Freitag, 31. Januar 2014

Depeche Mode in Paris or Merci Bercy!!!!


Second time within one week I took the Thalys train to Paris, but this time we stayed in Paris.
We had a hotel near the Omnisport de Bercy, in the quarter Bercy Village, which is a quarter with nice small shops and fascinating pleasure grounds near the River Seine.
This time I had the resolution to jog and I succeeded it 3 times.
It was a wonderful feeling every morning to pass the Omniport de Bercy where on Wednesday and Friday many Depeche Mode fans already stood. The hardcore fans come always very early to run in the first row!!!

But we spent three wonderful days in Paris. I was several times in Paris and it is every time a pleasure to walk through this beautiful city. I love the pastries in France and I stopped often to buy a tartlet.
Good idea to jog in Paris, because I ate so many sweet things, ups.

The first concert was this time better. Every single one a concert in the Omnisport de Bercy is a good concert. Twelve times I saw Depeche Mode now in the Bercy, I love this location!!!
From the first moment the audience stood, the atmosphere was great. On Friday it was a little bit a weekend audience. On Wednesday Martin had so much fun at " Enjoy the silence ", he walked at the end of the song on the catwalk to Dave like they did in Oslo!!! Yeah!
"Personal Jesus" catapulted me into another space. They started it so slow and moved it to the length until the song really trotted!! Unbelievable.

After the show we went very fast back to our hotel, because I had to sleep.
I wanted to have my peace of mind. Now I reached the level where I start to enjoy every minute with Mr. Gahan, because the time to say " Goodbye" is not so far away.

On Friday we visited the concert with good friends of mine, a couple from Germany.
They had so many fun at the concert. They saw the last Depeche Mode concert in Mannheim 2001.
At this time they still wasn't a couple.At that time I didn't know, that they are in Mannheim like me and I met them as Martin sang " Somebody".
That was a very emotional moment for me because it was the last concert of the "Exitertour" and I heard the song the first time at this tour and I cried as I met them .
And in incredible ways Martin's third song of this  evening was " Somebody"!
Anyway I was in a kind of cry mode and and in this moment the floodgates opened completely.

A big demerit was that they changed " should be higher" for " in your room"!
Dave looked like he didn't know that as the intro of the song started.
Martin sang " Blue Dress", first time of this tour with the screening of the Goodbye tourvideo in the back.
Finally the concert turned into a "Violator" concert instead a " Delta Machine" concert.
The band was in a good mood, even Peter Gordena was laughing, only Dave was sometimes a little bit 
serious. But in the end it was a big party again and "Personal Jesus" was again the highlight of the concert!!
I cried it all out. 
The first " Goodbye" I had to say to my friend Martin, because it was his last concert of the tour and maybe we will never see a Depeche Mode concert together.
Who knows what the future holds?

Now I'm back home with well-filled bags of Maille mustard, Laduree macaroons ( a typical french pastry), french cheese and wonderful memories of three fantastic days in Paris.
Hope I will come back one day to Paris and the Omniport de Bercy to see Depeche Mode again!!!!


Merci Bercy!!!!!





Omniport de Bercy!!




































Sonntag, 26. Januar 2014

Depeche Mode in Antwerp or a bit of yawn

Yes, you see it in the title, but basically it would be enough, if I wouldn't write more.

We had a funny car ride, 4 girls on their way to a pleasurable evening in a beautiful city in Belgium.

We needed a while for finding our hotel and parking our car. Then 4 pretty women are ready for the concert. But if we came upstairs from the metro it rained cats and dogs and we shaked a leg to come into the Sportspalais.

First I wanted to go to the restrooms and how surprise, it cost 0,40€. What a joke, I paid more than 50€ for the concert and then I have to pay for pissing? Sorry, but I was so annoyed about that.
And I didn't pay it!!!!!

Next we found our places and only for checking, I stand still for a while and yes, the first patters came directly:" Sit down!", "Come on!". And as the concert started 5 minutes later nobody stood up.
So I decided to search better places for us and we found. But it was one of the quietest concerts of the whole tour, ok, that was my number 40 of this tour.

The hits worked like every time: " Enjoy the silence, Personal Jesus...".
I paid all my attention to Mr. Dave Gahan and then it worked for me, too.

Mr. Gahan noticed the atmosphere also and it was a fast concert, less pauses, all songs came quick one after another.
But it is lamenting on a high level, we had fun together, that was the prime!!!!

Two things by the way: there is an approach between Dave and Andy. After the show Dave embraced Andy. They did it since Barcelona now. I like it!!!!!

And something happened with Martin. But I don't know what I should think about it and I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors , but he was a little bit to wild at his songs and laughed a lot and he clicked with his tongue a little bit to often. I'm sorrowful. Look at yourself.....

After the concert we went back to our hotel, tired from the tired crowd, ups .

This morning we walked through the beautiful old town of Antwerp and enjoyed a good breakfast.
Now I'm back home and inspite the gammy concert it was a great weekend with the girls:
thank you Claudia, Sylvia and Tanja!!!! Kisses!!!!!!
















Samstag, 25. Januar 2014

Depeche Mode in Lyon or " again and again"

Thursday morning I took the Thalys train to Paris, then the RER in Paris from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon.
I found a quiet place to eat my selfmade salad after the bad experiences to get vegetarian food in France. Then it was time for the TGV to Lyon. 
I arrived at 4.30 pm in my hotel, so I was eight hours on the road.
After a short break and the first beer of the day I start a small sightseeing tour.
I walked over the biggest place of Europe, " la place Bellecour" and went by the funicular to the Basilique " Notre Dame de Fourviere" with the golden statue of the Virgin Mary. Wonderful building.
And wonderful view over the illuminated Lyon,a city with an old town on a hill, two rivers and a peninsula, very special city!!!
Then it was time to go to the hall "Toni Garnier". I like this hall, strange big building.

It was a great concert from the first note.
Yes, France, you can do and I was so happy that there will be three more concerts for me in France next week.
I met many friendly and celebrating fans.
Sometimes I enjoy it to travel alone, because then I could disappear in the masses, I'm only a drop in an ocean, I be able to forget my problems, I only exist with the music. It is like a recurrent meditation, I love it when it is always the same, no set changings, and when Dave perform his own little play of movements, hecklings and dances.
"Again and again".....yes it's a kind of strangelove, but it makes me happy.
In Lyon I liked every song, even Martin's songs.
After " Shake the disease", Dave came back on stage and the crowd didn't sing the typical " ohoho" like everytime after Martin's songs and he builded up in front of the first row and encouraged them to sing it. He said: " Come on, you can do that" , and he did this so long until they sing and then the whole audience did it!!!! Great job!!!!
Very happily  I went back to my hotel for a few hours sleep.
In the next morning it rained. Not nice, but with my wonderful umbrella I made a short sightseeing tour to the two antic amphitheatres on another hill of Lyon.
Then it was time to go back to Paris by train.
The break in Paris I used to visit the " Galeries Lafayette" , a big magasin where I bought every time when I'm in Paris mustard, chocolate and some other stuff.
Took the Thalys back to Cologne and spent a nice evening with my kids.

And now, sorry my dears, I'm in hurry, have to go to Antwerp, will be concert number 40 of this tour, yeahhhhhh!
"Again and again"!











 The hall Toni Garnier















Haha, moments of an approach, sorry for the bad picture.......









Montag, 20. Januar 2014

Depeche Mode in Madrid, second concert or take my hand.....

We start the second day in Madrid with a Happy Birthday" to my friend Martin.
What a luck, that we both can celebrate our birthdays on this great travel !

Because the wild after show party we all needed a long walk through the cold Madrid.
We went through Chueca, the gay district with many bars, cafes and restaurants and finally we had lunch in a small italian restaurant where we all got the satisfaction our needs.
I'm vegetarian and it was not easy in Spain specially in Madrid to find good vegetarian food.
After a couple of days only with tortilla and cheese sandwiches I was hungry as a hunter.
So I was really happy to got a big mixed salad!!
Then we all was very tired and retired us for a while in our hotel rooms until we met us again in a nice bar near the Palacio Desportes.

The second concert is now my number three of the Delta Machine tour after Rome and Milano.
Dave came in such a very good mood on the stage, I knew at once that will be a very special evening.
He laughed so often, spoke with the audience, wow, he liked Spain!!!!
The first change came instead of " Black Celebration"!
I need a while to realize what song it is:
"Come with me, into the trees.....take my hand, come back to the land....
Let me see you stripped down to the bone!"

The crowd exclaimed in delight " Stripped", sung by Dave. I was so happy at this moment, wonderful
performance !
The second change was " in your room" instead of " policy of truth" !
Martin sang " Judas".
Depeche Mode and specially Dave with his pirouettes and his lazy moves drove the audience crazy.
I could not stop to yell and I didn't know the best song of the evening, I liked all songs at this funky night.
And I said to a friend of mine " I'm sure, that Martin will singing "Home" tonight!", and he did!!
It was the best song to describe the feeling of this night:"  And I thank you, for bringing me here..!"
After the concert I was so sweat through...unbelievable.
I tried to meet a friend from Italy, but I didn't find him. As I looked for him I met another guy from Argentina which I knew. I like this so much: meeting fans from all over the world and sharing our happiness.

We drank some beers in a bar for coming down and went then back to the hotel, where we felt in a quiet sleep.

Unfortunately it was raining in the next morning so we stumped with our umbrellas through the dominical Madrid. The cafes and restaurants opened late and we had a job to find a good breakfast.
In many bars we found a lot of reveller. That's typical Madrid!!!
We made a long tour through many quarters over the big place "Plaza Mayor" where me a fat spiderman called" ugly paparazzi" because I made a picture of him without giving him money for posing. Then through the Latina, with the Sunday fleemarket, then through Lavapies, an old Jewish quarter, but now a focal point for immigrant populations.
Through Atocha, the station, back to the "Paseo del Arte", the museum mile with the Prado.
We spent our last hour in the new renovated Cibeles palace with a beer and a typical cake a la Madrid.

This was one of my best journeys I ever made, I saw so many different facings of Spain, I have to ease down.
I saw Spain stripped down to the bone and some day I will come back to this wonderful country!!!




































Samstag, 18. Januar 2014

Depeche Mode in Madrid or Vince Clarke in Madrid!!!!!!


I don't need many words for the day yesterday!!
Great city!!! Capital city!!!
Madrid rocks!! The concert became to my best 5 concerts of the tour!!!
" Personal Jesus " made me totally crazy!! The crowd went bananas!!!
Then the unbelievable aftershow party at the Riviera, where Dave played on his solotour!!
Great location, a discotheque in 70ties style!!
I got the chance to met Vince Clarke, he played an unbelievable Dj Set!!!! I freaked out!!!!
He signed me an autograph on my Depeche Mode ticket!
I said to him: " you are the reason why I'm a Depeche Mode fan", he answered " same like me!"
Funny!
Felt into my bed at 5 a.m and now I'm awake and I'm glad to discover this wonderful city!