|
With Simple Minds in paradise!? No, not really. But there was an “angel” to make it happen that i could see them one more time live playing these showcase gigs to promote the very new Simple Minds album BLACK & WHITE 050505!!!!
THANK YOU LEO!!!!!!
Erwin post in the newsgroup, that he had two spare tickets for the show, but as i wrote him and asked for one of these tickets they were already gone, but he said, that Leo had also one ticket left and i asked him. And yes, he said yes and gave me this ticket!!!!
Thank you very much, Leo! For me you was the angel to open heavens door at that evening in Paradiso!!!!
I knew Paola would be there too, i asked her, if we should share the room for the night and she was happy, because she only could booked a very expensive hotelroom, but it was a nice choose! :-)
The Simple Minds had booked the same hotel!!!!
At saturday morning i put my travelling shoes on and jumped into my car and drove to Amsterdam. It’s “only” 300 km from my hometown, so it was a comparatively short trip. I met Paola in the hotel and when we left it to go to the Paradiso, Andy arrived at the hotel.
Paola said a short Hello to him and scolded him to left the band for the next tour!
At the Paradiso we met Bart and his girlfriend Ingrid and wait by talking our plans for the next tour.
The other “diehards” came and occasionally Mel, Eddie and Charlie went past and said Hello to us. We could listen to some tunes from the soundcheck (behind closed doors) and we all were very happy to be there, because the music sounded very good!!!!!!
In Amsterdam i met many people; some names became faces and some well-known-faces was seen again!
It’s always a pleasure to share the waiting time before the closed doors with so nice people. I think, Simple Minds fans are very special people! They are very nice and kindly. It’s like a big family and the gigs are the “anniversary-parties”!!!
When the doors open, the “diehards” enter the first rows and everything was perfect! I got a place close of the middle, Paola got her place just in front of Jims microphone! We were very happy! :-)
The Paradiso is an old church and with the balcony of wood and the windows of colored glass it’s a beautiful place. The only thing, which was not so nice was that the stage is very high, and i joked to the other fans, if Jim would wear his white shoes, i had the right place to paint them black with my “black-permanent-marker”, but for his own luck, he don’t wore the white shoes this evening! :-)
The show starts with “Home” but with the first three stanzas the microphones were not opened by Jim yet, but after this short mistake the sound was very good!!!!
Jim noticed all the “well-known-faces” and during "Stay visible" he winked at me and said (without voice) "Hi baby!" to me! WOW! He has recognized me! But i was not the only one. He shake hands with the fans at the first rows and gave them all a big smile! He's simply a very friendly and sympathetically person!!!
I thought the band was in a very good mood. Andy joked a lot behind his key’s and Mel as well! It was a real pleasure and a great concert!
After the gig there were only happy faces around! Bart, Ingrid, Paola and me talked and had a beer and than, when most of the people were gone, we got the luck and we could went into the “after-show-party”! We met Eddie, Andy and Charlie and after a short while we left the venue and walked to our hotel where we met them again and Mel and Jim, too, at the hotel bar. But we don’t “stalked” at them, we took a place in a comfortable couch and had some more beer while we’re talking. Only Bart want to say “thank you” to Jim, and so he did! Nice Bart, very nice! :-)
It was a very nice evening/night but a some point we had to say “good bye” for a while...
CU soon (hopefully)!
After very short sleep, Paola got up, because of her early flight back home, I tried to sleep a little bit longer, but I couldn't, thus I took a shower and because of the very luxurious hotel and the thought to the very last time to have a very expensive event for a long time, I decided to take my breakfast in the hotel (it had an extra price and was not in the room price included!). I haven't met one of “our famous guys", but I saw some members of the crew, and when I wanted to check out, I met Regina and Aggie again. It was a very nice timing and good point "to say goodbye" up to the next forthcoming gigs!:-)
Paola told me with short messages at my mobile phone that he met Jim Kerr by leaving from breakfast and at the airport again. I think, for her it was really a trip to paradise!!!!
But now, back ‘home’, it’s so sad, that the next concert from the Minds in Amsterdam is already sold out! :-( I would love to go there again! (Hey, Leo, do you maybe have a spare ticket for the 17th February???? Or someone else???? Please let me know!!!!)
Kerstin 01/10/2005
|
