We did it! From 8 April – 3 May, 2026 Kultur Shock gallivanted through Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, North Makedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Poland and Hungary, playing live shows for our adoring fans ~ with our usual vim and vigor!

There were a more than a few mishaps along the way, but improvisation is the key to survival, right?

A few highlights:

The tour van’s rear window shattered when we (gently) closed the door in Skopje, but we’d packed some folded cardboard boxes “just in case”, and that very evening had grabbed some gaffer’s tape from the stage by mistake, so it all worked out fine

Val’s wife Lana ended up in a Bulgarian hospital a week into the tour ~ and needed Val’s care urgently. The tour teetered on complete cancellation until our pal Stevan “Šarki” Radoičić stepped up to the plate. In one day he managed to arrange his work schedule AND pass the audition, playing almost every song without a second thought. Happily, Lana recuperated quickly, so Val rejoined us in Frankfurt, so we had two guitars for the rest of the tour.

The backline (amps & drums) we rented for the second half of the tour filled the entire van, so we had to improvise another solution ~ and after three valiant attempts everything fit in just fine! We are now Tetrus experts!

ENJOY MY PHOTOS & VIDEOS posted on Flickr.com

Check out my Instagram Page

Check out Gino’s beautiful short movie about the tour

Last day of tour, Budapest, Hungary.

KULTUR SHOCK: 30 YEARS OF OPPTIMIZM TOUR

08/04 – (BULGARIA) Sofia – Stroeja

09/04 – (BULGARIA) Plovdiv ~ Undercity

10/04 – (TURKEY) Istanbul – Roxy

11/04 – (TURKEY) Eskişehir – Izole

12/04 – (TURKEY) Ankara – 6:45 KK

13/04 – day off/drive

14/04 – (GREECE) Thessaloniki – 8-Ball

15/04 – (N. MACEDONIA) Skopje – MKC

16/04 – (SERBIA) Belgrade – Zappa Barka

17/04 – (SERBIA) Novi Sad – SKC Fabrika

18/04 – (BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA) Sarajevo – Dom Mladih Skenderija

19/04 – MONTENEGRO Podgorica – CKZ Ribnica

20/04 – day off/drive

21/04 – (CROATIA) Rijeka – Impulse festival – Pogon Kulture

22/04 – (CROATIA) Zagreb – Vintage Industrial Bar

23/04 – (SLOVENIA)- Ljubljana – Gala Hala

24/04 – (AUSTRIA) Vienna – U4

25/04 – (GERMANY) Stuttgart – Kulturquartier-Proton

26/04 – day off/drive

27/04 – (GERMANY) Frankfurt – Das Bett

28/04 – (GERMANY) Munich – Backstage club

29/04 – (GERMANY) Berlin – SO36

30/04 – (GERMANY) Monheim am Rhein – Sojus 7

01/05 – (POLAND) Krakow – Klub RE

02/05 – (HUNGARY) Budapest – Stenk