Böhmermann likely had a sold-out Vienna city hall in mind – but reality looked different. About three quarters of the seats remained empty, which only intensified the already restrained atmosphere.
From the start, a clear dramaturgy was missing. The musical elements seemed isolated and had no discernible connection to the satirical message.
Böhmermann’s attacks on political themes remained vague, while long passages without tension exhausted the audience. The expected pointed confrontation with Austrian politics was reduced to sporadic remarks with no lasting impact.
The audience reactions were accordingly restrained. Two years ago, Böhmermann still managed to fill the Gasometer with around 3,500 seats. This time, he chose the Vienna city hall, a much larger location – and overestimated himself.
According to the Kronen Zeitung, only 3,700 spectators attended the event, which can accommodate up to 16,000 people. A sparsely attended event with little atmosphere.
Audience members criticized not only the content’s weakness but also the artist’s lack of energy. “The gestures and mimicry were pale, I had expected much more” a user wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Another noted: “The concept of the ‘political song evening’ remained unclear, it looked like a series of individual gags.”
In the end, the show fell short of expectations. Despite great effort, it lacked dynamism and depth. Neither as satire nor as an artistic performance could the evening convince. An overambitious appearance in a too-large hall – with a discouraging result.