At Oktoberfest that evening, we shared a table with a bunch of Australians, all of whom had clearly been drinking heavily all day. They were all friendly, and all seemed to be in the middle of a 2-3 month journey through Europe. The waitress who came to our table pulled a large menu out of her cleavage, and eventually returned with six or eight of those beer steins (each one "ein Mass" - a liter, I believe) in each hand, along with several enormous soft pretzels. Those women, in addition to being quite pretty and pleasant, were very strong as well!
The Oompah band played many tunes - traditional German songs, but also many popular American tunes. By far, the song that got the greatest reaction from the crowd, and which was sung loudly and clearly in English by pretty much everyone there, was "New York, New York" sung by Frank Sinatra.
It was a wonderful experience, which I will never forget.
Great story, and similar to my own from the ‘90’s. Among the more memorable moments: entire tents full of Germans (plus a few outsiders..) raising their steins, and swaying in unison as they sung old German Folk songs. Also quite memorable was the semi-rock band playing the Stones’ Satisfaction. That song, sung with a distinct German accent, takes on a whole new meaning...