I first saw The White Buffalo back in 2019, when he played a free concert at Liseberg in Gothenburg. That was the first time I heard his deep, raspy voice live, and it made a big impression on me. When Oliver found out he was coming to Hamburg, he asked if we should meet there. We’ve been to Hamburg before; in 2023 for Madrugada and for Springsteen. For the Madrugada visit we took a boat tour around the harbour and we walked along the Landungsbrücke and for Springsteen the only sight-seeing we did was a short visit to the Bruce hotel, Vier Jahreszeiten. So there were still things we wanted to see, like the Miniatur Wunderland.
Sight-seeing
After breakfast on Saturday, the concert day, we headed out for some sight-seeing. We hadn’t been able to get hold of tickets for Miniatur Wunderland so we walked towards the famous and special landmark Der Bunker St. Pauli. The massive bunker was built by the Nazis during the Second World War as an air raid shelter and anti-aircraft tower with room for tens of thousands of people. Now it has a unique rooftop garden, a hotel, restaurants, and spaces for cultural events, sports, and an art-in-residence program. From the outside it’s still looks a giant concrete block, but the upper half is now covered with trees and flowers, almost like a green hill has grown out of the building.
We climbed all the stairs to the top, and the view was worth it. As you might know, I’m a sucker for cranes and Hamburg’s skyline with its shipyards and harbour cranes was perfect from up there. On the way we stopped for a quick glance into the Hard Rock shop and for a coffee. I took photos of some of the art on the walls inside the bunker. They were paintings of sailors some of which worked as signs showing the way to the café, the hotel and other places.
From the top we could spot the Millerntor Stadium, home of FC St. Pauli, which is right next to the bunker. After coming down we walked past the stadium on our way towards Reeperbahn.
Reeperbahn is Hamburg’s most famous entertainment and nightlife district, right in the middle of the St Pauli neighborhood. It’s known as ”die sündige Meile” (the sinful mile) because of its history as a red-light district and its many bars, clubs, and adult venues that are still around today.
We stopped by Beatles-Platz and the street Große Freiheit. Back in the early 60s, this was where The Beatles played and built the foundation for their success as a live band, playing endless nights at the Kaiserkeller. The club is still there today and is now part of the same complex as Große Freiheit 36. Standing outside, it felt really cool to see the exact spot where they once worked their way toward fame. Even in broad daylight you could sense how vibrant and lively the street and its side streets must be once night falls, full of lights, music and people. We also had a look at the entrance to Herbertstraße, a street still restricted to adult men only.
On the way we stopped at the FC St. Pauli fan shop, and both of us bought T-shirts. I went for a black one with the classic skull logo in rainbow colours. Oliver, meanwhile, already has a special connection to St. Pauli. He’s a member of the club’s Genossenschaft (Cooperative). The funny thing is, he only became one after being lured into it when he signed up with Congstar, a telecom company that happens to sponsor the team. Oliver isn’t really interested in football, but now he claims he is. He joked that part of the stadium we had walked passed earlier was technically his.
Of course, being in Hamburg meant having a hamburger. We sat down at Herzblut St Pauli, where I ordered a juicy burger (because how could I not in Hamburg?) while Oliver went for a healthier-looking bowl. We also tried the local beer Astra (which turned out to taste rather bland), before we went back to the hotel for a short nap in preparation for the concert (concert review further down).
On Sunday, after we had checked out, Oliver and I made our way to the Elbphilharmonie, which is a renowned concert hall in the HafenCity quarter. We collected free tickets to the Plaza, the public viewing platform, which sits 37 meters above ground level between the historic brick warehouse base and the modern glass structure above. From there you get a 360° panoramic view of the city and harbor.
Getting up there was part of the experience: we took the famous curved escalator called the “Tube”, an 82-meter-long, gently arched ride that carries you through the old warehouse and up to the platform.
It was cool and breezy on the Plaza and I wore my brand-new St Pauli T-shirt (documented in a photo below) and, true to form, I once again found myself drawn to the view of the many cranes along the harbor.
The Concert
The Kent Club only fit about 500 people, so the moment we stepped inside it felt more like being crammed into someone’s oversized living room than a real concert venue. There was a bar at the back, benches lined around the floor, and two badly placed columns that blocked the view for some unlucky ones. The crowd was mixed, mostly people around 30 and up, with a few bikers wearing leather and metal fans sprinkled in among plenty of more “normal” looking folks. It was hot, it was intimate, and it didn’t take long before the walls were practically steaming and sweat was running down my back. Even the band commented on it (so I can safely confirm, not all heat surges were menopause-related 😅).
From the first chord, the energy didn’t ease off. Jake Smith, aka The White Buffalo, switched easily between fast and slow guitar and his gravelly voice filled the room in a way that pulled everyone in. His vocals were not the only thing that stood out. The band around him made the performance special. Christopher Hoffee on bass and keys was a joy to watch, completely in his element and almost cartoonishly animated and then there was Matt Lynott on drums, in cowboy hat and flannel shirt, set up right at the front of the stage. Usually drummers hide at the back, but here we had a clear view of a machine at work. I kept finding my eyes drawn back to him again and again.
The set was full of breakdowns, little pauses and teases that kept the crowd guessing, rising and falling in waves. The singer had to stop more than once to wipe the sweat off his face and hands, and he kept drinking water, joking about the importance of staying hydrated. The band’s energy was unstoppable, and the small venue only amplified it. Every strum, every beat, every shout bounced off the walls and right back into us.
Oliver and I grinned at each other when they played The Whistler, instantly recognisable from the TV-series Sons of Anarchy. Then came, Come Join the Murder, another one from the show and then another one, in the closing set, Oh Darlin’ What Have I Done.
By the time the band had finished the main set, the room felt like it might burst. People were hollering ”Zugabe, Zugabe!” (Encore! Encore!) while clapping their hands and of course they came back for an encore. For the first song, Highwayman, The White Buffalo stood alone on stage. The atmosphere was quiet and really intense, until someone in the crowd sneezed at the most delicate moment. “Gesundheit!”, Smith said, without missing a beat and the whole room cracked up.
The concert was authentic, vibrant, raw, and playful. We both liked it a lot. We were standing at the back by the sound board, which gave us a good view, and I managed to snap a photo of the setlist before a fan grabbed it. When it was all over, it actually felt nice to step outside and breathe some cooler air again.
That was it for this time. We still need to come back for the Miniature Wunderland and next time we’ll remember to book tickets early. Maybe we’ll go same time next year? For now, I’m just looking ahead to next weekend when Oliver and I meet again in Düsseldorf to see Ed Sheeran. It’ll be the last stadium show for this year, and a totally different experience. See you!
Setlist
Today’s Tomorrow
Carnage
Set My Body Free
One Lone Night
Into the Sun
The Bowery
Sycamore
C’mon Come Up
Joe and Jolene
The Matador
The Whistler
Last Call to Heaven
Don’t You Want It
Stunt Driver
Come Join the Murder
I Got You
Pilot
Encore:
Highwaymen
Oh Darlin’ What Have I Done
Stray Bullet 
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