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Lore Müller:
To begin with a summary: We had a phantastic afternoon, evening, night and early
morning (and some perhaps breakfast)!
As always Iīd like to tell you not only about the concert itself, but as well how
I experienced the hours before and after the show. But, be careful, the concert-part
is spoiling. I simply feel sorry for all those who canīt go to a concert and must be
satisfied so far with very little information about the concert.
In the morning Angelika from Bavaria arrived and soon we were ironing the Storyman,
which my husband Peter had already printed, on her t-shirt. As we expected some
problems on the autobahns, we started early via Dortmund with our car: Peter as
driver, Doris from Bonn, my friend Renate, Angelika and myself. I had chosen "The
River Sessions" for the musical entertainment in the car, for I thought it covered
best the mood I was in after being at the Munich concert. It was very important to
me to give my people more information about the new songs. So I read out the German
translation of "The Mirror of the Soul" and explained the old song "The Leader".
(After the concert they admitted it was quite good to know the story behind the
diamond and the meaning of The Leader.) Fortunately we arrived at the Westfalenhalle
early without difficulties.
A few people were already near our entrance. Why so early in the afternoon? Well,
Astrid had organized a huge fan-meeting as she had already done two years ago,
when we celebrated "CdeB in Westfalenhalle for 20 years". This time we celebrated
the "10 years anniversary of the www.cdeb.com " . We were all wearing a special
T-shirt. It shows on the front the storyman as you can see him on the CD-cover,
but filled with about 170 faces of fans, bandmembers, CdeB and even his Mum. In a
competition we all could decide between 4 suggestions of the T-shirt-design and
this one by Alison was the winner. Apart from the Storyman you find the globe on
the shirt, informing about the anniversary.
At about 3.00 p.m. the door opened and we were checked in. We got buttons with our
names and place and country (with flag), where we come from, the date, the fan-meeting
and the venue. They look great! And soon the chatting from outside went on in the
foyer, we were putting names to faces and we were waiting. Waiting? Well, we had a
program! When all people were "checked" in, the door closed and we were asked into
a large room with tables and chairs and a microphone and guess what? We had a
karaoke competion. We had got little voting sheets at the entrance and now 12
competitors sang a CdeB-song, accompanied by Cesar from Spain (famous for his
fabulous performance of "Patricia the Stripper" on stage with Chris playing the
guitar 2 years ago during the concert), Michael and Gregor from Germany, wellknown
by some of us from being the musicians at the fanmeeting in Wuppertal in Claudiaīs
disco some years ago. We had great fun at the karaoke session and the competitors
did their best, for the winner got an extraordinary award: to sing his song for
Chris de Burgh! Everything was organized by Astrid, but we did not exactly know in
advance how much time we had for the karaoke session, when and where the winner
would sing for Chris and if we had a chance to make a group photo with Chris and
where we would give him our gift. Yes, he got s.th. really big from us! But later
more. Heike and Anke got 49 votes, if I remember rightly, and that was much more
than any other competitor. They sang "Saint Peterīs Gate". Heike sang the words of
the old man and the woman, some lines were sung together, partly with first and
second voice. And Anke had a huge, about 2 m long instrument, which, when you turn
it upside down, makes a noise like falling rain. They began and ended the song with
it. It was a great performance. Of course they had to sing it again, after being
chosen as the best.
Then Astrid, who is the good spirit of us and spends so much time and effort on
organizing everything, got a present. Cesar sang a verse from the Storyman with
different lyrics (by myself) to start the "Thank you":
"We celebrate a 10 years anniversary:
>CdeB on the world-wide-web<
Mailing-list, news, and answers from Chris de Burgh,
Fans are well informed, Astrid, we thank you."
Then Chris W. and Konni gave Astrid a huge card with our signatures, a voucher and
a cushion, everything decorated for a CdeB-fan, and a bunch of flowers.
There was time left for more singing, so some of the singers sang a second song
and some others sang, all just for fun. A group of about 10 sang my whole
Storyman-parody, but unfortunately one microphone was not enough for many voices.
But we sang the song later again, at a different occasion. Oh well, that was a
loooooooong day!
At about 6 p.m. we were called to enter the concert hall, where we found the band
on stage, obviously waiting for us. We had to take seats, but not in the first row!
Soon Chris himself appeared, chewing chewing gum. Have never seen him chewing chewing
gum before. He greeted and then did a soundcheck: front-speakers off, front speakers
on, voice with more reverb, la-la-la-la-las. But - the first song he did, was
together with??? Guess! Kristyna Myles! They sang "Raging Storm", sitting next to
each other on metal chairs, ending with holding hands. Wonderful voices! Chris was
coughing and chewing. Oh dear! We hoped he hadnīt caught a cold. But obviously the
chewing gum had something to do with his cough. Later in the concert you couldnīt
see or hear anything about a cold fortunately. He sang at the piano "Here is your
paradise", but only half and joked he would sing the second part next year. He sang
a bit of this song and that song and when the soundcheck was finished, Astrid told
him about the winners of the karaoke competion and asked Chris to sit down in the
first row, so that Cesar with the guitar and Anke and Heike could sing to the
audience, but not from the stage (was not allowed). They were standing right in
front of Chris, unfortunately without microphone and you could see, that it was
a different situation from singing only for fans. Chris watched the performance
with great interest. Iīm not sure if he got our present before or after Ankeīs and
Heikeīs singing. Astrid gave him a large framed poster, with faces of people from
the mailing-list, sent in some month ago by Astrid to be used by the light-engineer
for a morph-video to be shown on stage. And if Chris wants to know who is who, he
can now look into a cheat sheet, which he got as well. Ah, Astrid gave Chris a
button like ours and explained to him, pointing on her own button, that everybody
had got this button. Chrisī commment: "All with ASTRID??" Astrid told him all the
countries where the mailing-list-people come from. When Chris "tried" to leave us,
lots of people surrounded him with cameras and I saw him giving autographs and I
saw his P.A. Chris A. not pleased with the situation, and so soon both disappeared.
Iīm not sure if we will have a group picture, because I couldnīt see uns sitting or
standing somewhere as a group and the photographer in front of us.
The staff asked us to leave the hall, and when we were in the foyer again, the
"ordinary" concert-visitors were just entering. We used the break for getting a
snack and having a drink. Soon it was time to take our seats. I forgot to say that
Angelika B. brought lightsticks to the meeting and so at least the mailing-list-people
were prepared to wave with visible sticks in the dark.
And now, if you are going to a Storyman-concert and you donīt want to get any
spoiling info, jump over the following passage, till you see the words
"After-Show-Party" on the left side.
The concert began with the Storyman-Theme, the stage hidden behind a curtain. Then
you could hear Chris sing the first words of "Where we will be going", but you
couldnīt see him. Big applause. Silence. Then everybody who was not yet paying
attention to the start of the concert, awoke, because hard drums made the opening
for the complete "Where we will be going". Chris was dressed in black trousers,
white shirt and his usual leather jacket, which he put off after some songs at the
back of the stage without any striptease-playing. He mentioned how much he enjoys
to perform in the Westfalenhalle and he remembered the solo-show 2 years ago and
that it was one of the best shows ever and that he hoped to have such a great time
or even a better time now. He mentioned that there were about 150 fans from many
countries >from some kind of fan-club. (WE!!) He introduced some of the songs briefly,
some in detail. The sight of the stage changed often. So often that I really canīt
remember how it looked like at each song. But I remember that during: "Where we will
be going" there was nothing special to be seen, some light perhaps "The Storyman",
during the second half, titles of songs flashed up. "The Traveller" showed some
photos and film-spots from the wild wild west. "Raging Storm", well, I only say,
they got standing ovation. No need for more words. "Spirit" showed animals and
landscape from Serengeti. And you could read in white letters the title, and when
the story happens, and the place. You could read this info with most (or all?) songs
from the Storyman-CD. I think a bit of the sound from the CD was flowing into the
life-performance. "Mirror of the Soul": When the music begins, you notice a big box
with a cloth around it, on the left side of the stage, and you see Chris bow and
climb in the box, which then quickly goes upwards, perhaps 5 m high, the cloth still
long enough to reach the floor. On one edge of this box you can see a "lamp" and
your imagination tells you, that this is the diamond. Right in time before he has
to sing the first tune, Chris turns up up there like on a pulpit and sings, while
a film shows the life in the monestry and what goes on there during the song.
According to the lyrics the light in the diamond flashes and dimms and is turned off.
After half the song, Chris disappears, the box goes down, Chris slowly walks back
on stage with the microphone in his hand. He gets much applause in the breaks
between the parts, it is a gorgeous performance, and perhaps people think, the break
were the end of the song. It is a wonderful story to perform for Chris, he can show
his storytelling talent perfectly during that song. "Spanish Train", I was waiting
for tremendous applause, when he started singing, because I was just remembering
the reviews from the Montreal concert where he got standing ovations when the first
tunes of Spanish Train were to be heard. But here he kind of interrupted the fans,
still singing "la-la-la-la" from the Spaceman, with the first tunes of Spanish
Train. "The Leader": On the very right corner of the stage they had put a chair
and Chris sat down with his back to the audience. A film was shown, made by Steve.
Well done, Steve! Absolutely great! Shocking! Emotionally! Suiting the song
completely! Iīm convinced that CdeB had in mind that many of the fans, especially
from the mailing-list, had always requested to perform "The Leader" again. And Iīm
very happy he has done it that way. Iīm completely stunned how phantastic the band
produced the music. (Iīm a Chris-solo-fan.) At that point I want to add, that for
the first time since 1996 I felt really pleased with the sound of the band and I
enjoyed this band concert very very much. "The Leader" was very loud, yes, but it
was just right and suited my mood in which I was during that song. Well done,
everybody involved! You see, Iīm now telling more about certain songs, not only
about what the stage looked like. And Iīm continuing that way. After "The Leader"
the "Solo Section" began, but Chris was not really solo. He sang Borderline, but
changed the melody during the first part. Iīm not sure if I like it, I kind of
"hang on" my old Borderline. He played "Leningrad" at the piano, quietly accompanied,
as with Borderline, by a keyboard, if I remember rightly. And the voices from the
Russion choir came from 4 shadow man who you could see on the curtain. Yes, a
curtain was between the front of the stage with only Chris and the piano and guitars,
you could see through the curtain when the light, a dimmed light, fell on the
instruments that were accompanying Chris.
Also in front of the curtain, the acoustic section took place. It was a wonderful
sight, all musicians sitting there in a row or a wide half-circle with bongos,
guitar.....and when the first sound was to be heard, bass guitar and Nigel with
the accordion playing walked slowly from behind the curtain to the front. "Love
of the Heart Divine" was the first song. For the next song you have to guess,
because you cannīt recognize anything familiar with any Chris-song. With Chrisī
first words it is clear: you are going to hear LIR. I like that version very much.
Chris went down from the stage and wanted to go a bit round in the isle, but just
seconds before people had rushed to the place in front of the stage and so Chris
couldnīt walk much. The third song of the acoustic part is "Moonlight and Wodka".
To be honest, I would have loved to go on with that quieter part till the end.
When Chris does a concert with band, the end is always terribly loud. And if you
are sitting or standing somewhere in the direction of the sound coming out of the
boxes, you canīt hear Chris anymore, it is only a soup of noise. Fortunately I was
sitting right in the middle of the stage, so I could hear Chrisī voice, but it was
too loud for my ears. I know that, therefore I always have earplugs with me. And
using them, I can hear Chris clearly, but the music is much lower and so I can enjoy
even this louder part. But yesterday in Dortmund I later talked with others, sitting
at different places, and they all complained about the sound: too loud, sound
coming back from the back of the hall and so hearing Chris twice, having paid a
first category ticket.
Back to what you could see on the stage or up in the air. During "Living in the
world" our faces are shown, but not as a morph video. And the afirst rows of the
audience is filmed and projected on the back of the stage. "Snows of New York"
made us look up, because a big flying globe was floating over our heads.
Chris had got many many many flowers that evening and other gifts. He mentioned he
would sell flowers the day after the concert. But it is always amazing to see him
going to get the gifts, smiling, sometimes kissing, talking. Ah, well, right after
"In a country churchyard" a lady gave him flowers and he then told the audience,
the lady had just let him know, this song was her wedding-song. Then at least 2
people shouted s.th. like "Mine, too!" I had hoped for "Patricia" at the end of
the show, as he did it in Munich and it is Peterīs favourite CdeB-song, at least
he says so. But Chris ended without Patricia, walking again down the stage and
saying good-bye, climbing on a chair and waving, then back onto the stage,
collecting as many flowers as he could and .....leaving us. Thatīs the end of
the spoiling part. Next part is called:
After-Show-Party:
It took place in the Park Hotel, Rosenterrassen Ost, where we were welcomed by
about 8 waiters and waitresses, standing at the entrance in a row. The tables were
layed for a fine dinner and I felt like being not at the right place. I had expected
we could have our after-show-party in the room with the little stage as 2 years
before. OK, we sat down, ordered a drink, chatted and soon heard guitars quietly
from the place where our guitar-players were sitting. It seemed like "nothing ever
happens round here". Suddenly applause began to rise and we saw Kenny (CdeB-manager)
coming accompanied by Kristyna Myles!!!!!!!!!! He said some kind words, he obviously
wanted to surprise us, and we were!!! Kristyna was quickly surrounded by many people,
signing T-shirts, tickets, Tourbooks. Some minutes later, another surprise came up,
because the whole band appeared. Pictures were taken with all the famous people.
Some time later you could see the waiters carrying away many plates with lots of
food, which people had really forgotten about ........... Kristyna played a bit
piano and sang a song, but she had no microphone and so you could hardly hear her.
Astrid and Cesar played a bit at the piano and of course there was some singing.
But the singing session actually began, when Cesar, Michael and Gregor fetched the
lyrics and we all tried (not all, but many) to sing one CdeB-song after the other.
And here it was, that we sang again my Storyman-parody. I had great fun during the
whole singing session, as you could see. But, it was already late or early, just as
you put it, and people began to say good-bye. As we had a nearly 2 hours drive
before us (closed autobahn), we left the party at 1.30 a.m., sweating much, because
it was very hot in there and no oxygen, but a lot of smoke.
We had a good drive home, thanks Peter! At home we said good-bye to Renate and Doris,
and Peter, Angelika and I went to bed soon. We had to get up very early, shortly
after 7, because Angelika had to leave early. So, we were a bit tired at breakfast
:-(
And now, believe it or not, instead of sleeping after lunch, Iīm writing this review.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Lore - from Germany near Bonn/Cologne
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