Europe gig no.5 - May 18th 2007 - Sandnes

These are taken from the forum at www.europetheband.com

by ToneIrene » Sat May 19, 2007 2:43 am

"I'm standing in the lobby in the hotel, gig is ended, and John Levén is somewhere behind me, 
so, naturally, this is all for now  I'll update tomorrow or sunday "

 » Sat May 19, 2007 10:22 pm: Have you ever been in the presence of another Europefan, having attended a gig? Have you been with that fan at the time when all the things that has happened to her starts to sink in? Remember the giggling, the lost eyes, and a bit more giggling, without a conversation going on? 

Cloud nine is wonderful, folks... more will come, I am starting to write my review as soon as I've finished my lasagne and are no longer so busy on msn 

We start this encounter once again, (for you who have read my previous tour reports) with the journey. We're at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, and I'm sitting there, reading my incredibly exciting novel. Half an hour before the time of the flight, I am looking up at my surroundings, the not that crowded airport (I kinda feel at home here, normally having to fly to get from my parents in Oslo, to my residence in Tromsø). My surroundings is very nice. A couple of plants here and there, some stores, an escalator that doesn't escalate... 

There is a man at the airport, with long hair, with the back towards me... My imagination is, well, it's lively. Cause I am thinking; could this be Europe? Is that man Mic? 

Well, to face the real world, I have a closer look and.. hey! It IS Mic.. and John L. Ian strikes past me, to get some refreshments or something. I am experiencing that feeling of warmth and cold at the same time, rising from my toes upwards, leaving me kind of dizzy... I don't remember who I talked to first. I said hello to them, I know, but can't remember very much else (this blackout sensation has a tendency of occuring in the presence of band members...) 

Ok, so I'm gonna fly with Europe. I asked Mic.. or someone else. - Is there gonna be a soundcheck? I ask, and John N (where did he come from?) says yeah, if we get there in time... 

Then there is a delay in the flight schedule!! 

Did I mention I am at the airport by myself, with 4 of my heroes, and some of the crew? Well, I just had to go in circles around myself, and send a few texts (to my friends), and ask (band members) if I could sit by their table and stuff, I am a opportunity-seizer, although not a very gracious one, I never know what to say, and I babble... 

But I had a nice chat with John N, he told me he'd celebrated May 17th (Norwegian National day) and stuff  I got to see the set list (only thing I remember is that they start with Love is not the enemy, and finish with Final countdown) 

Ok, now we fly. Didn't totally hazzle them on the plane, just sitting by myself grinning (sometimes not, cause even if 4 precious guys were on the plane, I couldn't be quite sure the plane wouldn't crash)  [Commenting 2013: I was still, at this point, scared of flying, although ore used to it than before]

Picking up luggage, getting on a bus to the hotel, then taxi to the venue (without checking in, wouldn't wanna miss my very first soundcheck) 

Walking in the rain back to the hotel.... 

Soaked, in the rain, dragging my suitcase... for 20 minutes, then finding the hotel (in a straight line from the venue, it seems). 

Room is really nice, leave my stuff there and go find my roomies. (Three roomies, flying with three different flights with the airline SAS from Oslo to Stavanger, what's happened to the world?) 

Second roomie arrives, we hang around and wait for the third roomie. Third roomie comes, we go change, we go to eat, then to find more fans (there are some in Norway as well!) (did I mention I love parantheses?) 
Go to a room, have a few ciders, and listening to Europe, talking about everything and nada. 
More make up and changing and fitting clothes to bodies, then off to the venue (in festival buses, 10NOK, much better than walking in the rain).

First row, together with AtleMiguel. The venue is outdoors, and Europe's the last band on stage (I only saw the last songs of the band before, and I won't bother writing about it, cause I have so much else to tell. They were good, but there is a time for every tale) 

Love is not the enemy, Always the pretenders, Supersitious. The good things keeps on coming. It was the good old setlist (I haven't paid much attention, but this I know), minus a few. There is a rule you're supposed to stop at midnight, and Europe started at 11, so, there wasn't time for every song. Did miss Flames, Secret Society and Cherokee... 

The gig was FANTASTIC. You all know this, even if you weren't there. The rain did NOT pour down, only 10 drops occasionally, no worries! And I don't think the norwegian fans were cold (we're used to a bit of weather) 

It was windy, and Joey's hair was blowing in the wind, and his voice carried around the venue (I think, seeing as I were on front row) 

We sang, and jumped, and danced and screamed, and they sang, and played and jumped and turned and beat those naughtly drums... 

It was awesome. I don't know what more to say! I occasionally felt orgasms spreading through the crowd (or was it just me?), just provocated by the music. 

The people loved them!

Ok, gig ended with a countdown, then Atle took some of us in his car, to the hotel. 4 Europe fans in a car with Europe music in the CD player? He said it was a first time experience for him that someone in the car actually sang along to Europe-songs, except for him   

Then we arrived at the hotel, changed, and went down to the bar, were we joined a couple of other fans, mostly italian, and had some drinks. 

Europe in the lobby. Talked to Mic (and finally I didn't feel 10 years old when talking to him), saw the guys go out, headed up to sleep.

[Edit november 2013....can't believe this wasn't mentioned in the forum post. I had some pictures with Mic. A fellow fan took the picture with my camera phone. I watched it to approve, but Mic's face wasn't visible, so I deleted the picture and asked if I could have another picture. The reason however, that his face wasn't visible on the picture was because he was kissing me on the top of my head. Yes really. And I deleted the picture. It's nothing but a memory now. But it sticks!] 

Oh, what a beautiful morning! Passing out in bed at 3.30, up at 8 (no alarms ringing, just waking up) removing make-up, putting on new make-up, putting clothes on. (The state I am in right now, I don't recall if I slept with my clothes on or removed them, blackout again, and it's still not due to alcohol! 

I was alone arriving in the restaurant, and I sat beside an english-speaking group of men, finding out they were probably a band. So I asked, and yes, they had played the night before, but long before I got there. They were nice, but I guess some of them could've been my grandfather, at least one... or maybe just a father-and-a-half... 

Wonderful breakfast; oranges, pineapple, watermelon, bread, and a dash of Joey Tempest.. 

He just stood in the lobby, with his suitcase, so I thought "oh, now he's leaving". But he had breakfast there (or, I don't know, he might just have talked to a few guys, I didn't turn around too much) 

Then he talked to a guy in front of my table. And oh, this is frozen into my mind. 

Joey tuuurns around, looks at me. Reaches out to shake my hand, after saying "Hey darling" (I am nearly positive about this, although my hearing were kinda waking to life at this point). 

And some other phrases, like "Take care", me saying "safe journey" (in norwegian), and him: "det samma" ("same to you")... 

Him leaving, rest of band leaving, one of the guys in the other band trying to get me to his room (I was kinda flattered by this, even though the guy was much older than me)

-Do you like Solo?* 
-Yeah? 
-Wanna go for a Solo? 
-ehm... no? 
-whisky? 

The story about this trip ends with us fans going for dinner (later that day) in Stavanger, then Atle drove me to the airport, then I flew from Stavanger to Oslo, and from Oslo to Tromsø

Added in 2013: Reading this now... I have to add a few things. I see the day I wrote it is the same day I came back from Sandnes. I had a school paper that was due two days later, that I had been working on, very poorly, instead of celebrating May 17th. Or, that was the intention. I didn't get much done. So, when I came back home on May 19th, and the paper was due in two days, I was probably shock-full of adrenaline from the flights, the concert, the interaction with friends, meeting the band-members, this time NOT planned, AND stressed because of that paper. So I had to just write my head off, so I could focus on that paper. I think it went quite well anyway.

One thing I also remember, that I forgot to mention, was that at one point, John Levén was getting in the elevator at the same time I was. What an incredible normal thing for someone to do. Getting into an elevator in order to go up to the floor one's staying in. And we happened to be doing that at the same time.