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Posted: 2008-08-29 14:10:54

Before the show:
Some days before the gig in Berlin started I wrote an email to my friends not to forget about this special concert but I didn't know who of them would really come. I invited Ville - one of our friends from the FIN-Connection - to be the last of my guestlist. After I was coming back from work changing my clothes for a wet gig night (I took my black Volleyball-T-Shirt titled "Wattebaellchen"), Tiina (my wife) and I were ready to leave at 7:30 pm. We took our bikes driving along the water channel straight to the 'Schlesisches Tor' where the Kato is located. 'Schlesisches Tor' is an Underground station (viaduct) in the heart of Kreuzberg - my district. Before the wall came down it was the last station of the famous Underground line 'U1' - there is also a famous musical about this underground line. But back to the day.

After we had locked our bikes I was totally happy to see Antje, Andi, Kathrin (friends from my volleyball team) and Oskar - Andi's son - near the Kato. Tiina was really surprised to see Oskar there because he is one of her pupils at the school she is teaching biology. To calm down a little bit she was eating a Kebab. While we were waiting for her food, Manas was jogging around our way. We hugged and talked a little bit. Also Raleigh came the way jogging but he didn't see us. Back to the Kato we got our guestbuttons. Also Liane and Paul (volleyball) came to see Spearhead. So many people I know were here. A really big surprise for me. Than I saw Versace. I introduced him to Tiina and he was curious to learn some finnish words. 15 min later Ville was coming and we were ready to go in.

The show:
Don't know when the gig started. Should be something between 9:15 - 9:30 pm. The location was full - I mean really full. Kato is a small venue - similiar to Kalkscheune so there were maybe 400 people and from the first moment MF&SH got the audience dancing, jumping, waving and singing. I was going in front of the stage (4/5th line ) - more on the right side like I do it now for more than seven years - with a wonderful view to the stage. Tiina didn't like to come with me (too much tall, wet people) - so I was there alone surounded by lovely people. The message of this Spearhead show was very simple: "Life in this Love - Love in this Life". I was surprised how many people could sing the songs even the new ones. You could really see that the band liked to play here. Spearhead was playing a good mix of fast and more accoustic songs like "One Step Closer to You", "Is love enough" and "Hey World (don't Give Up Version)". There was also a new or cover song I didn't know called "Keep on rollin (new version)". They also played a mix of "Passed the Kutchie" and "Ganja Babe". The people liked it. Before he started to play "I Got Love For You" Michael talked about his oldest son Cabbi(?) leaving SF and to be a father. This song was very long (more than 10 min). While we were singing "la la la ....I got love for you" the band was leaving the stage for a break but we didn't stop singing until they were coming back after one or two minutes. This was great.

They started the final with "Soundsystem". I recognized that instruments were louder than Michaels voice so it was hard to understand him but after "IKINA" it got better with "Yell Fire". Dave was doing a solo in front of the stage and one of the people there gave him an empty bottle to take it as a bottleneck. The last song was "Say Hey". Michael teached us the chorus and after one repeat we got it till the end around 11:30 pm.

Little notice: Before the accoustic part with "One Step Closer to You" and "Is love enough" Michael talked about his first experience here in Berlin with the Beatnigs (you can read his words about this event here). He said it was July 1988 and he never could believe that 4 month later the wall would fall down. I think everyone know the year .

After the show
I left the front of the stage area - totally wet - and found Tiina and the others in the back with smiling faces so they also liked the show.
I talked with Carl at the backstage door and thanked him for the wonderful show. Versace was giving me the setlist from the power amplifier and excused himself for the loud mix of the last songs. I also went backstage which was a very small area, hugging Michael and Carl again and we had a short talk.
We left the Kato and had a nice talk outside with Dave about the show. Versace also came out ready to learn some more words in Finnish. We said goodbye and were driving back to our home. After a short shower, I tried to sleep but my feet were still movin - lalala

Posted: 2008-08-29 15:33:18

Before the show:
A couple of weeks before I already knew that I will not be alone here in Cologne. Ingrid and Michael - my friends here in Cologne will come to the gig and together with me on the guestlist were Anna (the girl I knew from the Beck gig in Berlin) and Toni from Barca(Catalonia), so I had great expectations for this day.

I stopped working in Wolfsburg earlier so I could take the train to Cologne at 3 pm. Got a good place, listened to the new record and wrote a lot for the review the day before.
I arrived in Cologne at 6 pm and was half an hour later at the Luxor. The doors were open and I came in the small backstage room where the guys were hanging around. We talked about the gig yesterday, traveling by train, children. I also told Michael about his little mistake he made yesterday with the year the Berlin wall came down. and he said that others had already mentioned it.
Versace would like to see the Dom so we took the underground and some minutes later we saw this really big building with all its sculptures, towers, details. We were making some pictures and also took a walk within the Dom and to the bridge over the Rhine. We came back to the Luxor at 8:30 pm
While I was drinking a beer at the bar near the doors I saw Juiceman and Anna coming in and buying tickets. I was totally surprised and happy to see them now after three years. We went outside talking. Ingrid, Michael, Anna and Toni almost arrived at the same time, so we talked a lot in front of the Luxor. Ingrid gave me a key for their rooms and described me the way I had to take. More and more people were coming so we decided to go in.

Posted: 2008-09-01 16:21:45

So this might be my exSpearience for this year and it looks like it couldn't be better. I had two phantastic nights and I can't get the vibes out of my mind, still listening to the new music, remembering special moments.

There were some friends of me saw MFSH the first time who left the place with a smiling face. Others said it was not that good like the years before. The only negative thing for me were some people in Cologne - but that's life in a city. Have seen Juiceman and Johan again which I didn't expected and I had the feeling back it was 3 years ago - be a part of the spearit comunity.

I put the setlist here because they are very similiar - only "Everybody on the move" was missing in Berlin.

So if you are interested in reading the reviews first start with the Berlin review than the review of Cologne

Setlist (Berlin): Little Bit of riddim, Hello bonjour, Rude boys, Time to go home, Keep on rollin, Sometimes, Sweet little lies, Remote control, Pass the Kutchie/Ganja Babe, All I want is you, Life in the city, One step closer, Is love enough, Light up your lighter, Hey world (Don't give up), I got love for you, ---------- Soundsystem, I know I'm not alone, Yell Fire, Say Hey

Setlist for Berlin as planned

Setlist (Cologne): Little Bit of riddim, Hello bonjour, Rude boys, Time to go home, Keep on rollin, Sometimes, Sweet little lies, Remote control, Pass the Kutchie/Ganja Babe, All I want is you, Life in the city, One step closer, Is love enough, Light up your lighter, Everybody on the move, Hey world (Don't give up), I got love for you, ---------- Soundsystem, I know I'm not alone, Yell Fire, Say Hey

Posted: 2009-07-12 11:24:45

Before the show:
Since I have known the tourdates for Europe it was clear the only gigs I could maybe go would be the both in Belgium - Cactus Festival in Brugge and Rock Festival in Zottegem.

I hoped it could work like it was in 2005 - see the beautiful people from Belgium I know, stay with them, party with them but since the Rotterdam festival one week before I knew that juiceman couldn't come to any festival. So my plans changed. I decided only to go to one festival and Brugge was selected because it was better reachable by train. It was very difficult to get a hotel room for this weekend but in the end it worked - railway station, hotel and festival ground all in a 15 min distance. What a good starting position. I asked Johan who also wanted to come for a ticket and he ordered it for me 3 day before the festival.

Posted: 2009-07-12 13:30:03

So this was my exSpearience this year? No - this couldn't be. I am sitting now in the train back from Belgium to Berlin and I try to recapitulate what happenned there. I am driving more than 800 km to see the Band I waited for almost one year and than ... I MISSED THEM!!! But let's start from the begin.

Posted: 2009-12-01 00:43:10

Living Colour was the absolute musical highlight this year for me.

The doors of the Lido - my first gig there - openend at 9 pm and I was a little bit late. But it hadn't start so far, so enough time to check out the audience and house. The Lido is a nice place taking maybe up to 800 people. It got filled and there was only one person I know. It was a mother from my kiez I was seeing from time to time.

There was an opener band called 'Lord Bishop Rocks' - 3 guys with guitar, bass and drum. They played some songs (also Hey Joe) and it sounds fair - nothing more to say.

Posted: 2010-03-14 01:27:36

Catherine Enny - manager at Guerrilla Management - offered me to go to the gig of "The Ettes" in Berlin by setting me and my wife on the guestlist. We listened to some songs on myspace - sounded a little bit like Bangles - so we decided to go.

The Glashaus is one part of a big event area and we heard on the radio before that also "Scooter" - this "Hyper, Hyper"-Mainstream-Techno Band is there - having their gig at the "Arena" - next door. So there might be bad conditions for "The Ettes" to have a great audience.

Posted: 2010-06-06 23:10:16

Short after "The Ettes" gig I knew that "Thievery Corporation" would come to Berlin. So I bought tickets for me and my wife very early.

On the day of the gig - wonderful sunny and warm day - we realized that we have forgotten to organize a Babysitter for our children this night. So we decided to let the children for 1 1/2 hour alone. Venue was only 10 min by bike away from us. They said this would be ok - because they will already sleeping. My wife was waiting until they were sleeping but I was already going to organize the tickets and a good place.

Posted: 2010-07-01 00:34:52

Some days before the gig started a friend at work told me that he is going to the already sold out gig of Pearl Jam with opener Ben Harper. I told him that could also be something for me but sold out is sold out.

The evening before the gig he called me that he couldn't go and if I like to get the ticket he had. YES, YES - I took it and drove to the Wuhlheide for the first time in my life. After I passed the checkpoint and reached the upper end of the Wuhlheide amphitheatre (capacity of 20-30.000 people) at 7:15 pm I heard the last accords of Ben Harper. I missed him what a pitty. So I was looking for a nice place in the shadow (very hot) and with a good view to the stage. I was maybe 10 steps upper than the ground area so no big foot could disturbe my view.

Posted: 2010-10-24 00:13:45

Anti-Flag was headliner for the Vans of the wall night here in Berlin. The other actors of this night were The Swellers, Pulled apart by horses and Red Lights Flash. Saw this as an event notice on facebook and the Columbia-Club/Hall is my "home-venue" so I decided to go there. Never heard Anti-Flag before. I only know they were one band at the PTTP-Festival in 2005 (3/5).

I was arriving at the Columbia Hall at 8:30 pm and a lot of people were waiting outside. I asked one of the securities if I have to wait in line showing him my online ticket and he said yes. What a pitty. Saw the gig was completly sold out. After some minutes I asked one in the line if they know "Anti-Flag" - looking at me a little bit confused with the answer "Einstuerzende Neubauten" are playing in the Columbia Hall. - HiHi - the wrong venue, but only 50m next there is the Columbia-Club and everything was ok.

Inside I heard the last song of Pulled apart by horses and Red Lights Flash were following 5 min later. As the sound and music didn't fit to my ears I was going outside into the Club's beergarden having some cigs, drink and I listened to the discussions of the people (tax return, broadcast fee, shopping - what? we are at a punk-concert).

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