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outsdrMay 25th, 2018
(Standard disclaimer: My memory sucks. I'll very likely leave out events and forget names. My apologies. Plus, I write really, really slowly.)
Everyone left the bus and got their bearings, checking out the front of the Whisky-a-go-go. It was very unassuming.
No one was being allowed in yet, and a line formed down the side of the building. Mike stopped in the restaurant next door, where he located the Swedish contingent, including Peter and Willie.
They ended up being just as crazy as I'd heard.
I wandered around saying hello to people, just enjoying everyone's company.
Soon, the doors opened, and we all quickly made our way inside. The club was small to start with, but with all the various sound, light, and video equipment stuffed in, it became even more intimate.
Like Brady had told me earlier, there wasn't a bad seat in the house. The stage was set in one corner, with room to stand in front, as well as booths in the back near the bar (which needed to be rented, it turned out!)
There were stairs going to the second floor, where there were tables to sit at, and the balcony overlooked the stage for a different viewing angle.
Rainer's soundboard setup.
Ricky at his light board.
Kristoff doing ... uh, things.
Vahe came around, and I ended up following him backstage, where the band and crew were hanging out.
Initially, I really had been worried about getting a good seat, just as everyone else in attendance worried, I'm sure. But once I'd wandered around a bit, and seeing how well the crowd fit inside, I wasn't worried any more. So I didn't feel like I had to find a spot and camp out to keep it. Plus, as nice as it is to be front-and-center stage for a show, I'd done that already in the past. There were fans in attendance who had never been to a show at all, let alone in the front row, so I knew how much fun they were about to have.
Backstage, there were three rooms. The crew were hanging out in one of the smaller rooms, filling it with smoke.
Next to it was another small room, that seemed to be set aside for media interviews and other quiet activities.
Lauren, the master of ceremonies, was here, putting gel in her husband's hair.
Across the hall was a large room with big windows overlooking the street below, letting in the evening light. Here the band was hanging out on couches, talking and playing with their phones.
I found a seat near David.
"oy!" He oyed, Britishly. "Your boots."
"How do you get around in them? They're massive!"
I shrugged.
"Here," he said, waving his hand at them. " Give them to me."
"What?"
"Your boots. Give them here!" So, I took my boots off, and handed them over to David.
He struggled to put them on.
Finally, he managed to arrange his tiny little feet to his liking, and began to stomp around. He lacked the innate grace that I achieved with the boots, but even I would admit they were an improvement to his look.
He tromped off towards the smoky room. Somehow, I managed to wedge his Vans onto my feet, and I followed behind, catching him as he pretended to berate the crew, wagging his finger at them.
Eventually, he at least managed a decent swagger. He returned to the big room, and we switched our shoes back, laughing. We plonked down on the couch with Alex.
I took the opportunity for a selfie with my two friends.
Spirits were high, and everyone was a little giddy, it seemed.
I think it was Alex who started it. I don't remember why ...
"Ah ... Ah ... Ah .. Ah ..." she sang.
"Staying Alive. Staying Alive." David and I joined in.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Staying ALIIIVVVVEEEE!!!!" Our voices cracked, and we laughed hysterically. Marian looked over at us like we'd lost our minds.
Maybe we had, just a little.
Jakob wandered over, and began to warm up on a chair.
By now, showtime was near, so I wandered back out to the floor, and found a place to stand beside Rainer's soundboard.
I looked up, and Christian and Ingo were standing at the top of the stage stairs, looking over the crowd. I knew the show would start soon, and sure enough, Lauren made her way to the center of the stage and began her introductions.
Amongst cheers from the crowd, Alphaville took the stage. Marian spoke for a minute, and then the music started ....
Fantastic Dream. What a perfect song to start the show with!
The rest of the show is a blur of amazing music, songs never before performed, bouncing up and down on my poor injured foot and not giving a damn, and losing myself in the crowded memories being made.
I soon realized I had chosen the wrong spot to watch the show, not because I couldn't see, but because of what I could see ... Rainer's computer, with the entire set list! I managed to spoil the show for myself.
Not that it mattered. When Universal Daddy began to play, and the audience screamed, I think I screamed the loudest. And then Carsten began to play Red Rose.
The entire band were at their best.
The show lasted for hours, and ended far too soon. I made my way backstage, and congratulated everyone on the amazing show. It truly was incredible; I was euphoric.
Everyone was in a similar mood. Vahe finally slowed down long enough to eat something, and Brady sat down for a bit as well.
I mentioned to Marian how good Universal Daddy had sounded, and I hoped he'd play it again in future concerts, because it would be a shame otherwise. "We spent so much time on arranging and practicing these new songs," he said, "that yes, we're going to keep playing them, rotate some into the setlist and retire some of the other ones."
Very cool.
At some point, Mike, Mark, and Marie found me and we all bundled into an Uber, making our way back to the hotel. It had been a long day, and I was tired. Up in the room, Mike and I cracked open the bottle of honey whiskey he'd picked up for me, and we toasted the evening, before I heavily fell asleep.
(Standard disclaimer: My memory sucks. I'll very likely leave out events and forget names. My apologies. Plus, I write really, really slowly.)
Everyone left the bus and got their bearings, checking out the front of the Whisky-a-go-go. It was very unassuming.
No one was being allowed in yet, and a line formed down the side of the building. Mike stopped in the restaurant next door, where he located the Swedish contingent, including Peter and Willie.
They ended up being just as crazy as I'd heard.
I wandered around saying hello to people, just enjoying everyone's company.
Soon, the doors opened, and we all quickly made our way inside. The club was small to start with, but with all the various sound, light, and video equipment stuffed in, it became even more intimate.
Like Brady had told me earlier, there wasn't a bad seat in the house. The stage was set in one corner, with room to stand in front, as well as booths in the back near the bar (which needed to be rented, it turned out!)
There were stairs going to the second floor, where there were tables to sit at, and the balcony overlooked the stage for a different viewing angle.
Rainer's soundboard setup.
Ricky at his light board.
Kristoff doing ... uh, things.
Vahe came around, and I ended up following him backstage, where the band and crew were hanging out.
Initially, I really had been worried about getting a good seat, just as everyone else in attendance worried, I'm sure. But once I'd wandered around a bit, and seeing how well the crowd fit inside, I wasn't worried any more. So I didn't feel like I had to find a spot and camp out to keep it. Plus, as nice as it is to be front-and-center stage for a show, I'd done that already in the past. There were fans in attendance who had never been to a show at all, let alone in the front row, so I knew how much fun they were about to have.
Backstage, there were three rooms. The crew were hanging out in one of the smaller rooms, filling it with smoke.
Next to it was another small room, that seemed to be set aside for media interviews and other quiet activities.
Lauren, the master of ceremonies, was here, putting gel in her husband's hair.
Across the hall was a large room with big windows overlooking the street below, letting in the evening light. Here the band was hanging out on couches, talking and playing with their phones.
I found a seat near David.
"oy!" He oyed, Britishly. "Your boots."
"How do you get around in them? They're massive!"
I shrugged.
"Here," he said, waving his hand at them. " Give them to me."
"What?"
"Your boots. Give them here!" So, I took my boots off, and handed them over to David.
He struggled to put them on.
Finally, he managed to arrange his tiny little feet to his liking, and began to stomp around. He lacked the innate grace that I achieved with the boots, but even I would admit they were an improvement to his look.
He tromped off towards the smoky room. Somehow, I managed to wedge his Vans onto my feet, and I followed behind, catching him as he pretended to berate the crew, wagging his finger at them.
Eventually, he at least managed a decent swagger. He returned to the big room, and we switched our shoes back, laughing. We plonked down on the couch with Alex.
I took the opportunity for a selfie with my two friends.
Spirits were high, and everyone was a little giddy, it seemed.
I think it was Alex who started it. I don't remember why ...
"Ah ... Ah ... Ah .. Ah ..." she sang.
"Staying Alive. Staying Alive." David and I joined in.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Staying ALIIIVVVVEEEE!!!!" Our voices cracked, and we laughed hysterically. Marian looked over at us like we'd lost our minds.
Maybe we had, just a little.
Jakob wandered over, and began to warm up on a chair.
By now, showtime was near, so I wandered back out to the floor, and found a place to stand beside Rainer's soundboard.
I looked up, and Christian and Ingo were standing at the top of the stage stairs, looking over the crowd. I knew the show would start soon, and sure enough, Lauren made her way to the center of the stage and began her introductions.
Amongst cheers from the crowd, Alphaville took the stage. Marian spoke for a minute, and then the music started ....
Fantastic Dream. What a perfect song to start the show with!
The rest of the show is a blur of amazing music, songs never before performed, bouncing up and down on my poor injured foot and not giving a damn, and losing myself in the crowded memories being made.
I soon realized I had chosen the wrong spot to watch the show, not because I couldn't see, but because of what I could see ... Rainer's computer, with the entire set list! I managed to spoil the show for myself.
Not that it mattered. When Universal Daddy began to play, and the audience screamed, I think I screamed the loudest. And then Carsten began to play Red Rose.
The entire band were at their best.
The show lasted for hours, and ended far too soon. I made my way backstage, and congratulated everyone on the amazing show. It truly was incredible; I was euphoric.
Everyone was in a similar mood. Vahe finally slowed down long enough to eat something, and Brady sat down for a bit as well.
I mentioned to Marian how good Universal Daddy had sounded, and I hoped he'd play it again in future concerts, because it would be a shame otherwise. "We spent so much time on arranging and practicing these new songs," he said, "that yes, we're going to keep playing them, rotate some into the setlist and retire some of the other ones."
Very cool.
At some point, Mike, Mark, and Marie found me and we all bundled into an Uber, making our way back to the hotel. It had been a long day, and I was tired. Up in the room, Mike and I cracked open the bottle of honey whiskey he'd picked up for me, and we toasted the evening, before I heavily fell asleep.
