From Graz to Croatia

A Nightmare Trip for Gabalier Leading Up to His Concert Performance

All’s well that ends well, but Andreas Gabalier could have done without that long trip.(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger/Daniel Scharinger)

A successful start for the “Austria goes Zrce” event and concert spectacle in Croatia, featuring numerous star acts and the folk rock ’n’ roller, who had a very long journey...

Over 20,000 young partygoers are still enjoying the 10th-anniversary celebration of the “Austria goes Zrce” event and concert spectacle through Friday. And they’re in great company there—with stars you can almost touch. Like Andreas Gabalier (41), who arrived with all his hits and a 40-metric-ton truck full of equipment to perform.

Over 10 hours, instead of five
But before things got underway at the Croatian festival beach near Novalja, nothing was moving. As he told his “Krone” colleague Mario Ruhmanseder, it took him no less than ten hours (roughly twice as long as usual) to get there because of a traffic jam. That wore even him out...

After a ride on the jet ski, all that was forgotten. “I’m really enjoying it. For me, this is a bit like going back to my roots—it’s like being 29 again. In recent years, stadium tours made it impossible to do something like this. This year, the timing is right, which is why I absolutely wanted to perform here,” said Gabalier, who then put on one of his shows that have since achieved cult status.

Strong Lineup of Stars
Of course, this wasn’t going to be the last star appearance. The two Upper Austrian organizers, Martin Reitstätter and Lukas Berger, are expecting hit-makers like DJ Ötzi and the Junge Zillertaler to follow “Mister Hulapalu.”