Samstag, 31. Oktober 2015

Dave Gahan and the Soulsavers in Berlin or the Sun

I'm so tired from the last days, I can't write a long one today, but I didn't need many words for the last evening, too.
We was at 19:30 o'clock at the Tempodrom.
Great venue. Nearly 4000 fans scrimmaged in the hall and on the seating area. We stand in the middle, because in the first rows it was too closely.
I met so many friends this evening, unbelievable, I never wanted to be a part in the Depeche Mode family, but I accepted this and I felt in good hands.
The concert was great, Dave was in a wonderful temper, he love it to be in Berlin and he let it feel.
I spoke in my last entry about a good receipe for a very good concert and I saw the same like at the Heaven 17 concert. The atmosphere beetween Dave and the Soulsavers was fantastic and so Dave communicated this to the audience.
At the end of the Depeche Mode tour this important ingredient for the receipe was missing and I had a bitter aftertaste.
Here I had the same feeling like in London, I feel so happy in the moment, I'm in seventh heaven....
The set was the same. Best song of the evening: " the sun".
I call it " broken heart" music:

 " I'll never get old 
Not older than you
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I'm nothing without you

I feel your sorrow, I feel your pain
Behind the darkest clouds the sun always shines again
My sun" 

He sang it with such an unbelievable voice, he let us look into his soul.

The Berlin audience organised a great fan mission. See the pictures below. Dave was overwhelmed by this.

I'm not in the mood to write about the negative reactions from the german fans in the kind of : Not enough Depeche Mode, to quiete, to much guitars. 
It was an evening with Dave Gahan and the Soulsavers and not an evening with Depeche Mode.
Accept or leave!

After the concert we met in the hall the Soulsavers. They was very friendly and sign the ticket and made pictures with us. They was happy as we gave them a positive reaction. 

Then aftershow party until 4 o'clock, where I met so many friends.
Thank you my dears for this great evening, happy to know you all and see you again.
Hope it won't be the last time.
I slept only two hours and took my flight to Cologne.

Now dinner is ready, my sons cooked and we will have a nice DVD evening together.
Tomorrow I have to work and Monday Paris is calling.

Thank you for the feedback. So many people thanked me for writing the blog and it is a pleasure for me to spreading the news about Mr. Gahan around the world.



































Freitag, 30. Oktober 2015

An evening without Dave Gahan in Dusseldorf or Heaven 17

Many weeks before Mr. Gahan announced his concerts I bought a concert ticket for Heaven 17 in Dusseldorf at Zakk. The concert was a part of the Electricity conference in Dusseldorf. It's a kind of music fair.

And the concert didn't overlap with Dave's concert, so I was very happy to go to Dusseldorf yesterday evening with a small group of good friends.
It was my third Heaven 17 concert, I saw them 2 times in Cologne.
The Dusseldorf audience was more stylish then the Cologne crowd, but it was quieter than in Cologne.

I like the getting old duo of Glenn Gregory and Martin Ware. They looked like real friends and the mood on the stage was great and this is an important ingredient for an amusing concert.
They played all their hits like " Cruised by the wheel of industry, Let me go and Temptation".
Highlight was the interpretation of " Life on Mars" , an old Bowie Song, from Glenn Gregory. He sang it maybe better than Mr. Bowie himself. I was impressed.
The concert ended  like the most Heaven 17 concerts with " Being boiled", the hit of Human League, the old band of Martin Ware. Partytime!!!!

The whole evening I asked myself what is the receipe for success? Heaven 17 was very successful in the 80ties and Glenn Gregory has a wonderful strong voice and is a nice performer. But the big breakthrough didn't come. 

And if I compare Mr. Gregory with Mr. Gahan..... There are worlds apart.

We are in a very good mood as we went to the small separated bar of the Zakk, is an old location, a centrum for alternative music and other cultural events.

And the Dj of the aftershow party was Daniel Miller. 
I saw the announcement of the DJ set a few days after I bought the tix and it was a great surprise.
I thought, maybe Dave will be there to meet Daniel, but Dave played yesterday in Munich a Promo set.

Daniel Miller looked wonderful, how old is he ? Nearly 70? Wow, hope I will be in a same condition like him when I'm 70!!!
He played a very good set, very oldschool, classical beats.
He signed me the Gahan album.


We turned back to Cologne. An evening without Mr.Gahan, but I fell happy and tired into my bed.

Now I'm in Berlin, everything worked like a charm with the flight and transfer to the city. Here in Kreuzberg I refresh me for the concert and drink a first warm up beer.
And in 2.or 3 hours it's Gahan time again, yeahhhh





Mittwoch, 28. Oktober 2015

Dave Gahan & The Soulsavers in London or be lucky

In the early morning of October 26th I took a flight to London Heathrow, because Mr. Gahan is calling.
I saw him the last time in February 2014 in Moscow, where Depeche Mode played their last concert of the Delta Machine tour.
I heard the rumours about a second album with the Soulsavers and I hoped to see them live together next year.

But they announced the new album 4 weeks ago and six concerts.
And this will be my first trip to one of the four concerts in Europe.
They played last week in Los Angeles and New York and I tried to hear nothing from this concerts and give my best to didn't see the setlist.

So if you do not want to know the setlist: take care: Spoiler inside!!

I was very excited to see Dave again.

It was a good flight to Heathrow and in one hour I reached the Shard, one of Londons younger buildings.
The architect was Renzo Piano and it is an typical Piano construction ( the P& C building in Cologne is another construction of him).

The building is an impressive thorn of glass. I got the chance to go upstairs immediately, no queue.
I took many of pictures, they say more than words, so look at here.....






Finally downstairs again I enjoyed a tasty breakfast : a houmus wrap, a green smoothie and a coffee with coconut milk. It's so easy to find good food in London as you are a vegan.
But everything is welded in plastic. There will never be a perfect world.....

I made a wonderful walk along the river Thames to the London Eye where I met two friends.
The weather was sunny, no clouds in the sky, it didn't feel like October.
Later we stopped for two beers in an great old pub: Ye olde cheshire cheese Pub at Fleet Street.
They have many old sorts of beer. You have to go there if you are in London!!









Time is tight, only two hours left to find my hotel, to refresh myself, to eat until the concert.
My hotel was in Hammersmith. Very good for the way back to the airport in the morning.
It called Aviva Hotel and I recommend it for your next stay in London, very clean, modern and small.
I forgot my adapter for the british mains supply and the guy from the reception gave me two.

Short new styling and ready to go. No dinner, no beer, I walk straight to Shepherd's Bush, it was only 10 minutes fast walking from my hotel.
Many fans were waiting in front of the Shepeherd's Bush empire and we joined into the queue.
We stood in the sixt row, it was a small intimate venue, so we had a great view on Mr. Gahan.

Dave's mother and son with his wife and his brother sat at the right balcony, at the other balcony sat Mr. Fletch Fletcher, Gordeno, Eigner and Daniel Miller. Andy looked like a grumpy old man.

Yeah, and then it was time for him.....
Please excuse, but the concert started and in my mind it ended 10 minutes later.
The first two songs I heard nothing, I saw only Dave. It was a very special moment for me.
Yes, you can laugh about me. I saw so many concerts with Dave but....no words.

The first 75 minutes they played a mixture of the both albums they made together.
I like the Soulssavers, great performers.
Tempted, Take me back home and the sun were the best songs for me, but all the songs are so well presented. He was the voice.

After a very short break, they played "Kingdom" and "Dirty sticky floor". He switched into the entertainer and great performer we all love. But this new quiet aspect of him, I was surprised.
And then... twelve years ago I heard this song the last time. In Milano on his solo tour.
It is one of my favorite live songs of Depeche Mode but only performed by Dave.
"Condemnation". It was an unbelievable feeling. Happiness, Pain, Desire, very deep emotions.
The last song was " Walking in my shoes".

We closed the evening in a pub with a few beer and I got only 4 hours to sleep until I went back to the airport and from the airport in Cologne straight to work.
So I need a day to write this blog because I was so tired.

Now I'm in a very special mood.
I'm really really happy, happy and lucky....
And I think nothing could be more important. To be happy.
Thank you Mr. Gahan



















Sonntag, 25. Oktober 2015

Dave Gahan and London is calling

Sitting here and listening to the new album again and again.
In the moment are "Tempted" and Lately" my favourites. 

I saw so many concerts with Mr. Gahan and I made so many trips, so why I'm so excited?
In the moment I have no more words, have to go to bed, because I have to catch my early flight.
Tomorrow I will be busy with sightseeing in London.
Hope the weather will be fine because I will visit the Shard.

Tuesday I will be back here for my first report of the small tour.
In 10 days the whole thing is over. Funny...
Good night.


"I'm all of this and nothing.
I'm the dirt beneath your feet
I'm the sun that rises while you're  sleeping
I'm all you need."


There's some truth in it......










Found this 2 pics in the www. Great, aren't they?

Freitag, 23. Oktober 2015

Angels & Ghosts

Long time ago....

After the Delta Machine Tour so many things happened in my life.

I was a long time on the road and it is not easy to go back to your normal life, but you have find back to it.

And so I did.


But a few weeks ago Dave Gahan announce his second album with the Soulsavers and...
a small tour.

I had no time to think about it and I had no vacation days at work.
But I took the chance and booked the four concerts in Europe, yeah...

Today is the release day of the album: Angels & Ghosts and now I'm sitting here, hearing the new songs and start writing the blog again.....

For 4 concerts it will be " My daily Dave blog". 

Come with me to the 4 upcoming concerts in London, Berlin, Paris and Milan.
In the moment I''m not sure how I find the new album, but Dave's voice is great.
There are some new nuances, so I'm very excited to hear the songs live.

He played in Los Angeles and New York. They streamed the shows, but I didn't want to watch it because I like the surprise.

So let me take you on a trip.....