Kissin’ Dynamite – The Big Goodbye
The queue for the sold-out show stretched roughly 500 metres along Schanzenstraße in Mülheim. Once the doors opened, check-in went smoothly and the Palladium quickly began filling up. The merchandise queue formed almost immediately as well, with much of the available stock already sold out by the time the headliner came on.
The evening opened with League of Distortion. Led by singer Anna Brunner, the band brought the energy needed to warm up the crowd. There was also a direct connection between the two acts: Brunner appears as a guest vocalist on Kissin’ Dynamite’s new song “Lie For Me.”
At exactly 8 PM, Kissin’ Dynamite appeared on a completely dark stage. The first light revealed Hannes Braun standing alone, arms spread above his head, holding the moment for a few seconds. The Palladium erupted in applause before everything exploded into action.
The night opened with “I’ve Got The Fire,” accompanied by an extensive light and fire show. It was a powerful beginning that immediately established the scale of the evening in front of a packed Palladium and an audience of more than 4,000. The crowd was remarkably diverse in age, ranging from Gen Z to Baby Boomers.
“No One Dies Virgin” brought Ande Braun to the front of the runway for a solo, with the audience echoing segments of the solo.
Kissin’ Dynamite certainly did not economize on the visual production. A runway extended into the audience, while the lighting was carefully programmed to follow the songs and changes in the show. Cologne was the final stop of the three-date “The Big Goodbye” run—and potentially the last time fans will see Hannes Braun fronting Kissin’ Dynamite on stage. That possibility inevitably gave the concert an additional dimension.
For “Lie For Me” the band gathered on the runway for an acoustic version, Hannes shook a tambourine and Anna Brunner returned to the stage for a duet. “You’re Not Alone” saw Hannes crowd surfing in an inflatable rubber boat while the crowd sang along to the refrain. For “I Salute You” two large flags were unfurled, one bearing the KD logo and the other the song title.
Over almost two decades, Kissin’ Dynamite have progressed from playing small clubs to appearing in venues such as the Palladium. Their music has grown with them, but without abandoning the formula that brought them there. The beefy guitars, catchy choruses, strong melodies and generous dose of glam-rock attitude that define their recordings translated extremely well to the large hall. If anything, some of the songs seemed to work even better live.
At the centre of all was Hannes Braun. He was not simply the singer but the focal point of the entire evening. Between songs, he repeatedly reached out to the audience and turned the Palladium into something resembling one enormous rock’n’roll gathering. Braun had announced beforehand that he would step away from life on the road as the band’s frontman, citing the stresses of touring. Importantly, however, he is not leaving Kissin’ Dynamite. He intends to continue contributing as a songwriter and producer, meaning his role in the band’s future will continue—just from behind the stage rather than in front of it.
That mixture of farewell and continuation shaped the atmosphere throughout the evening. There was celebration, as if there were no tomorrow, but also an awareness among many in the audience that they were witnessing the end of an era.
The Palladium celebrated what the band has represented for so many years: big rock songs, big melodies, big gestures. Ande Braun and Jim Müller supplied the guitar foundation, Steffen Haile drove the songs forward on bass and Sebastian Berg provided the rhythmic backbone on drums. And with them all stood Hannes Braun, once again demonstrating why he has been such a defining presence in the band’s identity.
It was time for the last big singalong during “Six Feet Under”.
The closer “Good In Goodbye” could hardly be more appropriate. Created in connection with Braun’s departure from the stage, the song accompanies the transition into the band’s next chapter. The frontman playing a vintage upright piano on the runway and halfway through the song the guitar players joined him on the platform during the guitar solo ,then the confetti guns exploded. The band left the stage and for the last chords and verses the frontman was left alone to finish the night.
And that was ultimately what made the evening work. The focus was not on the sadness of saying goodbye, but on celebrating almost two decades of Kissin’ Dynamite.
“The Big Goodbye” in Cologne was not a quiet farewell. It was a big rock show—a spectacular exit with a Big Bang.
Hannes Braun has now hung up the microphone as Kissin’ Dynamite’s frontman. How the next chapter will look on stage without him remains to be seen.
Accreditation: Concertteam NRW
