Tanzwut-Tour - May 2003 - by Roland
Tour report - Tanzwut / Xandria May '03 by Roland
Xandria supporting Tanzwut Tour 15.-31.05.2003
Our "first time"
At the beginning everything was new. And exciting. And none of us could really predict how the next two and a half weeks would go. Our first tour across Germany as support for Tanzwut was just around the corner. On May 15th, we set off at around 00:30 in the middle of the night and boarded our tour bus for the first time. The bus was to take us to various locations in various cities, driven by the Swedish driver Jonas. So we couldn't really sleep on the first night on the road, so a few cold beers calmed our nervous minds.
The first concerts in Speyer and Krefeld went brilliantly despite a fair amount of stage fright, which was of course also due to the great reaction of the audience, who welcomed us very warmly as support for Tanzwut and took away a lot of our initial nervousness. The main band itself turned out to be very friendly and approachable, although it did take a day or two to get to know
each other. As the tour progressed, we got into a routine that ensured a relatively relaxed daily routine and good concert preparation. We were greeted and received in a friendly manner in almost every location, and the positive reactions between songs and after the gig surprised us time and time again. That's why it often happened that we and the band mingled with the guests after the Tanzwut gig and had a lot of fun with some of you.
And so the seventeen days of the tour went by quicker than expected and the final concert in Soest turned out to be a real highlight and a great finish. All band members survived this "first time" safely and we are already looking forward to playing for you on the next tour. A huge thank you from us to you and see you next time!
ASP Tour - 23. - 28.10.2003 - by Philip and Roland
After the last festivals last year, we were already thinking about recording our second album. But, as so often, things turned out differently than we had expected. In mid-August, we received a request from ASP to support their already planned tour as co-headliners. Oops, co-headliners! Up until now, we had mostly only played as opening acts and so we felt honored. The joy of being on the road before the studio session was accordingly great. And on October 23, 2003, after weeks of preparation, we finally got going (again). October
23, 2003 Krefeld. We traveled from our hometown of Bielefeld in a rented van, as we could only get the tour bus on site. The first beer was opened at the same time as we reached the A2 motorway towards the Ruhr area. We arrived at the location accordingly happy and in real anticipation of the tour. Our colleagues from ASP were already there and had similar things to say about their night-time journey. So we all sat together and exchanged more or less important information. After we had settled into the tour bus, we were able to get in the mood for the coming evening. It turned out to be extremely pleasant, especially as another excellent band, Chamber, was there that evening, celebrating their five-year band anniversary on stage. A great atmosphere developed with all three bands on, in front of and behind the stage, which resulted in a boozy happening in the bus on the long journey to Dresden.
October 24, 2003 Dresden. First of all: the newly opened location called "Titty Twister" immediately drew film quotes like "Drunkards, let's drink!" No sooner said than done. The atmosphere of the club and especially that of the sanitary facilities turned out to be dignified and very appealing, so that we immediately felt at home. Despite the relatively small stage, both bands had a polarizing effect. At the after-show party that took place on site (which of course continued on the bus) we didn't miss the opportunity to celebrate with some of you and make some interesting new acquaintances. So we left this place in a great mood and headed towards...
25.10.2003 Leipzig. "Hellraiser": The name says it all. The beautiful, scary, black outfit and a sound check supervised by a good mother were the basis for devilishly good shows by both bands with the most active support from the audience, which continued in a remarkable way even after the concert. It turned out to be an excellent evening that everyone involved will surely remember for a long time. With plenty to talk about, we got back on the bus in the dead of night to invade Hanover in Lower Saxony.
26.10.2003 Hanover. The "tour routine" plus consumption of cold beers had us there: Backstage we had endless discussions about "UN waffle inspectors" including jokes of the most ridiculous kind ("Waffle arsenals, waffle certificate... Yes, they have to fit under the carpet!"), and were also happy to have a visit from some old acquaintances. Unloading was only possible due to the perfect maneuvering of our driver Egon in the narrow streets ("Egon is in a bit of a trullala now..."). Strengthened by excellent catering, we played our show. We left Hanover with tears in our eyes, some of us having to turn down an invitation to drink in our bathtubs at home.
27.10.2003 Berlin. Once again, much too early in the day, behavior marks were given for synchronized or syncopated drinking. The day hotel room with shower provided led to a cleaning frenzy for everyone involved. The geographical location also enabled visits from some friends here. One of the highlights was the backstage performance by ASP himself and Max (Chamber), who delivered an unplugged version of "Stille der Nacht" among other things. The other highlight was of course the audience reaction, which impressed both bands immensely. But the end of the tour was slowly approaching...
28.10.2003 Hamburg. It's rare that you have to lug all your equipment up four floors in an elevator. But here it was the case. A lot of work, which turned out to be more than worth it. Considering that this was the last time the two bands would be together, they gave it their all in terms of lyrics. The BeerPumpGun (based on Tossi/ASP) was also invented as an effective way of getting beer. The stage, which was quite cramped (which resulted in injuries to Lisa from swinging guitar necks), was no obstacle to an all-round successful performance of the songs. On the contrary, ASP technician Hoschi was also on fire on stage that evening, which has to be said. The completely full “Marx” created a tremendous atmosphere in the spirit of a final evening. You couldn’t have wished for a better finish. The journey back to home demanded everything from all participants in terms of sitting, standing and drinking ability before they finally said goodbye to each other with the utmost mutual respect. We had six excellent evenings and therefore ...
... we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for this great week.
Further thanks go to the following lovely people: Hoschi, Nüz, Toni, Tilmann, ASP, Matze, Max, Holger, Tossi, Himmi (“Sorry, blow?”) and the most valuable driver Egon.
Until next time ....
Roland and Philip
Korea Diary - August 2004 - by Nils
For all those who stayed at home - Nils Xandria's Korea diary
in Korea 2004
Wednesday, August 4th, 2004
Bielefeld, 9.13 a.m. Marco rings my doorbell a quarter of an hour before the agreed time. Travel fever? Normally, especially when it comes to rehearsals, he's one of those people who makes the most of the academic quarter. Pack the suitcase and hand luggage into the rental car and pick up Lisa. As expected, she is much more impressed by Marco's activism. A cigarette from me and the beginnings of various panic attacks on her part later, we make our way to the rehearsal room, where Philip and Gerit are already waiting for us. Since we have to take five people and their luggage, two guitars and our bulky hard disk rack with us, we come across the first obstacles when loading the car. After these have been largely overcome, we set off for Düsseldorf airport. Once there, we meet Jule from "Sonic Seducer" and Drakkar boss Boggi Kopec. Check in. The expected problems with our equipment do not occur.
Flight to Amsterdam. "Metal Heart" editor-in-chief Sandra and our sound people Roman and Lars are already waiting for us there. We continue with a ten-hour flight to Seoul. Actually relatively unspectacular. Gerit (who is flying for the first time, by the way), Boggi and Lisa are happy about the selection of alcoholic drinks. Our label boss reveals himself to be an enemy of all kinds of plastic packaging. Lisa feels this especially, as Boggi hands the boxes of food to her, initially cursing, then wordlessly and with an implicit request for help. I try to sleep during the flight, but only partially succeed.
Thursday, August 5, 2004
Arrival in Seoul. At the airport, we meet Kang Won Park from our Korean record company, who will accompany us for the next few days. His name, which is rather unusual for Central European ears, soon undergoes various changes from us uneducated people. "Kabumm", "Tai Chi" and "Kon-Dom" are at the top of the "I can at least remember" list. Flight to Busan, where we are to play at BIROF (Busan International Rock Festival) tomorrow. What I didn't manage during the ten hours between Amsterdam and Seoul, I easily manage in the following lunch hour: I fall into a deep, coma-like sleep and only really wake up again when I hear Gerit, who is already standing in the aisle after landing, say: "I think Nils is slowly coming to." Great, Philip.
At Busan airport we spot a Korean trio holding up a sign with the word "Xandria" written on it. It's an interpreter and a photographer who have been assigned to us by the festival organizer. The Xandria tour group makes its way by bus to the hotel where all the bands from abroad are staying. Pretty classy. We are taken straight to a late lunch. Lisa is a bit annoyed by the photographers in the restaurant, who seem to be afraid that Korea might hold it against them if they don't provide pictures of a dozing Lars or an overtired, perhaps even clumsily spilling band.
After eating, most of us prefer to shower and sleep for a while. After waking up - for most of us between 8 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. - the first big surprise: despite it being midsummer, it is already dark at this time. This situation initially causes Sandra to panic, thinking she might missed dinner. A glance at the clock calms her down pretty quickly. Since we aren't due to go on stage until 9:10 p.m. tomorrow, we are all excited about the early darkness. Stage lighting works better open-air after sunset. After dinner, we take a taxi (which is dirt cheap there, by the way) to the festival site, which is about 25 minutes away. It is picturesquely located on the beach in Busan. We can't believe our eyes. Today there is a newcomer (amateur band) festival there and tens of thousands of Koreans are going crazy in front of the huge stage, awesome lights and endless pyrotechnics. Incredulous questions in everyone's eyes. Are we really supposed to play there tomorrow? Lisa almost gets a heart attack when she notices the huge video screen in the background of the stage. So there's no making faces tomorrow...
Return to the hotel. Taxi one takes some of us to our quarters without any problems, taxi two follows half an hour late (departing at the same time) and lets a cursing Boggi get out. The driver didn't really speak English. It goes without saying that an unregistered city tour is charged in full. Nightcap at the hotel bar. Naturally a smoke-free zone. Lars' memories of Korea in particular are probably permanently marked by the restrictive handling of tobacco consumption ("Stupid country!").
Lars, Roman, Philip, Gerit, Boggi, Jule and Sandra head to the nearest shopping center, which is open late at night. Lisa, Marco and I prefer to go to sleep. The high temperatures, well over 30 degrees, and the enormous humidity are taking their toll. Long live the air conditioning.
Friday, August 6, 2004
After breakfast, we drive to the festival grounds. First photos and autographs for waiting fans. It's pretty cool here, somehow... Sound check in the blazing midday sun. We hadn't considered that the stage isn't covered. Interestingly, Gerit's scalp adapts over time to Lisa's hair color with a deceptive similarity. Fascinating. First shock: Philip's guitar didn't survive the flight unscathed. The extremely capable stage technicians are able to fix the problem relatively quickly, however. A sigh of relief. Philip calls out to me: "Are you ready for the best 40 minutes of your life?" "And probably the shortest," I reply. The sound check goes quite smoothly. Only front mixer Lars debates with Gerit for a while, not really satisfied with the drum sound. We really appreciate that, he's very meticulous ("That's good for you too, you know?").
Return to the hotel. Now the most annoying hours of the day begin. Wait, wait, wait until we are finally allowed on this super cool stage. The group disperses. Marco goes to sleep, Lisa and I sit in the hotel café. And - oh wonder - there is a smoking corner. Makes the wait a little more bearable.
Rage guitarist Viktor Smolski has now arrived at the hotel. He is currently producing the new Black Hole album in Seoul and will play a few songs at their gig at the festival tomorrow.
When I get back to Marco's and my hotel room, our guitarist is sitting on the edge of the bed, staring out the window. It reminds me frighteningly of a famous scene from "The Moving Man", but I'm not too worried. A certain tension cannot be denied among everyone.
Then finally: drive to the festival grounds. In contrast to the previous trips, where we were all chattering away happily, this time there is a strange silence. You can feel that everyone knows that this concert is going to be a very special one. Roman takes photos of the sunset. Everyone else stares at the sun slowly sinking into the sea. When we arrive at the venue, we try to keep calm backstage. And again and again: photos here, autographs there. The warmth of the people blows me away. Marco and I watch one of the Korean bands mixed in with the crowd. Two metalheads who had their photo taken with us return two minutes later, thank us in broken English and give us each an ice cream. I am honestly touched.
Showtime. Just before that, there was excitement and a frenzy at the side of the stage. Do we have all the set lists? Are the guitars tuned? I feel like a caged animal pawing the ground. And then: intro, pyrotechnics, off we go. I think it's no exaggeration to say that we rocked out. 30,000 Koreans are celebrating us so much that words can't really express our feelings. My biggest worry at that moment is: "Nobody at home believes us." At some point during the 40-minute set, out of the corner of my eye, I see Lisa in close-up on the video screen. I just think: "My God, she's fantastic." I'm so damn proud to be able to stand on this stage with this band. When I want to tell stage mixer Roman to please turn the bass down a bit on my monitor, he comes sprinting towards me in Olympic time. Big praise and thank you, man. For transport reasons, I didn't bring my own bass, but instead played the Black Hole bassist's instrument. I got on better with his Warwick bass than I had initially thought, although it was very top-heavy compared to my "Neuser". But to be honest: I didn't want to deal with this kind of nitpicking in this situation.
The 40 minutes went by far too quickly. After "Black Flame" had faded away, accompanied by all sorts of pyrotechnics, we took a souvenir photo in front of the festival audience. This was our personal "Rock in Rio". As I left the stage, I had the feeling that everything I thought I knew about the consistency of the human body was a complete lie. Judging by the surface, I seemed to be changing into another state of matter. After the show, the previous tension had given way to general satisfaction. Gerit and I gave an interview for an Australian radio station. Afterwards, Philip and I went to the front of the stage to watch the Dark Tranquility performance. The Swedes are also being celebrated, I really like them.
In between we have to pose for photos and sign autographs. At some point Gerit disappears. "Where is Gerit?" I ask. "Groupies," Philip says shortly. "Can we leave him there alone?" Philip: "No!" He promptly rushes off to offer our drummer his support in dealing with the Korean ladies. I'm not sure whether Gerit is really happy to see us again so soon.
After the Dark Tranquility gig there is a Xandria autograph session. From our point of view it is a complete success, the queue is never-ending. Philip has to be reminded several times to concentrate, the many beautiful women in the audience distract him from his task. The autograph session is finally broken up somewhat rudely by the stewards. It is very unpleasant for us, but we would rather not interfere with the resolute men's work.
Back at the hotel we meet the Dark Tranquility entourage. We agree to explore Busan's nightlife together. Only Lisa and Boggi stay in the hotel. We end up in a bar called "Hollywood Star Bar". The night is a boozy affair. Non-alcoholic drinks seem to be rarely ordered in the bar, however, and it takes quite a while before I have a drink - I don't drink alcohol - in front of me. From the section “Pointless bar conversations”:
Marco: (to DT drummer Anders) “What does ‘I love you’ mean in Swedish?” The person asked looks at Marco, half bewildered, half afraid. Our guitarist recognizes the explosiveness of the situation. Marco: “My girlfriend loves the country and the Swedish language. I want to be able to tell her in Swedish.” In the minutes that follow, Anders tries to introduce Marco to the labyrinth of Swedish semantics and syntax, which takes a while...
In Marco’s defense, it should be said at this point that it was already very late and he was no longer really sober. A state that probably applied to most of our group.
Back at the hotel, a lively game of room-switching began, probably partly due to alcohol, which I will leave uncommented at this point. In any case, Marco and I spend the night as planned - in our own beds. Philip experiences a new unit of time: “Until Gerit knocks”.
Saturday, August 7, 2004
Today is all about hanging out. Since there is nothing on the calendar, everyone spends the day in their own way. In the evening we want to watch the second day of the festival together. Marco is sleeping, Lisa, Philip, Gerit and I are going to the supermarket. Gerit tries to buy camera accessories in an electronics store. But fails because the employees don't speak English. Afterwards we visit the smoking area in the hotel café.
Towards the evening, Gerit and I drive to the beach behind the festival grounds. Here, something like a holiday atmosphere really sets in. There is no trace of the hectic pace of the past few days. Return to the hotel, dinner. The others have already set off for the festival grounds to see Viktor Smolski and Black Hole. As Gerit and I stand in front of the hotel to look for a taxi to the grounds, Steve Vai's tour manager offers us a ride in the Americans' bus. Gerit in particular can't stop grinning for the next half hour. "And I thought it couldn't get any better than yesterday. That is my personal highlight," he says. Together with luminaries such as Steve Vai, Tony MacAlpine and Billy Sheehan (an extraordinarily friendly person, by the way), we head back to BIROF. However, the opinions on the Steve Vai show that follows are extremely mixed. The spectrum ranges from "terrific" (Gerit) to "Steve LangVailig" (most of us). The musicians' supernatural technical skills are not up for debate; however, the guitar hero's music is not necessarily festival-compatible and not everyone's cup of tea.
After returning to the hotel, Marco and I ensure that our room has the reputation of being the Strahlunski room par excellence. Marco forgot his backpack with his cell phone, passport, etc. in the taxi on the way. As a result, the police are called to the hotel and a trip to the embassy is arranged for the next day. The backpack does not turn up. To make matters worse, the same applies to our room key. I am absolutely certain that I left it at reception when I left the hotel, but it is not in the designated place. Even though it is most likely not my fault, we are a little embarrassed.
After the shock, Marco and Boggi go to a noodle shop; Philip, Lisa, Gerit and I meet up with a crowd of Korean and Japanese fans in the "Hollywood Star Bar." It turns out to be a very funny evening. Pablo from Puerto Rico, who lives in Busan, is a real discovery. Not only does he insist on inviting us all, he also has real solo entertainer qualities. Most of us feel a little uneasy on the taxi ride to the hotel (and that is definitely not due to alcohol). Somehow, as we drive at 110 km/h in downtown Busan, I get the strange feeling that the taxi driver wants us out of his car as quickly as possible - dead or alive. We still get to the hotel unscathed and want to use the two hours until we wake up (we are leaving for Seoul tomorrow) to sleep.
Sunday, August 8, 2004
Yawn! Boggi can be so cruel. He calls his flock together at the crack of dawn. A listless breakfast, then it's time to say goodbye to our Busan photographers and the interpreter. Souvenir photos, off to the bus that will take us to the airport. Tonight there's a club show in Seoul with Superdog and Black Hole on the program. I manage to exchange a few sentences with Viktor, who is sitting next to me, on the bus, then it slowly gets dark around me... We reach Busan airport far too quickly. We're just exhausted. Too little sleep and the scorching heat don't exactly make for the best possible enthusiasm for today's show. Problems checking in: Marco isn't allowed to fly domestically without his passport. He has 40 minutes to get a provisional passport near the terminal. Almost unbelievable: He's back in time, we don't miss our flight. From the airport in Seoul we go straight to the hotel. We have about an hour to shower and pack our stage clothes. What is no big problem for the male part of the band is a real challenge for Lisa. Hair and make-up have to be perfect.
Then we drive to the location of today's show. It is the SBS Theme Studios, a small but nice location in the middle of a huge shopping and entertainment center (including an ice rink...). Lars stays in the club, the rest of us go out to eat. Then there is a sound check. Everything goes like clockwork, we are satisfied.
Short TV interview in the MTV Korea studio, which is opposite the SBS Theme Studios.
Superdog open the concert evening. They play a short set of just 30 minutes. Then it's our turn. To cut a long story short: it was great!!! We did have one or two technical problems (Marco's guitar broke down right at the beginning of the opener "Fire of Universe" because the guitar roadie hadn't even turned on the amp), but we made up for it with our enthusiasm. This was due in no small part to the audience's incredible reaction. Only around 70 people showed up, but they made noise for 500. Thank you, thank you and thank you again. The reaction to "Ravenheart" in particular was enormous - this is obviously something that is familiar in Korea. Unfortunately, my mood sank rapidly in the last third of the set: contacts in the electronics on the borrowed bass had apparently come loose, and I had to leave the stage twice before the problem was found. However, the band filled the resulting breaks with a fantastic drum solo from Gerit and an equally fantastic jam session. Respect. I came back on stage for the final "Black Flame", a good version, a comforting end to the show.
Unfortunately, the bass problems really brought my mood down. So I'm the only one staying in the hotel after the show, everyone else wants to explore Seoul's nightlife. Marco and Lisa come back pretty soon to keep me company. I'm really happy about that, my mood improves. When I want to go to the 24-hour shop in the hotel at around one o'clock to buy cigarettes, Roman and Lars come towards me at the elevator. I'm very happy about that, because they're leaving very early. I would have been very annoyed if I hadn't been able to say goodbye to them. After our two mixers and Lisa, Gerit also shows up in Marco's and my hotel room. Philip lives up to his image as the band's heartthrob: At some point the door to the room opens, a visibly drunk Mr. Restemeier enters the room with his shirt off, babbles incomprehensible things, turns around and disappears again. The fresh scratch marks on his back give him away: the idiot simply got the wrong room.
Monday, August 9, 2004
There's nothing exciting going on in the morning, most people use the time to sleep in. We eat together somewhere in Seoul. A surprising number of us order Italian food. Sandra sums it up: "And at home I'll probably order something from the Chinese restaurant first." Some details of last night are revealed. Kang Won has a headache ("My wife wasn't at all happy when I didn't get home until six o'clock"), Viktor is feeling marginally better. The Rage guitarist seems to have hit the nail on the head yesterday anyway: When Sandra remarked in a distinctly southern German accent that she shouldn't drink anything else because she was slurring her words, the man with the unmistakable Belarusian origins replied: "It doesn't matter, your accent is as bad as always."
Marco and Boggi have to go to the German embassy again to apply for Marco's exit permit. In the afternoon, a long interview with the Korean TV station "Channel V". I would be interested to hear how our Korean greeting sounded to the ears of the locals...
Afterwards, the band hangs out in Philip and Gerit's room, and Jule joins us in the meantime. In the evening, we eat together with Viktor Smolski and Black Hole. Kang Won introduces us to traditional Korean cuisine. It's exciting, but not for everyone. Afterwards, we sit in a street café until late at night. It turns out not to be particularly cheap, and Boggi later regrets his generosity ("I'll invite you"). At the hotel, we say goodbye to Jule and Sandra, who will fly back to Germany tomorrow morning. We only have one more day here ahead of us. A hint of melancholy spreads. We end the evening with Philip and Gerit.
Tuesday, September 10, 2004
In the late morning, Kang Won drives us into downtown Seoul. The day doesn't start particularly promisingly, however - in the blazing sun, most of us start to feel quite queasy. Maybe breakfast at Burger King wasn't such a brilliant idea after all. Shopping in Seoul, souvenirs for those at home. Boggi is as proud as punch of his new Rolling Stones shirt. "I'm not really into the band, but it looks great - and was dirt cheap." Another argument... In the early afternoon, we go to the German embassy again. Marco and Boggi make one final attempt to get Marco out of the country tomorrow. Anxious wait in front of the building. At some point, Mr. Kopec appears at the glass door and gives a thumbs up - a sigh of relief. After a while, the two come back, and Marco presents his provisional passport with feigned calm.
Before the trip, we admittedly complained a little that we would probably have little time for sightseeing. This was to come back to haunt us. At 5 p.m. Boggi and "Kabumm" chased us through a late medieval palace complex (see photos in the multimedia section). Our label boss is firmly convinced that the ultimate band photos will be taken here and only here. Posters of thirsty, sweaty, tired Central Europeans are definitely the dream of every Korean teenager. Lisa in particular is at her wits' end because of the great heat; but the rest of us - although we are certainly interested in history - are not exactly showing pure enthusiasm. We catch the last tour, and the gates are closed behind us. Trapped in Korea. I must confess to my shame that the longer I stay, the different wooden palace buildings become increasingly indistinguishable for me. Even the fact that the tour is conducted in Korean cannot arouse any greater interest in me. Kang Won seems to like it. At some point it is over, and we return to the hotel. I have rarely been so happy about a shower.
For dinner, Kabumm drives us to an Italian (sic!) restaurant in the city center. Most of us happily drink alcohol; relevant questions for the evening's planning are answered ("Does Kang Won still have to drive?"). He can't, by the way; we have to take a taxi back. Kang Won tries to order grappa from the Korean Italian restaurant (or vice versa). The place isn't open. Boggi winks up at the waiter: "You guys are idiots!" Not fluent in German, the person addressed thanks him with a smiling nod for the compliment from Central Europe.
Afterwards we go to a completely inconspicuous bar, where we sit outside the building overlooking the street. Soft pop music is playing in the background. Suddenly Gerit and I jump - a Dream Theater song is blaring from the bar. It seems like a really cool place. When the fourth DT track in a row is finally played, Gerit stands up. I look questioningly. Answer: "I'm going to go kiss the DJ now." A short time later our drummer comes back from the bar, somewhat disappointed. There is no DJ - at least not a real one. Over the course of the evening we are treated to rock classics by Alice Cooper, Aerosmith and Bon Jovi, among others. When the Bon Jovi tearjerker "All about loving you" is played, I have probably the silliest and most contented smile of my life on my face. With my arms folded behind my head, I enjoy every second of this last evening in Korea. If I had died at that moment, I would have been at peace with the world...
Eventually, this evening too comes to an end, and we head back to the hotel. Before that, we say a quick goodbye to Black Hole and Viktor, who we visit in the studio. We end the last evening in Gerit and Philip's room again.
Wednesday, September 11,
2004, day of departure. Say goodbye to Kang Won. Stress at check-in. Up until now, we had no problems with our equipment, but now it is suddenly much too heavy. We are told that the problem can be solved by paying an excess baggage fee of 800 euros. Boggi is furious, and after numerous repackings and persuasions to the staff, we suddenly reach the maximum permitted weight. It works. In the middle of this discussion, we are recognized by a fan who returns a short time later with a camera and pen. He really couldn't have picked a worse time...
Flight from Seoul to Amsterdam. I try to sleep the whole time, but I can't sleep a wink. Our mood sinks dangerously into the negative range. Annoyed and tired, we finally land in the Netherlands. Stupid wait for the connecting flight to Frankfurt. We finally arrive there in the evening. Now it's time to say goodbye to Boggi. Mr. Kopec makes a cinematic exit: "Are you at Summer Breeze?" I ask. Answer: "No, you know: I hate festivals." He says it and disappears into the Frankfurt evening sun.
The five of us drive back to Bielefeld in two rental cars. Not a good idea, to be honest. The journey and the lack of sleep of the last few nights are noticeable during the journey. I'm glad when we finally arrive at the rehearsal room safe and sound. Unload the equipment and then straight into bed.
At this point, a huge thank you to everyone involved, fans and (new) friends who made our first stay in South Korea an unforgettable experience.
And last but not least, of course, to Philip, Gerit, Lisa and Marco - you are great!
Nils