what a surreal night ... lying on the couch in the Nomad hostel in cardiff and listening to the U2 gig from Sheffield, being broadcast live, eyes firmly closed and all the places I have been to during the past two months, came flying by, it was a very moving night.
The day was great too .... got up nice and early to make my way to Myrthyl Tidfill with the train, then on towards Brecon with the bus, for some proper hill walking. First I had to wait for the bus to Brecon for one hour, I made my way to the shopping mall that was close by, thinking this was smart, making the tourist wait for some time, so they go and spend money in town ..
little did I know that I was gonna have a blast finding these great walking shoes, for 25 pounds, instead of the usual 70 .... they were great, water proof and they felt as if I had had them for years .... this was what I needed if I was seriously gonna go up the hills ... instead of the skate shoes that I was wearing .... I did not bring my proper hiking boots as they were too heavy and big for my bagpack .. I only tpook my handluggage on the plane ... being a cheaper way to fly these days ... so walking on these new shoes .. with a huge grin on my face ... now I was ready ...
Got off the bus right besides Penn Y Fan .. after Snowden, the second highest hill in Wales, and despite the bad weather decided to go for it .... It was very very windy, and cloudy too.. some rain showers were droping down, and as I was making my first steps on the hill .. the rain came down in such great drops that I decided to take out my wee brolly and duck underneath for 10 minutes ... Which was a great idea as it actually saved me from getting my pants wet .... with such a long way to go and these winds, it would have been far from comfortable to have wet pants .... literally, that would have been pants .... SO, the heavy rain stopped and I made my way up, the skies opened up sometimes, giving me incredible views of teh Brecon mountains and sometimes I literally was in the clouds .... especially as I was approaching the top ... luckily I had some great clear moments before all hell broke loose ... I was on top of Corn Du, right next to the top of Penn Y Fan when I could see this black cloud approaching, decided it was time to duck for cover ... made my way down a bit, hid behind a huge rock, out of the wind and held on to my wee brolly again, which means .. small umbrella .. Man, really all hell broke loose ... and pretty soon small waterfalls came thundering down the hill .... here I was, in my waterproof jacket, and freshly bought waterproof shoes, trying to keep my pants dry by hiding underneath my umbrella .... it did work but after a while, the umbrella gave up, started leaking and I was hoping it would stop raining ...
And yes, it did ... even though the clouds kept sweeping over the hill, without the rain, it was ok ... I moved towards the other hill, met two people who were wet as if they had been diving underwater .. I tell you ... they looked like drowned cats ... we had a l;augh together, and they went down ... for a few seconds I thought about making my way to the top of Penn Y Fan, only few meters away, but soon decided I was gonna say goodbye to that hill, and visit it again next year, I was gonna make my way down, and so I did .... not soon after that the rain was back ... within seconds giving me my wet pants I had so dreaded ... I decided to up the tempo and soon passed the couple I met earlier on ... not soon after that , it stopped raining again .... man, that hill was very angry that day ... with the wind in my face, drying my pants on teh way down .... it was then a nice walk down .... the skies cleared again, making me wonder for a wee moment if I should go back up ... naaaaa no way .... it was all ok ! I had had my moment of surrender I guess ....
Once I got all the way down, in the valley, with some waterfalls and green fields it was peacefull as anything, the sun was shining and I sat down and had a nice snickers ... I was totally amazed to see families making their way up the hill, with only shorts, and a light rain jacket, they had NO idea what it was like up there .... ah well ... they would soon find out I thought . When the couple came down that I had met on the top I decied to ask them if they were going to Myrthyll Tydfill by any chance, cause the bus would be another 1 hours wait ... and they decided it was only a small detour for them, and they kindly dropped my off at the train station .. yeah .... nice one !
Made my way back to Cardiff, and decided to go into town before going back to the hostel ... ended up in one of the many sportshops, as there are loads of these in the UK ... I remembered from my two years in scotland, that these shops allways have great sales for comfy shorts or trousers ... found myself a great pair of swimming pants and some other great pants, for very very little .... stil used my credit card ... yeah .... on you go ...
Then went to the hostel, had a great bath and shower, made some nice pasta, filled up my tummy and then settled behind the pc, on the sofa, feet up offcourse ... actually fell asleep during Mysterious Ways .... with three songs to go .... ah well ... you cant have it all I guess.
Tomorrow I will have a lazy day in the sauna and do some exploring at the coast of cardiff .. think of a way to get rid of my bag on the concert day ... I do have this hostel booked for the 22nd but plan to get at the Millennium Stadium early in the morning, before I can check in ... so .... ah well ... it wil get sorted ...
Bedtime for now .... off to the l;and of the little fairies .. welsh fairies ..
21 August 2009
17 August 2009
catching a flight from the wrong airport ...
oh yes ... it had to happen ...
I missed my flight today .. went to the wrong brussels airport, to find out there that there was no ryanair flights from that place .... oh oh ..
missed my flight by 20 minutes .... oh yes ... I felt miserable ...
quickly realising that there was little I could do ....
so.... traveled 11 hrs today, to arrive back home ...
now I have set up an emergency scenario, cause I have already got my tickets for glasgow and cardiff, and flights are boooked to get there, and back ...
so .... now I am flying from amsterdam, arriving at 18.00 at edinburgh, get a cab to hampden park in glasgow ... which will take a rib out of my body but hey ....
it has to be like that ...
otherwise I will likely miss half of the show,as the airport in edinburgh lies west of the city, you need to go into the city first, Then take a bus or train westbound again to get to glasgow .... impossible !
The band will start around 20.15 and to get into the city takes 30minutes, to get to glasgow takes 1,5 hrs then need to pick up my ticket from the box office ...
thanx to ticketbastard, they never send me my ticket, with the excuse they had run out .... yeah sure ....
but hey .... I guess this way I will feel like a VIP ... I will be greeted at the airport by a cabdriver, who will be holding a sign with my name on it, then take me to hampden asap .... .. I will keep that sign .... ! Mr Important ! On the back I will write the cab fare ... to remind me ... ah welll ...
Transporting myself like this will mean I get to see the glasgow gig, catch my flight to cardiff the next day, hike for a couple of days in wales, and finish off this amazing summer with the final gig of the european leg ...... yeah ... bring it on . I cant wait ...
for those who dont know ... the audio from the gig in sheffield will be broadcasted live on the 20th aug ... via internet .... so ... close your eyes .... and imagine being here .....
I missed my flight today .. went to the wrong brussels airport, to find out there that there was no ryanair flights from that place .... oh oh ..
missed my flight by 20 minutes .... oh yes ... I felt miserable ...
quickly realising that there was little I could do ....
so.... traveled 11 hrs today, to arrive back home ...
now I have set up an emergency scenario, cause I have already got my tickets for glasgow and cardiff, and flights are boooked to get there, and back ...
so .... now I am flying from amsterdam, arriving at 18.00 at edinburgh, get a cab to hampden park in glasgow ... which will take a rib out of my body but hey ....
it has to be like that ...
otherwise I will likely miss half of the show,as the airport in edinburgh lies west of the city, you need to go into the city first, Then take a bus or train westbound again to get to glasgow .... impossible !
The band will start around 20.15 and to get into the city takes 30minutes, to get to glasgow takes 1,5 hrs then need to pick up my ticket from the box office ...
thanx to ticketbastard, they never send me my ticket, with the excuse they had run out .... yeah sure ....
but hey .... I guess this way I will feel like a VIP ... I will be greeted at the airport by a cabdriver, who will be holding a sign with my name on it, then take me to hampden asap .... .. I will keep that sign .... ! Mr Important ! On the back I will write the cab fare ... to remind me ... ah welll ...
Transporting myself like this will mean I get to see the glasgow gig, catch my flight to cardiff the next day, hike for a couple of days in wales, and finish off this amazing summer with the final gig of the european leg ...... yeah ... bring it on . I cant wait ...
for those who dont know ... the audio from the gig in sheffield will be broadcasted live on the 20th aug ... via internet .... so ... close your eyes .... and imagine being here .....
02 August 2009
building the xoxbox
Feverishly working hard to get it to work ..
the xoxbox .... mine will hopefully sing its first notes in the coming days ...
01 August 2009
what a shot --- dublin 25th July 2009
Here I am, once again, dressed in the dutch orange national colour that makes it easy to identify myself, it also happens to be the accent colour U2 is using for their stage setup . I made it to the rail ... but it took a little war to get there ...
More words later, some pics for now ...
30 July 2009
dublin 24th July 2009 Wide Awake, an emotional discharge !!!
Friday, first gig in Dublin, and I was gonna take it easy ....
Spend most of the day writing letters for the boys, as for a long time I had this idea to give the boys all a copy of the brotherhood e.p , the first release on my own record label Wide Awake records ...
This name came from the song BAD which has always been a very important song for me and my brother Finsent.
For those who dont know, my dear brother Finsent passed away 5 years ago along with his girlfriend Michelle, Finsent and Michelle had this sad accident while they were on their first day of their snowboarding holiday in Alpe d'Huez france ....
It was the blackest day in my entire life, and ever since I have been trying very very hard to deal with this, actually if anything, it has made me live my life more than anything, doing what feels good each and every day, and actually, making the most of each day, cause before you know it, it can all be over, here and now ...
I call it being Wide Awake !!
After his death I decided to start a record label to keep his music "alive" the label is called Wide Awake Records, my brother and I had always been obsessed with making and playing music ourselves ... This label was gonna feature our own music, without any concessions, and for the record sleeves I was gonna use some of the amazing pictures Finsent had taken over the years, being a student at various art academies.
This is the record sleeve, front and back folded out ... the brotherhood ep
We played the song BAD on his funeral and then last week U2 played the same song in Amsterdam on the 21st July, while my parents were sitting behind the stage, and I was in front of it, crying my heart out ... man, it was emotional ... and healing at the same time !
So, after the amsterdam gigs I was gonna go to Dublin to see the boys play three times there ... I decided now was the time to give the boys a copy of the record, and write them a letter, explaining what and how .... I had brought four copies, each wrapped up in smiley paper and on the friday I had been writing the letters, all hand written, analog as hell ... On the thursday I had been to the Clarence hotel (owned by Bono and the Edge) to find out if I could drop the records there, and that was not a problem they said .... so on friday, before the gig, I went there, with a bag full of emotions
... And guess what ... they refused to pass it on ... no way ...
They told me they were under strict instructions not to accept any gifts for the band, what the f**k ? You can imagine I was very upset, I decided to ask for the manager before I was gonna be asked to leave the hotel .. no way I was gonna end up at the concert carrying this bag with me ... I mean, how could I enjoy the concert if I was to take care of the bag at the same time ? The manager came out and told me that they really could not take it, and that principle managements office was dealing with all PR things ... so I made clear that one of his members of staff had told me something totally different the night prior, and that I wanted a solution, he looked at me as if he saw water burning but he quickly realised I meant business here ....
He then pulled out this small map of the centre of Dublin, marked where I could find the Principle managements office and told me to go there. I made sure there would be somebody there, cause I was not gonna walk 30 minutes, and end up in front of a closed door ... and then I just told him once more that he needed to instruct his staff properly to avoid disappointing moments like these ... I had to ... and off I went ...
I walked fast, and soon reached the office, close to where the original studios were located, in an area that is almost considered holy for the u2 nutters .... I rang the bell and was let in ... The guy quickly made his way out of the office, meeting me before I could set foot inside the actual office, where I could see several memorabilia hanging at the walls ... ah well, I was not there for that ... I was on a mission ... I told him that I had brought 4 records, each with a personal letter, and if he could please make sure that the guys would get them .... and here we go .... he told me he could not ....... cause they did not accept any demo's .... ha ha .... he thought I was giving him a demo .... man .... that meant I had to pull out the whole history as described above .. and he soon realised it was totally not what he thought at first, he then took the bag, and promised me he would pass them on, I asked him again if he was really sure that they would get it, cause it WAS IMPORTANT to me !!! And he reassured me, they would definitely get the records !
And that was it, I could not do any more, I simply had to let it go .... it was my moment of surrender ...
I felt strange walking out of the building, towards Croke Park, and soon felt the need for some food ... decided to have a pizza before I entered the stadium and I simply needed some time to let it all fall into place ....
It felt good, I had realised another dream I had had for long, I felt very vey emotional and sad and happy at the same time .. a total charge - discharge experience!
I then went inside Croke Park for the first of three gigs I was gonna witness there, and it was electric, the stadium with its history of Sunday Bloody Sunday (the english had gunned down 18 Irish on the field, after the irish had killed several english spies the day before that) and the mad Irish that stay outside the actual stadium, cause they are not allowed to drink inside ... and if there is one thing they want to do ... it's drink ...
I got my spot in between the sound desk and the catwalk, right behind a few small italians, so I thought I was allright there ... I could see the stage and hear it all very well, the speakers that are hanging from the stage are long throw speakers, so you need to be a bit further away if you want to have a proper sound experience ..
the warmup bands were Damien Dempsey, an Irish bloke, singing his heart out, it was very impressive, and I actually bought 4 cd's to take home ! And Glasvegas, and the fact that I sat down, and they did not make me want to sit up, says anough ..
Then as the concert was to start, all hell broke out, here come the Irish Lads ... drunk as hell, ploughing and shoving, making their way to the front, they reckon they are Irish, and have any right to be at the front, but they were not gonna wait in line for hours, as all others had to get to where they were then .. ... shit man .. it was hell ... they made the whole field shift and before I knew it, there were tall lads in front of me, and the Italians were right beside me ... we could not see a thing ...
We soon decided to regroup, and it looked ok, untill the concerts started, here come the camera's F**KING hell !!! I HATE THEM I REALLY HATE THE CAMERA's !!!!!!!!!
People in front of us, holding their camera with two hands, so you could not see over their shoulder, nor their heads ... and as everyone was trying to see what was going on at the stage, the field was a continuous sight of moving and shifting bodies ... I soon took out my dextro energy tablets, broke them up and started throwing them at the camera's ... I was not gonna let them ruin my night , no way .... It took 4-5 songs and some proper aiming, but they soon realised I meant business, and most cameras stayed below head level then ... with the occasional exception offcourse, but that was ok ... I had to tell the german girl in front of me that she was really starting to piss me off with her camera, cause I could not loose myself in the moment as there was this shiny thing in front of me all the time ... she was pretty shocked by my directness, but I told her, that she had to do what she felt like doing, but that I was gonna do the same, and in this case that meant, tell her she was pissing me off !!
She harldy positioned here camera in front of my face after that, so that was the camera issue ....
Next ... there were too many folks there who seemed to be there to witness it all, but not participate .... they did not jump, they did not sing, they were more concerned about their newly bought t-shirts... they did not dare to place the bag on the ground, but decieded to haneg them from their belts, making the bag dingle back and forth all the time, and you can gues what, these bags were touching me all the time, acting like a total distraction, f**king hell .... another issue to deal with ... it meant I had to reposition myself, out of reach of the dangling bags ... but at the same time I had to make sure I was not gonna block anyones view ... so it took some strategising .... and all of this ... took away energy from the whole concert experience ... and man what a concert it was ..... What a setlist ...
They played the entire set they played in Amsterdam on the 21st July, with the addition of The Unforgettable Fire ... wow .... it was totally amazing ....
They also played BAD again .... on the day I dropped the records ....
It was not the same as it was in Amsterdam, logically .. as things had evolved !
But it still was amazing ... for one of my new made Italian friends, Gianluca (and his girlfriend Francesca) it was so touching .... we all dropped some tears, and had the time of our life ! I also met Francesco and Terri his girlfriend from Rome, I have a feeling I will see you all next year in Rome or Amsterdam or Dublin again .. !
For the last few songs I decided to say goodbye to my Italian friends, and get away from the crowded spot ... went all the way to the back of the field where I had loads and loads of space to dance and jump, without anyone getting upset that I was landing on their feet ... these wining and moaning idiots should stay home next time ... and watch the dvd from the comfort of their home ... please !!!
After Moment of Surrender .... I was a very happy man ! Glad I had decided to fulfill my dreams, dreaming out loud and going to Dublin to see the boys at their hometown !
Also, I decided there and then, that I was gonna try and get a spot close to the catwalk the next day, cause being there, meant no cameras, and a rail to hold onto, allowing me to jump even higher ... so as I was making my way round the stadium, I soon discovered a small group of people, waiting outside, and yes, they were the line for the second day .... I joined them, and waited insructions from the security guys.
They told us we could go home to get our tickets and airbeds etc but then we had to sleep inside Croke Park, as we could not stay in the streets outside the stadium, until they would move us onto the space in front of the stadium, so, after there seemed to be some confusion with another group of people that had decided to line up elsewhere .. we soon combined the two lines, and I ended up with nr 13 ... we went inside, found ourselves some pieces of cardboard to put on the cold ground, and started waiting, untill the moment would come where we could go to the hotel to get our stuff ... At first they changed their minds, locking up the gates, telling us we could not go outside untill 6am ... what the f**k ?? I was not gonna do that .. no way, I still had my contact lenses in and needed to get some sleep after this very emotional day. After 30 minutes they changed again, and allowed us to go out ... I walked back to the hotel, 45 minutes walk ... got my stuff, and sat down on the bed, re-thinking my plan ... was this the right thing to do ???? I then decided I only live once, so, let the adventure continue ... when would I have the chance again to sleep along with some nutters, inside Croke Park ? Making sure I would get the spot I wanted for teh next day .... so ... jumped under the shower and walked back to Croke ..
Blew up my airbed, got a piece of cardboard as my blanket, cause I did not have my sleeping bag, and tried to get some sleep ... man .. here I was .. inside Croke Park, amidst some new made friends that I had met in Barcelona, Milan and Nice ... and all in the same boat ... some were sleeping underneath their flags, some in a tent and me, underneath some piece of cardboard from a box, used for french fries ... ha ha ...
I slept for one hour, when we were all woken up ... and escorted to the the next holding spot .... more about that later .. cause after all ... it was the 25th.. day 2
Spend most of the day writing letters for the boys, as for a long time I had this idea to give the boys all a copy of the brotherhood e.p , the first release on my own record label Wide Awake records ...
This name came from the song BAD which has always been a very important song for me and my brother Finsent.
For those who dont know, my dear brother Finsent passed away 5 years ago along with his girlfriend Michelle, Finsent and Michelle had this sad accident while they were on their first day of their snowboarding holiday in Alpe d'Huez france ....
It was the blackest day in my entire life, and ever since I have been trying very very hard to deal with this, actually if anything, it has made me live my life more than anything, doing what feels good each and every day, and actually, making the most of each day, cause before you know it, it can all be over, here and now ...
I call it being Wide Awake !!
After his death I decided to start a record label to keep his music "alive" the label is called Wide Awake Records, my brother and I had always been obsessed with making and playing music ourselves ... This label was gonna feature our own music, without any concessions, and for the record sleeves I was gonna use some of the amazing pictures Finsent had taken over the years, being a student at various art academies.
This is the record sleeve, front and back folded out ... the brotherhood ep
We played the song BAD on his funeral and then last week U2 played the same song in Amsterdam on the 21st July, while my parents were sitting behind the stage, and I was in front of it, crying my heart out ... man, it was emotional ... and healing at the same time !
So, after the amsterdam gigs I was gonna go to Dublin to see the boys play three times there ... I decided now was the time to give the boys a copy of the record, and write them a letter, explaining what and how .... I had brought four copies, each wrapped up in smiley paper and on the friday I had been writing the letters, all hand written, analog as hell ... On the thursday I had been to the Clarence hotel (owned by Bono and the Edge) to find out if I could drop the records there, and that was not a problem they said .... so on friday, before the gig, I went there, with a bag full of emotions
... And guess what ... they refused to pass it on ... no way ...
They told me they were under strict instructions not to accept any gifts for the band, what the f**k ? You can imagine I was very upset, I decided to ask for the manager before I was gonna be asked to leave the hotel .. no way I was gonna end up at the concert carrying this bag with me ... I mean, how could I enjoy the concert if I was to take care of the bag at the same time ? The manager came out and told me that they really could not take it, and that principle managements office was dealing with all PR things ... so I made clear that one of his members of staff had told me something totally different the night prior, and that I wanted a solution, he looked at me as if he saw water burning but he quickly realised I meant business here ....
He then pulled out this small map of the centre of Dublin, marked where I could find the Principle managements office and told me to go there. I made sure there would be somebody there, cause I was not gonna walk 30 minutes, and end up in front of a closed door ... and then I just told him once more that he needed to instruct his staff properly to avoid disappointing moments like these ... I had to ... and off I went ...
I walked fast, and soon reached the office, close to where the original studios were located, in an area that is almost considered holy for the u2 nutters .... I rang the bell and was let in ... The guy quickly made his way out of the office, meeting me before I could set foot inside the actual office, where I could see several memorabilia hanging at the walls ... ah well, I was not there for that ... I was on a mission ... I told him that I had brought 4 records, each with a personal letter, and if he could please make sure that the guys would get them .... and here we go .... he told me he could not ....... cause they did not accept any demo's .... ha ha .... he thought I was giving him a demo .... man .... that meant I had to pull out the whole history as described above .. and he soon realised it was totally not what he thought at first, he then took the bag, and promised me he would pass them on, I asked him again if he was really sure that they would get it, cause it WAS IMPORTANT to me !!! And he reassured me, they would definitely get the records !
And that was it, I could not do any more, I simply had to let it go .... it was my moment of surrender ...
I felt strange walking out of the building, towards Croke Park, and soon felt the need for some food ... decided to have a pizza before I entered the stadium and I simply needed some time to let it all fall into place ....
It felt good, I had realised another dream I had had for long, I felt very vey emotional and sad and happy at the same time .. a total charge - discharge experience!
I then went inside Croke Park for the first of three gigs I was gonna witness there, and it was electric, the stadium with its history of Sunday Bloody Sunday (the english had gunned down 18 Irish on the field, after the irish had killed several english spies the day before that) and the mad Irish that stay outside the actual stadium, cause they are not allowed to drink inside ... and if there is one thing they want to do ... it's drink ...
I got my spot in between the sound desk and the catwalk, right behind a few small italians, so I thought I was allright there ... I could see the stage and hear it all very well, the speakers that are hanging from the stage are long throw speakers, so you need to be a bit further away if you want to have a proper sound experience ..
the warmup bands were Damien Dempsey, an Irish bloke, singing his heart out, it was very impressive, and I actually bought 4 cd's to take home ! And Glasvegas, and the fact that I sat down, and they did not make me want to sit up, says anough ..
Then as the concert was to start, all hell broke out, here come the Irish Lads ... drunk as hell, ploughing and shoving, making their way to the front, they reckon they are Irish, and have any right to be at the front, but they were not gonna wait in line for hours, as all others had to get to where they were then .. ... shit man .. it was hell ... they made the whole field shift and before I knew it, there were tall lads in front of me, and the Italians were right beside me ... we could not see a thing ...
We soon decided to regroup, and it looked ok, untill the concerts started, here come the camera's F**KING hell !!! I HATE THEM I REALLY HATE THE CAMERA's !!!!!!!!!
People in front of us, holding their camera with two hands, so you could not see over their shoulder, nor their heads ... and as everyone was trying to see what was going on at the stage, the field was a continuous sight of moving and shifting bodies ... I soon took out my dextro energy tablets, broke them up and started throwing them at the camera's ... I was not gonna let them ruin my night , no way .... It took 4-5 songs and some proper aiming, but they soon realised I meant business, and most cameras stayed below head level then ... with the occasional exception offcourse, but that was ok ... I had to tell the german girl in front of me that she was really starting to piss me off with her camera, cause I could not loose myself in the moment as there was this shiny thing in front of me all the time ... she was pretty shocked by my directness, but I told her, that she had to do what she felt like doing, but that I was gonna do the same, and in this case that meant, tell her she was pissing me off !!
She harldy positioned here camera in front of my face after that, so that was the camera issue ....
Next ... there were too many folks there who seemed to be there to witness it all, but not participate .... they did not jump, they did not sing, they were more concerned about their newly bought t-shirts... they did not dare to place the bag on the ground, but decieded to haneg them from their belts, making the bag dingle back and forth all the time, and you can gues what, these bags were touching me all the time, acting like a total distraction, f**king hell .... another issue to deal with ... it meant I had to reposition myself, out of reach of the dangling bags ... but at the same time I had to make sure I was not gonna block anyones view ... so it took some strategising .... and all of this ... took away energy from the whole concert experience ... and man what a concert it was ..... What a setlist ...
They played the entire set they played in Amsterdam on the 21st July, with the addition of The Unforgettable Fire ... wow .... it was totally amazing ....
They also played BAD again .... on the day I dropped the records ....
It was not the same as it was in Amsterdam, logically .. as things had evolved !
But it still was amazing ... for one of my new made Italian friends, Gianluca (and his girlfriend Francesca) it was so touching .... we all dropped some tears, and had the time of our life ! I also met Francesco and Terri his girlfriend from Rome, I have a feeling I will see you all next year in Rome or Amsterdam or Dublin again .. !
For the last few songs I decided to say goodbye to my Italian friends, and get away from the crowded spot ... went all the way to the back of the field where I had loads and loads of space to dance and jump, without anyone getting upset that I was landing on their feet ... these wining and moaning idiots should stay home next time ... and watch the dvd from the comfort of their home ... please !!!
After Moment of Surrender .... I was a very happy man ! Glad I had decided to fulfill my dreams, dreaming out loud and going to Dublin to see the boys at their hometown !
Also, I decided there and then, that I was gonna try and get a spot close to the catwalk the next day, cause being there, meant no cameras, and a rail to hold onto, allowing me to jump even higher ... so as I was making my way round the stadium, I soon discovered a small group of people, waiting outside, and yes, they were the line for the second day .... I joined them, and waited insructions from the security guys.
They told us we could go home to get our tickets and airbeds etc but then we had to sleep inside Croke Park, as we could not stay in the streets outside the stadium, until they would move us onto the space in front of the stadium, so, after there seemed to be some confusion with another group of people that had decided to line up elsewhere .. we soon combined the two lines, and I ended up with nr 13 ... we went inside, found ourselves some pieces of cardboard to put on the cold ground, and started waiting, untill the moment would come where we could go to the hotel to get our stuff ... At first they changed their minds, locking up the gates, telling us we could not go outside untill 6am ... what the f**k ?? I was not gonna do that .. no way, I still had my contact lenses in and needed to get some sleep after this very emotional day. After 30 minutes they changed again, and allowed us to go out ... I walked back to the hotel, 45 minutes walk ... got my stuff, and sat down on the bed, re-thinking my plan ... was this the right thing to do ???? I then decided I only live once, so, let the adventure continue ... when would I have the chance again to sleep along with some nutters, inside Croke Park ? Making sure I would get the spot I wanted for teh next day .... so ... jumped under the shower and walked back to Croke ..
Blew up my airbed, got a piece of cardboard as my blanket, cause I did not have my sleeping bag, and tried to get some sleep ... man .. here I was .. inside Croke Park, amidst some new made friends that I had met in Barcelona, Milan and Nice ... and all in the same boat ... some were sleeping underneath their flags, some in a tent and me, underneath some piece of cardboard from a box, used for french fries ... ha ha ...
I slept for one hour, when we were all woken up ... and escorted to the the next holding spot .... more about that later .. cause after all ... it was the 25th.. day 2
29 July 2009
dreaming out loud !!!
this is me in Nou Camp in barcelona for the second gig of the tour, on 2nd July
picture was taken by Jon, one of the aussies in front of me, notice the couple behind me, about to do some great kissie kissie ..... I did not bring a camera for the first 5 gigs, wanted to take it all in, loose myself in the moments, but when I got this pic, I was glad Jon did bring his camera and took this shot ....
irish delight
just got back ...
saw all three shows in dublin, tired as hell ..... and a happy man !
I actually think bono was drunk on dublin 3rd night ....
he had to look at the lyrics so many times it seemed ..... dont know if they hide a autocue or something behind the monitor ... but he was looking there very very often ....
I stood slightly to his right, with two small girls in front of me ..
not bad for nr 268 in the line .... what a story that queing was .... more about that later ...
They played new yearsday, it was announced as: and now for my polish friends ....
so I could not stay quiet .... screamed NYD ..... and yes .. it rocked as hell !!!
and what no one seems to get ...... the ones tat are moaning that they should have played longer that night ....
the sound check --- rehearsals .... WERE the encores !!!!!!!
they really felt like they were .... it was awesome .... I will follow full and very loud and clear, then drowning man also very clear and full, no stops ....... then new years day, without Bono ..... which could have signaled they would play it tonight ..... and then electrical storm .. stopped, then played in fulll too ....
I guess instead of paying 800,000 euro fine ....
why not reward the diehards that have been out there all day, and night ......
and so they did ... with this awesome ----moving --- unforgettable rehearsal !!!
second night, with the rain .... the umbrellas on stage were lifted up with unforgettable fire .... amazing sight as they also hold the smoke from the smoek machines, and reflect teh lights .... bono was singing so many RAIN snippets .... he was truelly on fire on night two ... mysterious ways was played , with the very short but moving Mothers of the dissappeared snippet, it was awesome !
on night one I had to sacrifice half of my dextro energy tablets, broke them in pieces and threw them at these bloody cameras that were blocking my view for the first 5 songs .... fucking hell I hate them !
the ones that were taking pictures soon held them down cause I was not giving up .... also bottles were chucked, plastic ones .. the idiots were holding the cameras with 2 hands, above their heads, so we could not look over shoulders nor heads ....
stop moaning about setlists (especially if you were not there),
start a petition against these bloody cameras !
the trouble with the cameras made me decide to camp out for night two, I stayed at croke after night one .... so I could be at the catwalk rail, without any of these bloody things in front of me ...! I succeded !!!!
but that was not without a big very big war cause security fucked up the two line system they were enforcing .... one line with wristbanded folks for the pit, with 2300 in it ... they were not to be let out of the pit ... so that line two, without wristbands, could take possession of teh field .... and the much wanted rail at the catwalk ...... imagine sleeping at croke under a piece of cardboard, cause I had no sleepingbag .... slept one hour, was nr 3 in the field-line .... and entered the field as nr 1 only to see the catwalk taken by wristbanded people, that against all promises, were allowed out of the pit .... total war broke out then ...
I was lucky that a guy who I had met earlier, he wrote this book, me and my u2, he is called cathal, he stood up and gave me his spot at the rail !!!! I almost started crying .... quickly took my spot and was shaking for 1 hour ! all of our group started a riot ! security did not know what to do .... people started taking off their wristbands, playing as if they did not know, or even, as if they had never had a wristband , fucking bastards ! saying they had not been told about the two way system etc .... come on, you got a bloody wristband, so you knew all along what your tactics were !!! security made loads of people get up and give up their places, loads refused etc ..... what a helll !!!!!! yep, call yourself U2 fan ... man, how dissappointed I have gotten from all these little line-wars and rail wars etc ,..... there are loads of bloody arseholes out there, saying they have once been the victim of bad policies, and line cutters, and now they simply do the same !!!!
I have almost gotten into fist fights with some of them ....
I play the game honest and if you dont, I WILL KEEP TELLING you that you suck !!!
BIGTIME
sorry, had to let you know this peculiar side to the dublin experience .... need some sleep now .....
more words later about this great three-some !
but I tell you, 5 GA shows in 8 days is on the edge of total madness .....
feels good though
23 July 2009
dubln here I come
I will be leaving on the 23rd from eindhoven flying straight to dublin, staying in teh ardmore hotel with 24 other dutch u2 nutters .,...
I will be attending the concerts on friday 24th, saturday 25th and monday the 27th ...... ready for a huge party, only thing is I can not sing along .......
I lost my voice in amsterdam ......
not very strange .....
when you look at the setlist on day 2
back next week ....
wide awake as never before ....
ciao ciao
22 July 2009
unfuckingbelievable
lost in tears after this ....
gone ... totally gone ...
this one was for finnie !!!
we are wide awake !!!
going crazy in amsterdam
I was right in front of the three musketeers ..... at the good side, facing the boys .,.
what a song .... what a night ....
macphisto eat ya heart out ,,,,,
they caught me on u2.com
concert 21st July amsterdam
rail at the catwalk ..... during magnificent they filmed this for u2.com
and I was there ... as you can see ...
second face from the left ...... next to the guy in blue ....
and you can hear me too ...
go to u2.com
check the movie called, a note for bono
after the girl screams bonoooooo ... there is a loud whaaaaaaaa
comes from my throat .... from very deep .... as I had no voice left after day 1 in amsterdam .... I tried singing along .... but hey ....
sweet this souvenir !!!
ciao
19 July 2009
U2 likes their discoballs toooo
This one is for Sanne ...
In their stage setup ... they had this amazing disco ball on top of this huge spike, with a minaret-like shape and a cross ... mixing the muslims with the christians ..... on top of a disco ball !!!
Also at the bottom, they had this disco ball hidden ... at the end of the concert it pops down, with spots on it, making the whole stadium twirl ..... yeah .....
I think its for finnie and michelle a little bit !
discotek
Nice very Nice
I knew they were gonna make and publish a poster in the Nicematin newspaper
so I put on my orange shirt, you can see me at the rail, against the sound desk in the back, right in the middle ...
Nice to leave Nice at 8am the day after the concert, with this amazing souvenir in the pocket ... a full size poster ....
Charles Ehrmann Stadium Nice
In Nice I was right at the sound desk ... in the middle ...
the sound system almost blew me away ... yeah ..
thats how I like it .... lost in the sound
The stadium was the smallest in the tour, only used as U2 has their holiday homes close to Nice ... it was amazing, the stage blew the stadium away ... as you can see ..
Nou Camp Stadium Barcelona
Nou Camp before the concert ....
On entering the stadium ... I was blown away, even knowing what it would look like !
And during the concert ... I was right in teh middle .... ha ha . goosebumbs all over !
back home for a wee moment
Hi there,
I got back from my first leg, on the road seeing U2 play and play and play ... saw them 5 times now .... I have finally slept very well for two nights after having been in strange beds for three weeks ....
In Barcelona the bed was fine, had a pretty good sleeping couch in the appartment that I had booked along with my parents, and after they went home, I went to this amazing hostel, called the in-out hostel in barcelona. Its right at the outskirts of the city and in the middle of a nature park .. its run by disabled people, making it a very special place ! The place is busy, but there is the option of sleeping outside if the room is too noisy .. the bunks are pretty well constructed, but in the weekdend most people go out, and get back, drunk and noisy ... so I decided to take my sleeping bag and go to the swimmingpoool area where they had some matrasses and I slept like never before ... although it was short as I simply went to bed late, and the sun woke me up ...
In Milan I thought I would treat myself to a one person bedroom in an appartment so that I could have some peace and rest before I was gonna see the boys play 2 days in a row .... guess not ....
Imagine a room with a bed on the right, some space in the middle, and on the left there was this cupboard, closet thing, with 4 doors, two of them I could open, and access the closet and place my things inside ... the other two were shut ... and could not be opened, I soon found out why ...
They were only to be accessed from the room next door ...
I knew I would share the floor and the bathroom with a double bedroom, but never in my life I realised that the two rooms would be divided by this closet ... they had constructed the wall around it and left gaps in between, not big enough to see trough, but all sound went trough without a problem ... 2 nights I was lucky to have a taiwanese girl as my neighbour who was quiet, but the first night and the last night there was this snoaring monster next to me ... the last night I actually decided to take my mattrass downstairs into the living room cause I could not get to sleep ....
For the rest the appartment was very nice ... a great kitchen and bathroom and close to the metro, a great pizza place close by, the size of the pizza blew me away, I had to get a so called doggy bag .... and in the train to Nice the leftovers went in very well ! Across the road there was a crazy cafe, with great cheap espressos .. only 1e and some cool locals, that would get more and more drunk as the day evolved ... yep ... they sold glasses of wine for 1 euro too ,. so they slowly got hammered, and started staggering around the place .... I soon found out the morning was the best place to be there .... Milan is a very warm and stuckup place ... loads of fashion victims, boys with louis vuiton bags and watches so big they can hardly carry them on their wrists ,... good to see the place, but it is too much for me ...
The Duomo is amazing, but again, way too big ... religion uses fear to persuade people to start believing and impresses them with too big buildings like these.... ah well .
On the 7th and 8th of July I got to see the boys play .... wow ..... nothing can prepare you for an Italian crowd .... First day I got there around 10am got in the back of the line, but then the shit started ,... italians jumping the line, and getting in from the sides .... when teh doors opened they all pushed their way in, leaving the centre of the line behind .... hell ..... I was not gonna let this ruin my concert ... I did make it into the inner circle, running like mad ... once inside most people had sat down, leaving space in between groups and individuals etc ... so I made my way to the front, with some sort of communication and some ignoring too ... I ended up right in front of Bono, with 4 small italians in front of me .... yeah ... that was gonna be amazing .... and it was .,... On day two I was not making the same mistake ... got at the stadium around 11am and joined the line at the side, where there was still some shadow ... this time I was with the first to enter ... and I got my desired spot ! Right at the front at the rail, in front of Mr Edge .... ha ha !
This was amazing .... I met some great peeps there, and also had this bloody woman behind me, that was very small, and way too fat .... she was all friendly before the concert, but she soon started pushing me with her fat tummy when the concert started, she wanted to get at the rail ... no way jose ....... fuck off .... I was not gonna give up my place, the rail is ideal to hold on to and it allowes you to jump without tumbling etc .... also you get some water from security and that was much needed !
I decided to land on her feet a few times, shake my ponytail ildly, so she soon backed up, allowing me to enjoy the concert in full !!! Man this was amazing ... so close up ! SO energetic with these mad Italians .... There are all sorts of different things that pop up, and I will add these here later ....
For now this has to do .... too much staring at the screen after three weeks on the road makes my head hurt .... so ... more words later ....
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