Donnerstag, 28. November 2013

Depeche Mode in Berlin or they soothed my soul!

Monday morning my friends and I had a breakfast and some coffees in a small cafe in the face of the city hall of Burgdorf at the " Marktstraße" means Market street.
This is the main street of Burgdorf and as child I went along the street many times with my loved grandma.
But I couldn't sing "Home" in this moment, it didn't feel like home.
It was very important to me to realize Burgdorf was the small town where I lived a few years as a child but my home isn't there.
My home is Cologne and it isn't necessary to visit Burgdorf to remember my grandma, she is always in my heart.
But the days with Mirko, Lars and Sven were funny. Thank you guys!

We drove to Berlin and there I stayed at another good friend in Berlin Kreuzberg.
A little relaxing and than I met my friends Arkadi, Ulrich and Sylvia from Cologne and we spent a wonderful night at the first Berlin concert and the Aftershow Party at Postbahnhof.
The concert was filmed by Anton Corbjin for the upcoming Tour DVD.
I'm happy that Anton do this job, he's the best, I like his view of the band.
The set didn't change, but Dave was always striking attitudes, he is really professional!
Good concert, but the audience was a little bit quiet!
I came in the early morning back home and the next day I met some friends of me and went early into my bed.
Wednesday me and my Cologne friends had a special day, we spent the whole day with Depeche Mode" or the spirit of them. We walked in their shoes as we visited the Hansa Studios where they recorded " Construction time again, Some great reward and Black Celebration"!
Many other artists like David Bowie, Iggy Pop and U2 recorded a few albums there and the tour guide detailed many interesting stories.
Than we toured through the city to take some pictures inspired by the videoscreening from "Halo" of this tour.
Anton Corbjin screened it in Berlin at the Reichstag, at the Alexanderplatz and at other places and we take some pictures in " Anton" style.

We had so many fun and went in a very good mood to the O2 arena.
This show was filmed too, they installed a spider cam over the audience, wow and Anton was the whole show on the stage for screening.
He looks so great and sympathic, after the show he walked through the arena and spoke with fans.

The set didn't change until Heaven and I was moody, because the audience was so lame.
I couldn't believe because the band was so energetic this evening.
But after "Heaven" followed " Soothe my soul" and the athmosphere became better but I forgot the people around me, I had my own party with my own "Personal Jesus", unbelievable show !!
Highlight of the concert was an unexpended end.
They took a bow after the last song " Never let me down" as every evening and the band walked off the stage , only Dave stayed on stage and he took back his microphone and said " Do you want another one?"
I couldn't believe, first time I experienced this, they all came back on stage and performed 
" Goodbye", the last song of their new album and with a wonderful videoscreening by Mr. Corbjin in the back.
This was a big moment of happiness and I was forced to went home directly after the concert.
My friends wanted to go to the aftershow party again, but I need silence to conserve this wonderful sound for a while in my head!!!

Today I will go back home, my real home!
So, Goodbye Berlin!!!

But there is one thing I have to speak about it.
Again Dave ignored Andy Fletcher in an unacceptable kind.
I believe it could be a great fan mission if we uphold banners in one of the upcoming shows with the inscription " Mr. Andy FletchFletcher" at " Just can't get enough!"
Think about it!!!


City hall of Burgdorf!

































Sonntag, 24. November 2013

Depeche Mode in Hannover or a true story written by life

Saturday morning my friends picked me up in Cologne Deutz and we drove to Hannover.
My Cologne friends had rooms in different hotels but I had an appointment with my friend Mirko from Otze, a small village near by Hannover. The next small town is Burgdorf, and in this small town I lived the first 5 years of my life.
So let me tell you a true story written by life :
In 2001 I flew to New York to see Depeche Mode two times at Madison Square Garden.
Good concerts and a wonderful week.
But I came back home and had a strange feeling of " I need more!",
More concerts, more United State of America.
It was the second time for me in New York and I loved this city, but I got the feeling New York isn't America.
But no one of my friends wanted to come with me to Los Angeles, where Depeche Mode played two weeks later.
Then I read in the German Depeche Mode fanclub forum a post of a guy who was searching a travelmate for exactly this trip.
Yes, believe, I answered him and he wrote me his phone number for speaking live about the travel.
I read the number and thought, strange this is the area code of Burgdorf my old homeland, where I spent my first 5 years.
I called him and the first question of mine was" Are you living in Burgdorf?"
" Yes", he answered, " how could you know?" and  I told him my story and we laughed together at the phone and in this moment I knew, yes I will travel with this guy to Los Angeles.
It was an unbelievable trip, we had so much fun together, saw really good concerts, visited the Rose Bowl stadium and other wonderful places in California. We got an impression of the " american way of life" together and enjoined the time together.
We are friends since 2001 now and visited so many concerts together since this time.

Now I came back to Burgdorf the first time since 1994.
1994 died my grandmother, she was the last bond to Burgdorf, so I never had a reason to come back.
Now I'm here in Otze and tomorrow I will visit together with Mirko and to other friends from here some places of my childhood.

Now a few words to the concert of Depeche Mode at Saturday night in the Tui Arena.
I need not many words for this concert: same set ( Martin sang "Judas"),
but Depeche Mode was unforgetable great at this evening and the crowd stood every where in the arena from the first moment, so the conditions were right at this evening and in my opinion after Milano and Rome it was the best concert, anyhow the best indoor concert of the tour!!
I had so much fun with my friends from Hannover and Cologne, wonderful to spent time with them all.
Nobody around me was in a bad mood, nobody felt disturbed by our sreaming and hopping.
Best song " Enjoy the silence" and "Pain, that I used to", where Dave went the first time on the catwalk at this tour.

After the concerts we met some friends from all over Germany, such a great feeling to see many of them again and again!

We had a late dinner together and than we drove back to Otze.
Today I spent the whole day with many friends of Mirko, very hospitable guys, thank you for having me here.
Now I have to sleep, I'm so happy tonight. I saw the starry sky on me.
It is not possible to see the stars in Cologne like here and with this impression I go to bed now!!
" See the stars are shining bright!"
Good night!


Picture of me taken by Lars Schumacher, thank you Lars!


Chickenover!



Mirko






Lars


With Frank from Stuttgart ( picture by his wife, thank you!)


With Sylvia and Alexandra

















Freitag, 22. November 2013

Depeche Mode in Cologne or after"fucking" 12 years

Excuse the words: after fucking twelve years Depeche Mode played yesterday night at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. The arena is better known as Kölnarena.
Me and my friends we was so happy and met three hours before the show starts to get a wristband for the front area in the arena. Cologne was so well organized, you might get your wristband before you had to go inside the arena, we only showed our ticket to a security man, he made a cross on the ticket and tied the wristband around my wrist. So cool!
We had a lot of fun and many beers at a huge bar beside the arena and went inside as the supporting band already played.

The front area was the same like front of the stage of the summertour, we had so many space around us, great!

After 30 minutes Dj Set the lights went out. I love this moment, because it is so exciting if you know, wow only 30 seconds left and Mr. Gahan will enter the stage. After this wonderful moment the time is running so fast, it feels like minutes what are in reality two hours.
Yesterday the time ran extra fast, because we were a large group of friends and we danced, sreamed, sang together the whole time and had extraordinary fun!
Unfortunately there were a few fans  ( couldn't be fans!) which didn't like our party, the told us to be quieter.
Unbelievable because Depeche Mode did such a good job last night, Dave smiled the whole time and nearly the whole arena wacked out.

Martin sang " but not tonight" and " shake the disease".
 Best song for me " Enjoy the silence" and " never let me down"! Great feeling as all the people swung their arms to " Never let me down"! Yeah! Home match and home victory!

A friend of mine saw the band yesterday the first time and he was so impressed by the show specially of the performance of Dave.

After the concert we spent together a good time on the party in the " Wartesaal" beside the station of Cologne. We danced nearly 3 hours and met many friends. Thank you Elvis for the wonderful party.

Now I'm still happy and looking forward to The Hannover show, will be my next home match, because I was born in Hannover and will meet friends of my old homeland.

Thank all my friend for this wonderful evening:
Sylvia, Andreas, Martin, Brit, Claudia, Andre, Simone, Frank, Arkadi, Ulrich, Elvis and last but not least Sanne for driving me to the arena. Gave me a kind of princess feeling!





















Donnerstag, 21. November 2013

Depeche Mode in London, the 3rd!

I was so happy as I arrived in Greenwich, London after a depressive day & night in Lille.
My hotel "King William" was very comfortable  and had a nice pub.
All the people there was extremly friendly, so I went in a very good mood to Picadilly Circus to shop in one of my favourite food store some mustard.
If you don't know "Fortnum & Masons", go, visit it next time in London.

Then I met a good friend of mine from Cologne. He was working in London at this time and it was funny to be together in London.
We had a good meal and walked trough Soho to Covent Garden, to the Somerset House, along the river Thames and back to Soho with some stops in several pubs to grease our dusty throats, hicc!

I discovered some new places, never been at seven dials, a wonderful small place with a pillar in the middle of a junction of seven roads! Beautiful!

I love London!!!

Next morning after very good vegetarian breakfast in the pub of my hotel I started to my last episode of river Thames traverse but in this case it is not the right word because I went through the walking tunnel.
So far I crossed the river wirh the tube ( under water/ on water ), walked and drove over many of bridges, with a ferry, by airplane and cable car. Now walking under the water, cruel.
Next time I have to swim.

The entry of the tunnel is at Cutty Sark, an old british clipper ship from 1869 what is now preserved as a museum ship located in Greenwich!
I got a little bit claustrophobic feeling in the tunnel and was happy as I reached the north side of London.

Then I got the chance to visit the reopened Tate Gallery with a bigger exhibition of british art then before and a wonderful new spiral stair in the front hall.
They have so many sculptures of Henry Moore, a british sculptor which I love!

I walked through a few of my favourite streets of London  for example the "Belgrave road" where I
Had a hotelroom as I was the first time in London to see Depeche Mode in January 1988.
Then it was a washed-up neighbourhood with very cheap hotels, but I didn't have enough money for a better hotel.
The owners of the hotel came from East Europe and their English was maybe still worse than my English. They had many plates with references in bad English: " pleese, closs the door " or " do not cook on the carpit". But I Stayed then for a week and had a good time there. They called me " good girl" because I helped a little bit to clean the breakfast room every morning.

Now it is a glamorous place with redecorated houses. Not bad neighbourhood anymore.

I had a good lunch in another favourite street: " the Wardour street" in Soho.

Time to go back to Greenwich and I made a long bus trip from Holborn to Greenwich with line 188.
Good interesting and cheap sightseeing tour.

Two hours later I arrived in the O2 arena, drank a beer in one of the many bars there and joined in with music from Depeche Mode.

In the arena I upgraded myself to places directly beside the stage at the left side and spent a wonderful evening with many nice guys from Italy, South Africa, New Zealand and London.
It was a good concert, Martin sang " Leave in silence" but I missed Dave's laugh from the summertour.
The spark was only at about " Just can't get enough"! But that's my opinion, it is normal to have ups and downs if you see so many concerts like me!

The evening ended with a big party at the Union Square bar in the O2 with my new friends.
Special thanks to Jacqueline and Jenny, was so nice to meet you. Lucky me!

Bed, sleep, long trip to the airport, flight, back at home and today after 12 fucking years Depeche Mode will play in my hometown tonight!

Homematch, yeah!!!


" seven dials"







"CuttySark"






Under river Thames



Tate Gallery



Sculpture of Henry Moore






































Depeche Mode 19.11.13 Leave in silence


http://youtu.be/BLrlW1FRM40






Montag, 18. November 2013

Depeche Mode in Lille or the heating was broken

I stood up very early at Sunday morning to reach the train to Lille, North France where Depeche Mode should play at Sunday evening in the Grandstade de Lille!
As I drank my coffee I looked into facebook and was shocked by the post of depechemode.de:
" the Depeche Mode show tonight on Lille was cancelled because a broken heating system in the stadium"!
Unbelievable, but the official site of Depeche Mode confirmed that.

But no choice: I had to go to Lille for one night because I booked a ticket for the Eurostar from Lille to London where DM will play on tuesday.

There aren't many words to say about this trip.
I made the trip alone, because my travelmate Sylvia cancelled Lille, too, because she was ill and I had a lonely evening in Lille with french beer and french tv.

Enjoy some pictures of Lille.
The town is more modern than the first time I was here in Feruary 1988 as I saw here Depeche Mode on the Music for the Masses Tour.
This time no strike for me, but shit happens and you could be worse off than me.

So I looking forward to London, one of my favourite towns in the world!!

Adieu Lille!