Sonntag, 8. November 2015

Donnerstag, 5. November 2015

Dave Gahan & The Soulsavers in Milan or "... don't say Goodbye".

I will start my last entry of this small tour with a excerpt of one my favorite songs of their second album : "Lately"

"Just give me one more chance, don't say Goodbye."

That's my conclusion of this ten days.

I only slept 3 hours this night and I have to work in 1 hour. I came back from Milan right now, sitting here at my small desk and want to give you a few impressions of the last concert.

After landing in Milan, I walked a little bit around because I was waiting for friends. As they arrived we had lunch together. Great italian Pizza in a big restaurant near our hotel. The waiter was a funny guy. He chaffed me because I wore a Gigi Buffon football shirt. I'm a big Juventus Turin Fan and when I'm in Italy I wear always my Gigi jersey. But the waiter was a fan of AC Milan and he shaked constantly his head with uplifted forefinger and tried to steal my Juve shawl. He had his fun and we as well.

Many italians gave me a good reaction on my jersey, because the most of them like Gigi Buffon.

After the lunch we took the tube and then a small tube to the new arena Fabrique.
It was 2 o'clock p.m and they stood nearly 200 people waiting for the entrance. A few of them has slept in front of the venue.
So we spent the time there very relaxed, with beer and meeting friends.
Ads we came into the venue we snatched the 6.th row.Good view.

It was a grandiose concert, Dave looked so relaxed. He was another man on this tour.
He eclipsed of his cage, the cage of Depeche Mode, in which he ran back and forth like a restless tiger. I enjoyed every minute. The time ran so fast, I didn't believe and I was under his spell, it was hard to move, because I was paralyzed.

"Just give me one more chance, don't say goodbye".

It would become ever wilder from concert to concert, I'm sure.
This time he played wild games with the cord from the microphone and he danced more expressive than the other concerts.

And maybe he didn't want to lapse in the Depeche Mode frequency.
So he went, as it was at its best.

The last four songs, wow, the italiens went crazy. " Condemnation" was sung by the whole audience.
And it fit,  because he sang it the last time in Milan at his "Dirty sticky floor" tour.

At "Walking on my shoes" I had tears running down. I felt happy and sad at once.
And then, this was the end. He made no second encore. " See you last time", he said and then Dave and the Soulsavers bowed  and embraced each other.

Someone of the stage crew made a pictures of them, the bassist Martyn Lenoble had the idea and he tweeted the picture on his account. We know him from the Dirty sticky tour, because he was the bassist then , too.

Now I could only say thank you to Dave and the Soulsavers and the great audience.
Dave, these memories will be my sun in cloudy days. I will take them to the future.

In the concert I looked for Gigi Buffon, because he like Depeche Mode, and earlier in the evening a friend ask me, when Dave and Gigi are both in the concert and I have to choose one for a dinner, whom I would choose?
I said I think Gigi, but in the concert I realized Dave is my 34years long idol. I ever will choose him.
As I saw the picture which was on the back of the "Speak &Spell" cover,

I was a fan of him.
My schoolfriend Klausi bought the album and I looked to the cover and said, I want to hear this right now and a new era began on the day for me.

After the concert we went by taxi into the city and drank only one beer together , but it was a big one....
Then hotel and I slept for 3 hours before I take the Malpensa shuttle to the airport and the flight back home.

Thank you to all the friends I met for spending a great time together.
Thank you for reading my blog, hope you will came back one day....


I started with his words and I will close with his words:

"Hm you take me back there
 hm take me back home please
 hm no I can't go in there
 just take me back home
 home it's where I wanna be "











next one is the picture from the Martyn l
Lenoble tweet: 













Dienstag, 3. November 2015

An evening with Dave Gahan & the Soulsavers or the main course is served

After my wonderful shopping tour in Paris, my amuse gueul, and a short stop in my small hotel  ( Hotel des Belges, it's a little bit like in Belgium, looks at first glance like a gin place, if you know what I mean, but it was clean and safe) I walked to Cigalle, which is located near to Pigalle and Montmartre .

It is a very small theater, completely with seats, no standing area and so the fans are forced to sit at their place. I had a place on the orchestra at the left sight with a very good view to the stage.

Concerts starts at 20.15 o'clock....the main course was ready for serving.....the Soulsavers and Mr. Gahan entered the stage. Dave in a green jacket this time..

The setlist was the same as before. This time I saw so many things I didn't see in London and Berlin, but from my higher position on the orchestra I could watch it better.
On the stage was glued a small carpet, like a prayer-rug. Maybe it was for the lighting position, many times he stood on the carpet.  Nothing with "dirty sticky floor", very funny.

And I noticed it the first time in Berlin, he use his microphone without his beloved microphone stand.
And I saw it agin, he didn't use it. I saw that never before. Dave and his mike stand is a long life love.
Shocking, it's like a divorce.....

I'm a little bit theatric, because the whole evening was like a play and Dave was the leading actor and the Soulsavers are the bit part. Meanwhile he can sing and dance and pose at once. He was Macbeth and he gave his best. Finally the audience stood up completely. I stood from the first moment!!

It was the best concert for me in Paris on this small tour. Yes, I like the french fans, they are so stylish and they take time but then they are very enthusiastic. Dave enjoyed it so much, he bathed in applause.

" Have you ever followed Jesus.....this will be my last time".

I say it again, he is my personal jesus. After the concert I drank a few beers with good friends and we spoke about the chemistry between Dave and the Soulsavers. Very good chemistry in contrast to the chemistry on many Depeche Mode concerts.
Yes, they play a many many concerts more and it's harder to play in a stadium than in a small theater,
but I thought as I heard Dave singing: this should be my last time....
Yes,but I'm sure I will be on my pool position when the next tour starts....

I wish I could write poems, I would write a poem about Dave....
So I say it with his words:
"He is a sinner, he is a saint, I'm nothing without you."


Ok, back home now from Paris.
I want to say a few words about Paris. What a melting point, so many people with different parentages. I think it is not easy to live their, but they do. Respect and I'm sure we can do it, too.

Looking forward to Milano, I have to catch a very early flight and my idea is to be very early at the venue to stand in the first rows, because it will be the last time....


















Montag, 2. November 2015

Dave Gahan & the Soulsavers in Paris or Amuse-Gueule

After one day at home and four hours working this morning I took the Thalys train to Paris.
The train arrived " a la minute" and I hurried up to go to my two favourite shops in Paris:
Maille et L'aduree. Both are next to the church Madeleine.
I bought a lot of french mustard and a few small boxes of macarons....
I'm a mustard junkie....

Now I'm in my hotel, it is in the front of the gare du Nord.
I enjoy a can of beer and in a few minutes I 'm ready to leave for my third concert.

Excited again.....




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