After a rest day in Cologne with time for laundry and recovery, I was back with Oliver again and on our way to Gelsenkirchen. Sylvia and her friend Martina were going to drive us there and back, so we wouldn’t have to deal with overcrowded trains.
We had some doubts about this one. Many fans had already decided to skip the gig in Gelsenkirchen and head directly to Milan for what might be the last show of the tour (or ever, depending on which rumours you believe). It felt like this could be one of those “in-between” concerts. After the energy in San Sebastián, we weren’t sure what to expect. We also speculated wether the retractable roof would be open or not. Robbie Williams played there two days earlier and then the roof had been closed.
Just before we were supposed to meet up with Sylvia and Martina, we got a message saying they were running late. Sylvia’s car wouldn’t start, so they had to switch to Martina’s, which turned out to be an upgrade, from a 18 years old Honda, with almost 300.000 km on the meter, to a modern, Swedish (!) electric Volvo. The drive from Cologne to Gelsenkirchen took about an hour and a half, and we had found parking around 20 minutes from the arena to avoid getting stuck in traffic after the show.
Once we got to the Veltins Arena, we walked around a bit to figure out where our entrance was and to find the roll call line so we could say hi to a few friends. The arena was large and modern and I liked the clean design. All the entrances were clearly marked, which made things easier. Later on, there were also plenty of staff and security around, helping people find their way and answering questions. That’s actually how we found out why admission was delayed, and the soundcheck too (we caught parts of Human Touch and My Love Will Not Let You Down). Apparently Bruce and the band had been stuck in traffic. As more and more people arrived, the atmosphere started to build. Most of the food and drink stands were already open, including the ones serving that well-known beer the arena is named after.
We watched the people from the roll call go in, and waved to a few friends, after that the VIP people, including Garry Tallent’s daughter Olivia with husband and child, left the arena.
We met Anja when standing in line and went in på together. By the time we got inside, the roll callers were already lined up in front of the stage. One of the perks of not having a number is that you are free to move around without worrying about losing a spot. We picked up our wristbands and headed to the inner pitch for a toilet break and something to eat. I’ve never seen such clean and well-kept toilets in an arena before. There were staff constantly cleaning and making sure there was toilet paper. The only downside was that you couldn’t tell from the outside if a stall was occupied or not. We looked up and established that the retractable roof was open. I had a chicken tikka baked potato, which turned out to be really tasty.
We later learned that during the concert three people were injured when a piece of metal of about 1.3 meters long and weighing several kilos fell from the inner corner of the video cube hanging in the center of the arena. The injured were taken to hospital but were all released later that night. WDR.de (in German)
When we got back to the pit, Carina and Werner had arrived, and we all had a beer together. Shortly before the show started one of Oliver’s colleagues Frank and his girlfriend Daggi showed up. It was their first Springsteen concert and during the show, I turned a couple of times to check if they were enjoying themselves. They definitely were, especially Daggi, who was dancing away completely in her own bubble. Loved seeing that!
Now to the concert itself. I’ve had comments that I often describe shows as “solid” and that I’m starting to repeat myself. It’s not easy to come up with new ways to describe a show that’s good but doesn’t offer many surprises. When I check the thesaurus, I find words like decent, genuine, good, satisfactory and satisfying and I guess all of those describe how I experienced last night. It was exactly what we had expected. The only surprise on the setlist was I’m on Fire and while I appreciate Nils doing his best to fill Stevie’s shoes, I really miss Stevie. Last night, for example, Nils played Stevie’s guitar part at the start of The River. It was fine but it wasn’t exactly “satisfying”. I also miss Stevie’s howling during The Promised Land.
The audience stood out in a good way. From the start the crowd was into it, maybe not with the same loud “oohs” and “ahhs” as in Spain, but with steady clapping, waving and partaking in Bruce’s call and response parts with enthusiasm. I’d say it was pretty good for a German crowd.
Now to the car trip back to Cologne. Our “cunning” plan to park a bit further away completely backfired. We ended up in gridlock anyway and then crawled along the same route we had walked from the stadium earlier, which felt a bit ridiculous. Still, with a bit of patience, we eventually got through. To top it off, we almost ran out of electricity (we were in an electric Volvo). We were down to 11% when we finally found a “gas station”, or rather, a “power station”, and had to wait about 15 minutes to recharge. Some of us had a coffee, others took a toilet break. We got back to Cologne 1:15 am.
Finally, I want to tell you about our friend Hitoshi Kitazawa, who Oliver and Sylvia first met back in 2009 in Philadelphia. We run into him now and then during the tour and I really admire his bravery. He usually travels alone, and while his English isn’t perfect, he always manages to get his message across with a warm smile. Last night, he came with a friend, Hiroki Ohba, carrying a banner that said, “Japan wants Springsteen and the E Street Band” and wouldn’t that be an amazing next stop to discover? Hitoshi seems like a gentle and very polite person and I’d love to help him spread the word.
Big thanks to Martina and Sylvia for letting us ride with them and an extra thank you to Martina for driving so skilfully and getting us home in one piece and at a reasonable hour.
Next shows are in Milan on Monday and Thursday. We left from Köln/Bonn airport early Sunday morning.
Setlist
- No Surrender
- My Love Will Not Let You Down
- Land Of Hope And Dreams
- Death To My Hometown
- Lonesome Day
- Rainmaker
- Darkness On The Edge Of Town
- The Promised Land
- Hungry Heart
- The River
- Youngstown
- Murder Incorporated
- Long Walk Home
- House Of A Thousand Guitars
- My City Of Ruins
- I’m On Fire
- Because The Night
- Wrecking Ball
- The Rising
- Badlands
- Thunder Road
- Born In The U.S.A.
- Born To Run
- Bobby Jean
- Dancing In The Dark
- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
- Twist And Shout
- Chimes Of Freedom
Stray Bullet 