Europe gig no.27 - September 24th 2015 - Rockefeller, Oslo, Norway

Back to the start…. Gig 27: The easiest trip.

Saturday, 26 September 2015

I have now been to my 27th Europe concert. In 11 years. You can’t help but get into the «habit» of things after a while. You buy your ticket, plan your trip, whether it’s 2 hours by car, 2 hours by plane, or 15 hours by train, as has happened. This time I didn’t spend much time planning the trip; I live 35 minutes outside of Oslo. I know Oslo. I can even drive around in the center of Oslo without panicking now.

My job ended at 4.30, and the doors opened at 8. I drove directly to Oslo, to stop right outside Rockefeller Music Hall. I found some fans there; listening in on the soundcheck. I wanted nothing more than to jump out of the car and join them. Problem was, there was nowhere I could park.

So I had to park my car near my sleepover place, and then walk back to the venue. By then the soundcheck was done. So I walked back to where I would be sleeping, to say hello to my wonderful friends who had travelled from Finnmark in Northern Norway to see Europe.

I was VERY expectant and excited, to say the least. You would think that after 26 gigs, I had calmed down some. And I feel I have. But this night was special. This was seeing Europe in Oslo again, at the venue I had seen them twice before. Once is an event, twice is a pair, but three times? That’s a pattern.

The first time they played at Rockefeller was in 2004 (http://followingeuropetheband.blogspot.no/...), and that was my second ever gig. Last time they played at Rockefeller was in 2006 (http://followingeuropetheband.blogspot.no/...), which was my fourth gig, and that’s NINE years ago. This time it felt like it did back then, or even back at my first gig. I was 18 again! I was stressed and anxious to get my place at the front row. I was positively squealing with anticipation when meeting the other fans. I was, in short, the scatterbrained girl that left her camera in the car with the windows open on her way to her first concert. This time I left the car with all windows closed, luckily :)

In the line I talked to Stein Vidar, Michaela, Mei, Trude, Nina and two twin guys that were at their second Europe concert :) The doors opened before it got too cold. I secured a space in the front row, next to Michaela and Nina. The support band sounded great, despite the fact that I couldn’t hear their singer. In the rigging time in between the support act and Europe I talked to my surrounding friends; Thomas, Camilla, Nina and a couple of other people. As always, when the time is near for Europe to come on stage, people run a little impatient, and their senses are more focused, and so they notice more the background music. Around ten, the background music was Bohemian Rhapsody. And suddenly there was a mass breakout of song from the crowd down near the stage. I know I started singing, but I soon noticed that there were more voices. And we kept on singing!

«Too late, my time has come Sends shivers down my spine 

   Body's aching all the time 

   Goodbye everybody - I've got to go 

   Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth 

   Mama, ooo - (anyway the wind blows) 

   I don't want to die I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all,»

Just as we were starting to sing «I see a little silhouetto of a man», we noticed the music was no longer playing, the lights went down, and we did indeed see the silhouetto of a man, no two, no five men! I had to admit, I was a bit put out by the fact that I couldn’t sing more «Bohemian Rhapsody», but Europe my Europe soon made up for it.

For me, 5 feet tall and die hard fan, there is no alternative to being front row. I know that my guys will deliver a perfect show every time. I remember back in 2004, when I was standing pretty much at the same spot as I did this time, when I had the thought that «Wow, they are actually even better live than they are on their albums!». For me, the concerts are, and have always been, as much about the visual, and the connection with the band. Back in 2004 I remember Joey touching my hand from the stage. That didn’t happen this time. This time I got many recognizing smiles from John Levén, we even communicated about about a song at one point, through gestures, facial expressions and smiles.

 Flashback:

[Back in March this year, I went to see Europe in Glasgow, 2 nights in a row. I saw them on Thursday, and then I had a Meet and Greet with the band on Friday before gig number two. I approached Joey, who smiled when he saw me, and then he said «Long time no see!». After this exchange e switched to Swedish, saying; "oh, but you understand swedish, isn’t that right?" This took me by surprise, cause the last time I spoke to Joey was in 2008, 7 years previously.]

This encounter was very clear in my mind on this Rockefeller concert. During the song «Second Day», the amazing lights in red, white and blue were shining outwards into the audience. The audience could see the stage and the band just fine, but I kept thinking that they had a better look at us in the crowd on this song. I am not a huge fan of this song. I heard it live in Glasgow as well, and it’s better live than on the album, but it’s not my favourite. However, I was quite pleased with knowing the lyrics and singing along to them when Joey stood right in front of me, purposefully bending down to look directly into my face. There it was again, the sign of recognition. The look that said «there you are!» Not «Hey sexy», or «Rock on, dude», but «Hey there, my loyal fan, it’s nice to see you in the audience again» - look.

My favourite songs from this concert was Hole in my pocket, Sign of the times, Days of Rock’n’roll, Firebox, Girl from Lebanon, and the biggest surprise of the evening… The mood lighting together with Mic on the keyboard indicated «No Stone Unturned», even if that was a bit unlikely considering they had played «Firebox», so I reached down to my bag to find my cellphone and start filming, cause the beginning of No Stone Unturned gets to me every time. But it wasn’t «No Stone Unturned». At first, when John Norum started playing this oh so familiar song, I thought «Gary More tribute, now?». But then it dawned on me: Oh my God, he’s playing "Vasastan". Normally I would squeal/scream/jump at the apprehension, but this time I just stood filming, swallowing and almost tearing up. It was so tender and beautiful. A sold-out Rockefeller with crazy rock fans that could make so much noise, and yet John Norum managed to play so soft and tender. It was magical!

The encore began with Rock the night, and in his ad lib-bit, Joey put in a Norway tribute by singing three words: «Take…. On…. Me…», I liked this little homage. It brought me back to when they played a bit of «In the hall of the mountain king» when they were in Skien 5 years ago. 

It’s very clear that the band enjoys their concerts in Norway, and feels a connection to the country. This night, I was attending my 16th Norwegian Europe gig, and I haven’t even been to all of the gigs they have done in Norway, so that’s saying something. Days of Rock’n’roll came all too soon. I say that because there can not be any other song following this new classic but The Final countdown, and that means the show is coming to a close.

But when the band got out after Days of Rock’n’roll, they experienced their first techical hiccup (that I know of) this evening. It seemed to me like the intro to TFC would not start! I heard half a second of the roaring bass, then nothing more. Then I heard it again, and again it stopped. The crew came on stage and fixed some wires and some stuff, the audience continued chanting. And then it finally began.

It had been so hot during that gig, I could see Joey’s hair all wet from the heat, and I was feeling very hot myself. But what happened at the end of the gig was worth all the heat. I had, as I mentioned, had a couple of nods and smiles from John Levén, and at the end of The Final Countdown (which was nearly The Final Breakdown for a few minutes), I mimicked to him that I wanted a plectrum.

After he was done playing, he gave a sign to one of the crew, and then he came back with a handful of plectrums. He tossed it in my direction, I saw it fly, and tried to grasp it, but I didn’t have any real hope to catch it, I never was very good with the whole eye-hand-coordination-thingy. After the band left the stage, I found Camilla, and hugged her, we had rocked together a while during the concert, so I knew where she stood. After I hugged her, she picked at my forehead. «You have a plectrum on your forehead, here you go!», she said. I was sure she was joking, surely she must’ve caught a plectrum and decided to give it to me? But as far as I know, she doesn’t joke with that kind of things. So… Yeah… Caught a plectrum with my sweaty forehead :-p

After that, I was hurrying to get outside, because the place was boiling. Outside I met up with friends from all over Norway. It was so great! I talked like I was being paid for it, at very high speed with few breaks, but the people around me were all smiles anyway.

The night ended in even more perfection, when after a good while, three band members came outside, and took some time to meet with the fans, there were maybe 5-7 fans there. I asked John Levén politely if I could have a photo with him, and he obliged smilingly, at least according to the photos.

I think that was the best smile I have seen on him ever :D I got a photo with Ian as well, and the photos turned out very well! At last came John Norum, and when he saw me, he made a gesture clearly inviting me to a hug. And what a nice hug it was. While there, I asked very silently «So, you remember me still?» And his reply was just as calmly and very friendly «Of course, of course. How are you? All good with you?». At this point Thomas was holding my cellphone, cause I wanted to ask John Norum for a picture. A bit later on, Thomas showed me the picture of me and Norum. Not the one where we are posing and smiling for the camera, but the picture of John Norum hugging me so closely! I was SO happy :D Now I have the memory AND the picture to prove it for when a couple of more year passes, when I start to imagine that I dreamt it all :)

My third gig at Rockefeller was a real treat :D

I am looking forward to the next!