A night celebrating Austropop thrilled over 200 guests in Gramatneusiedl; Sold-out community hall; Classic songs for singing and dancing along.
GRAMATNEUSIEDL. The community center, organized by the SPÖ Gramatneusiedl local group, served as the venue for the greatest hits of Austropop last Saturday.
With doors opening at 6:00 PM, all 150 seats were already occupied, and the standing tables quickly filled up. Later arrivals could only enjoy the evening standing or on the dance floor. However, when members of the Himberg municipal council, including Vice Mayor Manfred Mitzl and his wife Renate, Ingrid Wendl, Petra and Josef Auer, and Herbert Stuxer with his wife Heidi, arrived, an additional row of seats was made available.
Around 7:30 PM, Mayor Thomas Schwab took the stage and welcomed everyone, apologizing for the cramped conditions, which didn’t dampen spirits.
Then, with a spectacular light show, the individual band members appeared and the musical entertainment began. The first half of the performance was more subdued, but after the break, the energy soared with hits from STS – Großvater, Steiermark, Fürstenfeld, Kurt Osbahn – 57er Chevy, Seiler & Speer – Pincipessa, Ham kumst, and other greats of Austro Pop like Reinhard Fendrich, Wolfgang Ambros, Peter Cornelius, and Spider Murphy Gang.
The show was scheduled to end at 11:00 PM, but the band “Live & Pur” kept the energy going until midnight, playing an encore of songs requested by the audience.
The band consists of 8 musicians
Gerhard Gottsbachner, Rigo Hess, singer Kurt Jansa, Adi Kelovits, Siegi Keglovits, Lara Key, Gerald Milkovits – and lighting technician Walter Pozzobon, entertained the over 200 guests with their music and vocals.
The SPÖ Gramatneusiedl local group provided refreshments, with a welcome committee led by Cornelia Ballmüller and Michaela Buczolits offering guests a welcome drink. Jessica and Elke happily accepted. A bar was also set up, staffed by council member Michael Eibensteiner and his helpers, along with a second station for additional drinks and snacks. Sylvia Schwab, Erich Buczolits, and many other volunteers assisted in the kitchen and with service.
Among the guests were members of the well-known Memphis Bandits, led by Christian Lackinger – alias Lucky Dean Luciano. Regina Zupanjac with Toni Zupanjac (a band member), and grandparents Traude and Marie with her husband Anton, enjoyed the atmosphere and sounds of the hits from their youth.
Later in the evening, National Council member Silvia Kumpan-Takacs also arrived. Mayor Ernst Wendl from Himberg was delayed due to a prior official visit in Pellendorf. Petra Zimmermann, owner of a mobile hair studio in Himberg, attended with friends, as did many people from the surrounding area and Vienna.
It was an evening filled with unforgettable musical classics. Melodies, emotions, and songs that people knew, loved, and instinctively sang and danced along to. Friends, couples, and sociable groups aged 40+ to 90 spent an evening that was a musical highlight of the spring in Gramatneusiedl.
