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Posted: 2011-10-23 11:15:31

Before the show:
At 5 pm we came to the railway station by bike and 15 min later we reached Centraal in Amsterdam. On the way to Paradiso we took some food and arrived at Paradiso 1/2 h before the show began. At the door I was a little bit anxious if we were really on the guestlist but everything was ok and we got our passes - Marion and Bauke for the aftershow and me with All Access. The show was sold out - so many people but we got a good place on the middle right side 10 m away from the stage.

Posted: 2011-08-13 02:42:10

It was already in January when I heard the first time from The Sunpilots. Getting connected through MySpace and Facebook there was this gig-date for Berlin announced and I was sure to go there because I like this progressive - poetic kind of rock music - and - Arcanoa is only 900m away from my home.

This friday was very cloudy and in the earlier evening it started to rain "out of all buckets". I was tired and not sure if I should go. So first I started to sleep some time. I woke up at 10 pm - the rain stopped and I went immediately. The gig already started as I heard it outside from the street. The Arcanoa is a very small music-bar and maybe 30 - 40 people were there.

I heard the songs - except "Drones" - for the first time and I think they were playing almost all songs from their new record "King of the sugarcoated tongues". In the first part of their show they were also doin a cover of Dylan/Hendrix "All along the watchtower".

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).

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: 2010-06-06 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.

So I arrived there 10 min before it should start - everything was relaxed there - a lot of people. I got my tickets at the ticketscorner - I also could deposit my wife's ticket there. So I was already in. Last time I saw "The Mars Volta" at Huxleys I could remember that the accoustic was not the best there. After getting a beer I positioned me directly behind the sound machine area - good look to the stage and hopefully the best sound. My wife came some seconds before the gig started. She was a little bit nervous about our children so every 5 min she was looking to her mobile if there is a message of them, but nothing happenend. After 1 hour of the show she was driving back to them.

DJs Rob Garza and Eric Hilton and their guest artists made a great performance with a lot of media effects. They had a big video installation in the back, Rob and Eric built the center on the higher part of the stage, to the left and right were the drums and percussions and in front there was the bass, guitar (citar) players, the horns on the left side and the singers.

They changed almost after every song and so also the language changed. They sang in english, french, brasil-portoguese, spanish, rastafan-english. As I could find it out at internet the singers are:
Gunjan - brasil,
Lou Lou Ooldouz Ghelickhani - frensh,
Sista Pat and two rastafans - jamaica,
a female and male singer from - united states

They were doing almost all songs from the last record "Radio Retaliation", my favorite of all times "Warning shots" and "The richest Man of Babylon".

Before they were playing their last song after 2 1/2 hour, they were asking "young ladies" in front to come to the stage so that their were maybe 30 people on the stage groovin to the sound of "Comin from the top".

The show was wonderful but the sound was miserable.

Here is the setlist: a warning dub - mandala - lebanese blonde - shadows - until the morning remix - sol tapado - liberation front - originality - numbers - illumination - heaven gonna burn - la femme - 33 degrees - amerimacka - all that we perceive - hari krishna - exilio - vampires - heart is a hunter - blasting thru city - sound the alarm - assault on babylon - warning shots - [encore] - forgotten people - sweet tides - richest man - pueblo unido - coming from the top

    ThieveryCorporation@Berlin2010 - Sample1
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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: 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: 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: 2009-07-12 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: 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

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