Pedaling again: Manu Delago’s ReCycling Tour 2023 – mica

This week Manu Delago’s band is on tour again – but after the opening concert on June 1st in Innsbruck’s Treibhaus they won’t disappear into a huge Nightliner. Instead, they will get up early the next day and face the sunrise. That’s right: Manu Delago’s “ReCycling Tour” is entering the second round.

When you think of touring, fresh air and sports don’t necessarily spring to mind. Rather the opposite: too little daylight, too much time in transport and dim clubs and “road food” – what the next rest stop has to offer. But as Bob Dylan once said: „The times, they are a-changing“ – and Manu Delago leads by example.

The first ReCycling Tour in 2021 caused quite a stir. The fact that anyone would be touring at all in this chaotic year was exciting enough, but Manu Delago had a special mission: to show that sustainable touring is not just a pipe dream. The tour was a success and now, two years later, he’s doing it again – this time on a much larger scale. Under the motto “From the Alps to the North Sea”, the route this time leads from Innsbruck via Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne to the bicycle city of Amsterdam from June 1st. The Tyrolean, who is currently nominated for a Grammy, and his band play around 20 concerts along the way.

Manu Delago is about for his work with Björk, Ólafur Arnalds or Anoushka Shankar. The many flights and bus rides associated with a tour have made him think about how he can contribute to sustainability and climate protection as a musician, says Delago zur Tiroler Tageszeitung. At the end of June, the band travels back by train – much more comfortable but at least a lot more environmentally friendly than a 12-hour drive or a flight from Schiphol.

Of course, there are certain risks associated with the company: the band members are exposed to the pitfalls of the weather and their own bodies – a herniated disc made the first tour in 2021 much more complicated. Nevertheless, everything is thought out down to the last detail, from bicycle trailers with built-in power generators to cooperation with regional producers and small businesses.

It’s art as activism, and it might not work for all musicians (the set of a lavish Björk show is difficult to pack into bike trailers), but it’s proof that touring can also be healthier – for the body and for the planet.

Philip Yeager