Ode to Street Musicians

Dear Hamburg Street Musicians,

I am eternally in awe of you. Your music is as moving as your willingness to share it with us. At all times I am excited to see you and no matter how many times I've been lost via public transit the day of your performance, your sound turns my frown upside down. Thank you for taking the risk to display your raw talent in front of so many folks. May your hats always be full of euro and pride.

To the phenomenal singer at the corner of Schulterblatt and Sternschanze:
Your ability to draw a crowd of 50 eager Hamburgers at midnight on Sunday astounds me. They knew you were coming and waited for you. Well, you can add us to the list. See you Sunday.

Here is a short video I took while attempting to capture this man's awesome sound. It's short, dark, and without a good angle, but I hope you'll agree that hearing him sing is worth putting up with my abysmal vid skills.

Fantastic, isn't he? Did you catch my ooo-ing and wow-ing in the background?

Upon my multiple-hour stroll through Planten un Blomen Botanical Garden on Wednesday my ears led me to a Musikgarten--my first. Here I was fortunate enough to hear a stellar performance by the Polizei Orchester, an orchestra comprised of police officers...at 3:00 on a Wednesday afternoon (whaaat?). Interestingly enough, there were many folks in attendance (though most were gulping ice cream in the shadows). At first the time of the performance baffled me, but remembering the stories I have heard about the lounge-ily way some Germans spend their mid-day it all made sense. It made even more sense once I sat down and took in the experience. The orchestra put on an incredible show. Once they finished their last set, Elvis' biggest hits, they were rewarded with a monstrous round of applause--including clapping from the little ones playing soccer on the shore. I think the entire park felt the music.

Though the Polizei Orchester does not perform on the street, they certainly deserve recognition here.

Out of respect I didn't want to take pictures of the many solo acts that perform in the U, the S, (above and underground transit systems) and on streets. One two-man act in particular deserves a shout out: these two twenty-somethings enter the S and proudly announce themselves with, "Ladies and Gentleman...Showtime!" One sings English favs while the other plays the guitar while refusing to make eye contact with the crowd. As quickly as they enter they exit at the next stop, always to my disapppointment, and typically before I can get my money out and in their bag. Keep it coming, boys--I promise to have my euro in hand next time.