5 October 2015, the 25-year-old was appearing at the Antoniushaus in Regensburg. And since meanwhile I’m here as well for my internship at Krones, the evening was definitely on.

This concert was a bit special: in Regensburg, Joris was kicking off the second part of his tour. And for this opening show he pulled out all the stops. From a breath-taking light show and humorous anecdotes from his life on tour, all the way through to spontaneous acoustically accompanied songs, it was everything you could hope for. He displayed the full gamut of his talent and stagecraft, and with his disarmingly honest personality immediately had the audience under his spell. Finally together with his band members (plus their instruments), he hopped down from the stage and mingled with the fans: a truly approachable star.

“And when the time has come to go, I let the moment slip and stay …”

And in fact Joris really didn’t want to go. There was almost half an hour of encores, and it’s difficult to say who enjoyed this concert more, the band or the audience.

Regensburg was fittingly appreciative of Joris’ performance. The audience sang along with his lyrics word for word and so fervently that at time he was standing speechless on the stage and visibly emotional, overwhelmed by the ecstatic response of his fans.

After two exhausting hours on stage, Joris thanked his audience with the following words: “I know ‘unforgettable’ is an easy word to say, but today you’ve been unforgettable for me. Thank you, Regensburg”.

And so Joris and I have something in common. This evening in Regensburg will remain unforgettable for me too.

For me, though, it was then definitely time to go. The concert was on Monday evening, and I had to be back at Krones in Neutraubling the next day. I arrived there with bags under the rings under my eyes, and bombarded my team with interminable rhapsodies, but I hope they will find it in themselves to forgive me. 😉

So it was a more of happy accident that Joris’ and my paths crossed in Regensburg – but it confirms that I certainly chose the right location for my internship as an “intra-German immigrant”. Anyway, I’ll be staying in Regensburg for another six months, for the rest of my internship in our social media team, responsible for the blogs of Krones AG. So there’s half a year left for lots of brilliant, exciting and unexpected concerts and other events – I’m keen to see what else Regensburg has to offer. And who knows, perhaps I’ll even be persuaded to stay here?