Ok, here I go again with my concert story.. I've planned abit... and as usual, I'm colouring it with travel and enviroment details. I'm a scatterbrain, so have patience.
When I first learned that Europe were coming to Tromsø it took me maybe 5 hours from hearing the news, to having ordered the plane tickets. I lived and studied in Tromsø for 3 years, left in 2008. I LOVE Tromsø. It's a little Island in the north of Norway, in the middle of the sea. The sea is surrounded by mainland and another island, plus plenty of mountains. The mountains are gorgeous, I will upload pictures of them later.
I stayed at a friend's place, and I was all rested and relaxed going out into the sunlit day. My friend recently moved to where he now lives, and I have not been there very much, but when he left me to find the way to the city by myself, it was no problem at all. I really felt at home here. So I strolled down to the city. Europe to play in my own home town (one of 3-4 cities I like to call home), I of course had high expectations.
I met up with Stein-Vidar in town. I'm a total music geek. When I was 14 or 15 (98 or 99) I discovered 'The Final Countdown', and this wonderful band that played the 'Final Countdown'. About the same time the internet came into our home. And I searched (I don't think I knew the word Google back then) for trivia. And found Stein-Vidars website. I signed the guestbook and soon he wrote an email back to me. Later I bought some VHS's (!!!) from him with lots of Europe stuff, and thus I discovered my fascination for the 80s. Not just the song, not just the band, but the shows and the clothes and the hair and the works
I got around to talking to Stein-Vidar on the telephone, and I remember hearing him play 'The final countdown' for me on his keyboard over the phone. Ever since I've wanted to see him play that thing live. So that was my background for dragging him into the music store. To Geek with someone who understands.
And then I flashed him a bit of 'Carrie' and 'Tomorrow'-introes :P
Ok, so on with the story. We took to the road to the arena, using Google Maps (if anyone had told us this in 98, that we would be using our phones to get to a place, I'm not sure I could have pictured it).
I kept stopping to take pictures of the mountains. I LOVE mountains. I know it's the same mountains, they were there when I moved, and they haven't changed, but ooooh. And I just though: "MY band is coming to see my town, my mountains!!"
We got there in the end, after 15-20 minutes walk, mostly uphill. The festival arena was magnificent. Some of you may have seen a pic I posted from the arena, showing the "Tromsdalstinden" (Mountain) FROM the festival site...It was just perfect.
We got there early, Sat in the sun, had a hot dog, and sodas with wasps (I didn't know they were playing :P :P ) No seriously, three wasps chasing after you synchronically; you know the weather is okay. We got rid of them (and the sodas) in the end.
Northern Norway is known for it's nature, it's hospitality and reindeer. So believe me when I tell you what we could buy from the food stands on the arena: Reindeer kebab, hamburger, fishburger, bidos, chips and whale burger. I've got pics to prove it. Yes, at a festival kiosk :P
So, after sitting and enjoying our hot dogs in the sun getting a tan while southern Norway was flushed with rain, we saw the band Vamp. I really liked them. I like when people use lots of instruments live, and folk-inspired music is also pretty close to my heart. I also met a girl I used to go to school with, I knew she was there. I was so excited for her to see Europe. There's no one I know who doesn't know I'm a Europe fan. So I'm always excited to show them "my band". You all probably know the feeling.
>>>>I bet this next part was about Chris Medina, who played between Vamp and Europe. It was probably about teenagers that were there JUST for one song, and that they were just chatting when not singing along to the one song they knew the lyrics to. I must have hit backspace some time the past 5 years, so I wouldn't know.... And then...
The teenage girls moved, some of the boys stayed behind. I instructed them that whenever there was a song they didn't know, would they please NOT start to chatter among themselves? "Thus sounds your first rock concert lesson!" And I had NO problems with them the entire gig. Was really cool to be surrounded by them (that meant the beer-drinkers wouldn't drown us first-rowers, we had a barrier!)
Oh, by the way, let me go back to describe the venue.. It was ALL white. Covered with plastic "floor". It was like a big hangar. The bigger stage was HUGE, with screens on both of the sides so all could watch. Two men with camera (one on and one off stage) were filming the band and the fans so the back crowd could see what happened up front. Professional! The gig was also sent live on the festival Døgnvill's webpage.
Above the venue, further up the hill there was lots of trees (Not exactly forrest, more forrest-y), and there sat some free passengers enjoying the music, but I don't think they could see the stage.
Ok.. The concert was good It wasn't the best concert I have ever attended, but let me point out a few very positive things. The band were on form. There was some fuxx-ups. I never noticed Ian doing anyone (as he described in his page), but Mic's solo was VERY long, maybe that was it... Joey started the wrong lines a couple of times (Not the first time that happens, probably not the last), and John broke a string (hey, even I noticed this, and i'm not as clear-headed during a gig as Stein-Vidar.) This time I had borrowed an actual digital camera (filming with a mobile camera is okay, as long as there's no guitar or bass), so I was recording some of it, and the sound was really good on that camera, now I have a REALLY decent shoot of No Stone Unturned.
I was jumping a lot, and screaming a lot, and I actually yelled like a moron before Doghouse. Introduced the song before Joey, not my very finest moment, he didn't notice and moved on (ugh, I'm so sorry, Joey, I'm gonna behave next time)
I was bouncing, dancing, singing, trying to shut up, and waving up at the band. Big attention wh*re sometimes, yes I know. I'm a sucker for smiles Joey smiled down at Stein-Vidar for a LONG time, I was so jealous ( ). Stein and Vinjar thought he smiled at both of us, but I don't know. John L saw me, pointed towards me and gave me a recognizing smile, but I don't know if that was ironic or what. But I was happy I/We got a flashy long smile from John Norum, too
No stone Unturned... I almost cried. It's weird, they play it as they always do, but some time during a gig, your emotions just gets you all choked up, and you're in a very special happyland with almost-tears and a big lump in your throat, feeling like you're the luckiest person alive. It's a rare gift being so dedicated like we all are.
The audience was AMAZING. Ok, so I had 1,5 beer showers (one during Seventh Sign, I think the high pace was too much for the beer-drinkers, they just HAD to dance with their cups in their hands), but I was happy either way, didn't get a lot of it, because the barrier of teenagers. Also, I had a very good hair day!
I really wanted to meet the guys when they were in Tromsø. As it happens, I didn't.
I know, I'm a spoiled brat for being dissappointed, but it's my town... I spent 3 years hoping Europe would come there when I lived there. I wanted to just say hi.
Yeah, so, the audience was great. Made so much noise, I almost thought I wasn't going to hear the first notes of Final Countdown!
But before that... Well, the camera men was filming a lot. And they came to me, once, and Vinjar and Stein both said instantly after he had filmed me that "you were up on the big screen!" Torild told me afterwards she had noticed too (and she wasn't my side of the stage.
The show ended, and I just realized I had been so totally lost in the concert all the time, it's so magical when that happens. When you stop analyzing, stop noticing everyone around you, and just LIVE in the music.
Today I was in my old school (University Faculty), and I met a lot of people that used to go there with me. They're still going. I met someone from my class, and he said "Hey, I saw you on the big festival screen on saturday". He didn't even know I was coming. "Bet you were surprised?" I said... "Not really", was his reply :P Apparently I'd been filmed more times than that one time. Well, I guess that's the best way of announcing your presence to people you haven't seen in 3 years
I met another one of my former class mates, and he asked "So, what number Europe concert was this for you?" "17", I said "11th gig in Norway". And he was like "did you hear that?" To the guys next to him. But then I told him I'd met a fan who had seen them around 50 times, I wasn't surprised at all to see her here. Later I read the local newspaper, and saw a picture of her, Franscesca, being interviewed. It wasn't her 50th concert... It was her 78th!
Well done to the local news papers for finding that out. The reviews from both the local news papers was the standard crap. They both had "poodle" in their head lines, gave the concert a 3 and a 4 (out of 6), in the usual manner. You bet the review had been written BEFORE Europe got on stage. I don't cringe at the thought of Europe getting 3 or 4 out of 6. Not when it's done by PROFESSIONAL journalists who actually have done some research. How I know they hadn't? Well, it said "new songs" not "Last look at Eden"-material, and the only songs known to the journalists were "TFC, RTN and Carrie"
But all in all... It was a great experience. Minus that dissapointment for not getting to meet my heroes in a grown-up manner, smiling all over my face telling them: Welcome to Tromsø, I hope you take a tour around this Island, it's BEAUTIFUL! This and this is were the good clubs are.
As opposed to being all giddy when I meet them. I don't want to be giddy, I wanna be GROWN-UP
Editors notes again: Yep. Really grown-up...
The picture is of me and Vinjar at the festival area, view Tromsdalstinden in the background.
