GL on tour: the NG experience
Due to popular demand... The story of Cologne, Brussels and Amsterdam. Of driving over 900 kilometres, meeting tons of great people. One where “the bird has landed” became a synonym for “Noel G is here!” Here’s the story of my first big journey ‘on my own’ and a leap into adulthood. (GL PRO-TIP: once you click the read more you end up at my blog. use ctrl+scrolling to get a bigger font so it’s easily readable!) Warning: 7600 words. But it’s all divided into categories. So just read the days you’re interested in.
THE DAY BEFORE: Thursday 14/04/2016
If there’s one thing I’ve come to realize during this trip is how badly of a control freak I actually am. I wanted everything to go exactly the way I wanted, and the knowledge that the moment I’d set foot in the car and leave everything would go in exactly the opposite way (as it always does) was something that mildly terrified me. I’m actually more of the chaotic kind of control freak: I want the gigs & meetings to go the exact way I want and I keep daydreaming about the perfect scenarios, but at the same time I forget to look up P+R parking and check the venues properly. To get myself a little more grounded I decided to sit down and make a check list, one that needed to be finished on this day..
Miraculously I succeeded in checking of most of this the day before. I decided to not clean the car, something my mom thought was absolutely necessary. My careful “if I don’t clean the car this planning will be perfect and I can leave at 5pm” planning got thrown aside entirely due to that.. but hey! Clean car and a free tank of gas, I couldn’t really complain. My mom also helped me pack my albeit embarrassing present for Noel, which was an idea I probably got part midnight, like all my bad ideas. Here’s the thing: last year when Noel was in Brussels he was super bored by it, and every local paper went like “OMG!!!! Noel called our city ‘fucking boring’!” So I decided to make a “Brussels survival kit”, which I renamed to “Boredom survival kit” due to the terrorist attacks, I thought it’d be a bit tasteless to stick to my original name.
In hindsight I think it’s embarrassing. But in a cute enough way. Plus it kinda adds to this one Dutch saying that’s basically like “men’s love goes through the belly”. The letter itself is cringeworthy but sweet, addressing the (also embarrassing) sign saying ‘thank you Noel’ I had with me at Best Kept Secret festival last year. I basically introduced myself, thanked him for various things, and even compared his music to U2 and how together they’ve helped me significantly. (With help of this entire metaphor that I’ve typed out multiple times on here, so suck it. I’m not typing that one out again). Anyway, then it was time to finally head to Duisburg and Jana’s (@cinnapurrevans) house. I shall spare you the ideas of the drive itself, aside from the fact that it was the first time I was (a: in Germany on my own, driving (b: driving in a big German city! It turned out to be perfectly fine though, Germans are a lot kinder on the road than Dutch people are. (Belgian people however, a disaster.. I shall mention those later..) I was bloody shaking the moment I got off the highway though... but that was fine once I realized Germans didn’t bite. I guess I just felt a bit like a stranger with my yellow license plate. Alright, so Jana’s THE BEST. First of all. That needs to be mentioned. I was really fucking nervous and I might’ve been distant as a result but I fucking love Jana and she’s sweet and basically this is a little paragraph to apologize to Jana if I seemed a bit off.. I was just terrified I’d get lost or crash the car or fuck up in front of Noel or get ill like last time and I was so excited but mildly terrified at the same time!! (I mean of course I’m super cool and definitely not worried and all that but... yeah) ALPHA LIAMS AND FANGIRLS: Friday 15/04/2016 So I cut off Thursday a bit, but there wasn’t anything noteworthy there, I believe. And it’d be too bloody long with my rambling! Anyway, we left to Cologne at... what time was it? 10:30? I think it was. We wanted to arrive at 12 but left well in advance in case of traffic jams.. In the end we didn’t really needed the time for that, but more for finding a proper parking spot at the venue! We did find a real good one though, about 100/200 meters from the venue. Win! But seriously, Palladium in Cologne.... what a crappy spot to put a venue even.
(Photo borrowed from Sandra aka talktonight27) Once we arrived there I saw so many of the friends I had previously told Jana about.. The Spaniards were there, as was Sandra (of course!) and some French people (Laurence!!). Next to that there was also Patricia and Monique (I hope I spelled that right, but I’m not sure what spelling is used for her name) who I hadn’t met before. I have to say... I was so incredibly happy to see the Spaniards again. If you’ve read my report of my Utrecht gig you might recognize them, but if not.. let me tell me again why I love them so bloody much.. Alright, so Rebecca and Ruben (later renamed to “Jimmy” by Jana because he reminded her of Jimmy Page..) were number 1 and 2 in Utrecht, and I was the third. So it’s safe to say we spend a lot of time next to each other. They were so incredibly sweet and took me under my wing at my very first proper gig, and I owe them big time for getting me right in the centre of the venue so I could be in front of Noel’s mic. I know there’s a stereotype that Spanish people can be arrogant, have a big ego and all that.. but believe me when I say that Rebecca and Ruben are the most selfless and kind people that I’ve had the honour of meeting in a queue ever. There we also realized we’d be queueing together in Brussels, which I didn’t yet know because Brussels was more of a last minute-ish plan and we didn’t know of each other that’d both be going! :D Anyway, most of the time in the queue was occupied with talking to the lovely Spaniards and Jana, plus occasionally getting Sandra and Patricia involved too (who were really knackered, considering they came from Munich before). It basically turned into a “G’lies has many questions and you’re getting all of them.” moment at some point, but I was determined to let the time pass quickly. Most entertainment was provided by some external factors though. One of them being a herd of Liam’s, with one Alpha Liam who had nailed the look the most. He swaggered past the line, looked like a total knob and somehow managed to be even more of a fucking dick than Liam Gallagher himself. It’s really pathetic, but not as pathetic as grown men acting like that. At least the Alpha Liam was a young lad who still needed to get kicked in the head by proper sense. And respect authority, because he pissed somewhere, someone told him off.. he gave ‘em the wank gesture and then got scolded again. Why do people want to be Liam Gallagher?? I DON’T GET IT!!!! (He even walked up to me, said “xcuse me luvvvv......... is that noels guitar pick?” and i’m 95% he didn’t even need to know. he was just gonna be a proper knob). Another external factor of amusement were these girls who were at the venue opposite of the Palladium, trying to take pictures inside and screaming and trying to get a peek of whoever was inside. I don’t know, but I can guess it might’ve been some German equivalent of a boyband or something. Our queue made fun of them, but in the end we were waiting for a 48-year-old grumpy britpop legend, so I don’t know which line was the most pathetic one.. really. Sadly the mentioned britpop legend did not show up to greet fans at the venue, which was understandable because it was a mess, but still a bit disappointing. Especially because I wanted him to meet Jana so badly. (Or vice-versa, Jana meeting Noel. I don’t think Noel meeting Jana would be a highlight of his life, or him meeting any fan in any case.) Fortunately we got the car close so we could drop the stuff off. (During this little walk we ran into @randgebiet, which was nice.. Wish we could’ve chatted longer but I’m glad you managed to recognize me!) Anyway, the doors were ready to open and I had this moment of pure dreamlike anxiety. I was like “fuck, it’s been so long since I’ve seen him!” on which someone replied “it’s only been since December!” BUT YES! Exactly! It’s been since December and it’s weird that I was seeing him again. I couldn’t believe it. I spent the entire journey so far thinking “alright, I got this now. I’m going back home. Alright. This was already cool.” It never fully registered I’d see Noel Gallagher again. Maybe it’s because he, in my books, is the fucking love of my life and the most handsome twig on the planet, but I don’t know. In any case, when the guards opened the venue I was about to get sick on the spot. I got lucky enough to be the first one to enter through another door that opened, so I could get a spot front rail a bit more from the left than Jana arrived at. We weren’t exactly centre, but considering we weren’t the first one to get there (there were like 10 people in front of us?) we had already planned we’d aim for Tim and Mike’s side, where we landed exactly! :D Jana had told me she cared most about Noel, but I had guaranteed her multiple times the rest of the band was awesome too. Especially Mike. I have such a weak spot for Mike, I love him so much. Even before meeting him at the Royal Albert Hall and having this lengthy talk he was already my favourite (next to Noel, of course).
Pic via Jana. I’m sure I have one too but not online, so I cant be arsed to find it. ANYWAY. I was so happy to stand there with Jana. It’s always such good fun to stand somewhere with a dear friend, knowing you’ll get to see their reactions to the gig and feel the excitement radiate from them. Plus once you’re inside there’s a weight from your shoulders because you don’t have to worry anymore about getting a rail spot.. Before addressing Augustines and how fucking brilliant they are, I’d like to mention that during this gig Noel had ‘99 Problems’ playing during the pre-gig music. I really hope this was a subtle dig at the whole skater deal, because if it is.. fucking hilarious. Anyway, Augustines were really fucking good. I loved their stuff on their albums already, but live they’ve shown their skill even better and it truly comes to live. It’s got such a rich, victorious sound, plus their passion on stage despite the slightly disinterested crowd was fun to watch. They didn’t bore me, even after seeing them 3 times, surely a band that will get far in life if they’re around longer. (I’m typing this now, so when they get a big hit I can point at this saying “Hey, look. I was right. Ha!”) Then ‘High Flying Bird’ announced the last 30 minutes of waiting, and I started to get really anxious and excited. You see this ants nest of roadies, see the glimpses of the NGHFB equipment.. and it just suddenly feels like you’re coming home again, like you’re actually going to see your favourite person on this whole planet again. The moment you see his acoustic Gibson.. the 355s... Fuck. :D And then there’s this long drawn out noise at the end of those 30 minutes, having a bit of that horror movie effect because it settles in your belly and twist and turns your nerves and it drives you NUTS... And then. Silence for just a brief moment. Or at least it feels like that when the lights go out and ‘Shoot A Hole Into The Sun’ starts playing to announce Noely G’s presence. I’d never refer to Noel as God like some others do, it’s simply not in my nature, but the moment you see him swagger on stage with this vibe only he possesses.. You start to reconsider it for a moment, and especially the moment he plays the first note and he’s coloured in this red light with the blue-green background.. It’s so incredibly divine, the way the light hits the angles of his face and makes him look so out of the ordinary. You just can’t look away from him at that moment, and I surely didn’t. And then Everybody’s On The Run happens and you get immediately sucked in into the gig. I could go through every song, but with 3 x 20 (even 21 in Amsterdam!) songs that’d be a bit too much.. but rest assured, it was bloody good. I loved hearing D’yer Wanna Be A Spaceman again. I was sad Dying Of The Light was still dropped (screw you Noel!) but Ballad Of The Mighty I made up for it. Mike’s electronic sound plus Tim’s back-up vocals really made it.. I want a bootleg version of this song, and NOW! Things that stuck out during this gig were the banter, as always and the little smiles from both Tim and Mike. :D Really, Tim is a bit like Adam. He smiles widely at people and he plays with so much ease, and you can really tell he’s having fun. I’d say Mike’s a bit more like Edge to a lower degree, really focussed on what he’s doing but having these rare moments of eye contact that are golden. He’s just intriguing to watch do his thing and urghh.. I love Mike! Sadly I don’t have a good picture of Mike, but I do have a nice one of Tim, so dropping that one in..
The banter was on point too, before Half The World Away the Alpha Liam dragged his attention by shouting whatever the fuck he did.. Noel replied with “Sorry, I can’t hear you ‘cause your mouth’s full of shit.” He also asked.. “Friday night in Cologne, what are you gonna do after?” (Or something) and someone yelled “McDonald’s!!” after a moment of “...” I think we earned an eye-roll from the Gallagher for lamest audience ever. Hehe. (I’m just kidding, he looked like he enjoyed himself.) Anyway, it was really great, and real great too to end the show arm in arm with Jana. That’s simply the way you gotta go during Don’t Look Back In Anger! :-)
The car ride back to Duisburg was a slight disaster and for the sake of Jana’s sanity I shall not discuss that any further. Also it was really super cool to basically say “see you in Brussels” to the folks I grew so fond of, because literally everyone (except Jana) was going to Brussels too. DING DING! So at the first gig I got some merch, including this sweater I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted. So have this sleepy selfie. (Also the rest of the night was basically quiet editing of pics. And all that. Nothing too special.)
EVERYONE KNOWS YOU’RE DUTCH: Saturday 16/04/2016 Considering this was a non-gig day I shan’t discuss much. Jana and I went into Duisburg for Record Store Day to buy the remix of The Mexican, and in the end Jana came home with some t-shirts and stuff and I got back with the RSD release, Boy, Viva Hate on CD, HMTMKMKM on CD, an Oasis mug and a Springsteen shirt. More than I intended to.. but hey.. We also had some ice cream and urghh SO GOOD!!!!! (except the spoon smelled weird, so as long as you didn’t sniff it was good). I’ve also realized Jana doesn’t like 90s movies. How are we still friends. :D AND the statue of a woman fucking an eagle was in construction, so I didn’t even get the full Duisburg experience.... laaaame!! Anyway, thanks to Digsy’s Dinner Jana’s mom made some lasagna.. and it was TASTY!!! :D:D I wish my mom knew how to make it. It’s bloody good. And then I had to leave to Belgium, because I didn’t want to arrive ~*too*~ late. So then it was time to get my arse back in the car and drive 2 hours to Brussels. And /man/ it was a beautiful ride. I was so happy, the roads were quiet and the sun was shining and there were all these beautiful hills in Flemish Brabant. Really, I wish I could go drive that bit again.. but gotta wait until June until I’m in a hilly region again!
Then... Brussels
I arrived at 20:30 in Brussels and at 21:00 I got at my destination at Ruth’s room. (I forgot your URL, but you know who you are anyway). Her friend Rani was hungry, so in the end we decided to go to McDonalds and the supermarket, feed Rani and then go late nigh sight seeing. I had a moment of HAPPY SQUEAK here where I noticed City won with 3-0 against Chelsea. (Which scared Ruth a bit. Or confused her. Or both. But I left at the time of the kick-off so I couldn’t listen in..) In Brussels I’ve passed some of the places where things got bombed, and I’ve got to say.. I’m not easily scared, but having the metro skip Maalbeek station and seeing the memorial.. That got me for a moment. Even seeing the military and closed off metro entrances and all.. It was still a welcoming city, but with a little bitter taste. After hanging out with Rani we left to see at least something of Brussels, because I wouldn’t be seeing much if I only went to the venue itself. So we saw Manneke Pis and the big square at midnight, which was.. interesting.
Then we went to Ruth’s room, where we basically slept early and had some nice chats before doing so.. Really, wish I could’ve talked longer! But I needed some sleep! In case you’re like.. what did the title come from?? EVERYONE KNOWS YOU’RE DUTCH!!! EVERYONE. The Belgians think your accent is funny, the French speaking ones know you can’t speak French for shit, the Germans reply in Dutch... Really, it’s like there’s a Dutch flag on your fucking forehead! BROKEN GUITARS: Sunday 17/04/2016 Then it was time for gig day number two, the one with low expectations. Why? - It was the biggest venue out of the 3 - The chances of meeting Noel seemed smallest - I didn’t have any connection with Brussels - It wasn’t the first or the last of the 3 but just the “kinda in-between gig” In the morning Ruth was already off so I woke up quietly and had some decent enough breakfast (which is rare!) I thought it’d be the healthiest thing I ate all day, so I basically decided I’d need it. I left at 9:30??? I think?? And I got on the tram to Vorst Nationaal. This was... an experience... the driver (who I had to pay for a ticket) ignored me and I had to knock (LOUDLY!!) on the window separating us.. then I didn’t understand him because his French was better than his Dutch... They say Brussels is a bilingual city, but it’s more French than Dutch in my experience... and my French is awful!! That got sorted out, and then I took the wrong bloody stop!!! AARGH!! Fortunately it wasn’t that long of a walk, and I managed to immediately run into Laurence and Sandra (who I first followed quietly like some kind of stalker, trying to walk uphill just a little faster to catch up but.. well.. not the best endurance!) It was very nice to see the same folks again, and really.. you get super attached to all these people. I’d say I miss them almost as much as I miss Noel, y’know? Not that I miss the waiting itself, I’d rather watch a Noel gig in a living room with them.. but just, these people.. They’re so dedicated, so friendly.. They’re a family on the road! Even Laurence, who I didn’t know that well despite seeing her in Utrecht and the Friday before but never had a good impression of, turned out to be so incredibly sweet. In the end I figured it was mainly a language barrier that gave me the impression, because I talk really fast in English while her English is a bit slower. Sorry for having had a bad impression of you, but man.. that turned around entirely... fucking love her! The weather was very bipolar, the sun was shining at one moment (I even got my nose burned a bit!!) and other moments it was hailing like crazy! We took shelter in the bus stop during the worst moments, but had a nice picnic like vibe when the sun was shining. Despite the weather I think this was the most enjoyable queue tho, I really liked the people. At some point we were sitting there and a woman came up to us with a broken guitar she had bought for 5 euros. Rebecca was trying to tune it, but basically the thing was a disaster. It gave us a good laugh tho, because the Oasis songs we tried to play sounded so awful it was fucking hilarious!! She also gave me some really good stuff, some kind of fruity drink mixed with alcohol, sadly that got lost in the queue at some point. We thought she was gonna queue with us, but turned out she lived close and was there just for the brief amount.. We realized once she asked us “who are you waiting for?” haha. Another woman asked that too, she spoke French. When we said “Noel Gallagher” she was like “Noël??” and started singing Jingle Bells.. For fuck’s sake haha! That’s where the surprise came.... because all of a sudden someone was like “IS HE THERE??” and everyone turned around and ran to the ramp of the underground parking, and fuck.... once I looked up from running (I somehow always look sort of down when I’m running to not got my legs stuck on something??) I saw Noel fucking Gallagher there at the end of the line, looking real grumpy.. I had this moment of terror.. I was like, fuck.. I don’t have anything to sign.. Wait, no. E-ticket. Or should I ask for a photo? [takes one look at the grump] “Hmm no..”. E-ticket it is then. Should take a picture, wait, fuck.. front cam... It all went so quickly. I can only imagine thinking “ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohygod” and “HIS NOSE IS SO BIG!!” and that was it.
Noel singing my E-ticket.. People kept bombarding me with one question after that.. What was it like? Honestly? The biggest anti-climax ever. But also one of the sweetest things nonetheless. See, Noel was really grumpy, there were lots of people.. It felt like he was a bored dude behind a counter with no will to live, just doing *bleep* *bleep* and getting your cash. So I wouldn’t say it was an exceptional experience, I don’t even think he looked up and noticed people. However, on the contrary. He had a reason to be grumpy (bit too long to discuss here..), it was crowded, he didn’t even need to show up because he rarely does with an underground parking. So the fact that he did nonetheless, that was a really kind gesture of him. He didn’t do the entire line, like 80% and then he grumbled something, turned around and tossed the marker over his shoulder with such nonchalance, meanwhile people were clawing at it trying to catch it as if it was one of those flower bouquets at a wedding. It was not a bad experience though and I’m glad it happened, but I wouldn’t call it an exceptional moment or one of the best moments of my life, if that makes sense. I just don’t like feeling insignificant to people who mean everything to me, if that makes sense in a way. Like, I already know I am, but you don’t need to underline that. It was really nothing like meeting Bono and Edge, but I didn’t expect that either. It’s hard to exactly explain what it was like in Brussels, but let’s keep it at a good thing that simply didn’t happen in good circumstances. (Also I forgot to mention but Noel sound-checked Record Machine and Freaky Teeth in Brussels!!) So then we ran back to the queue, talked a bit again.. and it was actually pretty good weather... .... till 30 minutes before doors opened!!! I think the pictures say enough..
Motherfucking. Hail. And it was LARGE. And it actually hurt. And it was cold as dicks. Then the doors opened, and before this I want to say a bit “FUCK YOU” to Vorst Nationaal, because it was fucking terrible and I hate it and it was terrible and I hate it. Alright? See, there was one door for the grey zone. ONE DOOR. For the STANDING zone. And they’d let 10 people in, without bags (!), check them.. Basically it’d all go peacefully and all that. The moment I got in, I saw a fuckton of other people enter too, people were running... and guess what.. the entire LEFT FUCKING HALF of the front rail was filled with people who I had not even SEEN the entire day. Look, that’s not even making me super angry. Those people got there, end of point. But there was this one Flemish woman who was saving a spot for her husband, some twat who “went to the toilet” but was actually just real fucking behind. And I was like... you’re not saving up a spot for some douchenozzle that couldn’t contain his pee and didn’t even arrive till like 1 hour before the doors opened. So I touched her shoulder, said “do you speak Dutch?” she said “a little bit..” and before I could even talk to her another French person (and friend of mine) was all over her and this entire bitch fight broke lose. Fortunately the douchenozzle aka dick aka fucking twat realized he would be an idiot to stand next to his wife there, so he snuggled up behind her. Good. SO. NOEL!! The gig started off the same as always, but during In The Heat Of The Moment Noel started gesturing towards the sound people that something was wrong with his guitar. Then when he switched guitars and wanted to turn it on for Riverman no sound came out at all. The tech guys were all over it trying to solve it, and meanwhile Noel was reduced to a temporary stand-up comedian with no guitar, looking really lost...
After trying to get the crowd going.. “Anyone know any jokes?” “...” “No Belgian jokes please, those are rubbish.” “...” “Alright uhh..... uhhhh..... I’m very sorry, we’ll be back in five.” (Something like that) During those 5-10-15 (whatever, one of the 3) minutes the section of the crowd I was in turned into a karaoke bar thanks to a Spaniard and a French bloke. They were approved by the roadies, because well.. at least some atmosphere was still there.. And I gotta say, I really liked that. I felt at one with people I didn’t even know name-wise. Then Noel came back on an this loud applause erupted, he got his guitar, played one chord.. and it worked! So he did this smug little movement, raising his arm like he was the god of rock.. He got ready to play Riverman and the sound cut out again, with Noel clawing at the guitar like “fuck... fuck.... not now”. Fortunately Tim Smith, our own Captain America, was there to help him! (This is where the “Where would I be without you?” comes from, and Tim blowing a kiss.) The rest of the gig was safe from any more problems and sounded quite good, though apparently Noel’s pedalboard wasn’t entirely fixed and he couldn’t use all of the sounds. According to most people it wasn’t the best gig, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself and didn’t think any lesser of this gig. I mean, surely the entire top section was closed off because it wasn’t sold out, and the crowd only seemed to know 3 songs.. but aside from that? I liked it. I was in my own bubble, I saw Noel smile a couple times, Tim and Mike were being very into it, Russ was amused by a couple older guys in the centre... I didn’t care the crowd was shit, it’s about the band, not the crowd, and they seemed fine. Noel, being Noel, mentioned his love for Kevin de Bruyne.. because how could he not. He later then said “good luck in the Euro league” and I was like... Wait a minute.. that’s rude!! Until I realized I was in Belgium and they actually qualified. I’m not used to foreign gigs. Getting home was more of a pain in the arse though.. The tram line I needed wasn’t driving and I had to get out at a different stop.. Then I got lucked up at the metro station because I didn’t pay for a ticket!!! (Look, I had this event pass thingy.. so I wasn’t there entirely illegally.. I could’ve talked my way out of it..) So I was locked in behind the gates, and some amused Belgian dude had to get me out. He didn’t even speak Dutch, so it was like [french babbling] “Wat?” - “Oh.” But I got at Ruth’s place anyway, with her help! :D (Really, without Ruth I’d have ended up so fucking lost. Or poor, because I’d have taken a cab. So I owe you big time.) FANS, VANS AND VENZZ: Monday 18/04/2016
It was time for the final day! I went to bed at 1 am and set my alarm at 6:45am.. I wanted to arrive early in Amsterdam, but I also wanted to avoid the busy traffic considering I’m not the most experienced driver. I decided to leave at 8 from the P+R, which meant I had to leave at 7:20. No offense to Ruth...... but your snore warning really applied... Jesus fucking Christ.... That was awful. I didn’t close a single eye that night. You can’t help it though, so I can’t be angry at you at all.. I just wish I’d have gone to my homecoming gig with a little bit more rest, but I was determined to plough through. I was surprisingly awake, having some breakfast, travelling to the car after packing (I think I forgot my charger... but I already got a new one so it’s fine!).... And then I crashed a little (not with the car, bloody hell). See, I had this real good idea to listen to Wish You Were Here on my way to Antwerp to pick up Joyce ( @edge-office), but Pink Floyd when you’re tired? Not a good idea.. Also, I had this mild argument with a Belgian driver. I was going left but it was so crowded I ended up in the middle of the lane, and I just decided to cross entirely and not let the other dude pass because it was chaos and you don’t want to be in the middle of the lane when everything starts driving. He flipped me off, I waved and pointed downwards implying “yellow license plate. dutch idiot. “domme Hollander.” I couldn’t bring myself to care, I wanted to leave Brussels. So considering Joyce lived on the way to Amsterdam we had agreed that I’d pick her up, and apparently her apartment was close to the highway so I was picking her up from there... and fuck we hit it off well! She kept me awake, we chatted away about music.. You sometimes just know someone’s awesome, and with her I had that entirely. She wasn’t initially planning on going, but I convinced her that she’d like the ‘Noel’s BrU2ce Club’ consisting out of Bryan and Anna, and probably my NGHFB buddy Reanne too. On the way to Amsterdam we listened to Different Class by Pulp and Violator by Depeche Mode. My friend Reanne texted me she’d try to arrive at 11, and when we got there in the end she had just arrived which meant I’d immediately have time to introduce Joyce to Reanne. They seemed to like each other (really, get these two going about animals or football... ;-)) so I was happy! Sandra, Laurence and some others were there too, so we basically had a little reunion again. (Really, it feels good to say “see ya tomorrow!!” after a gig.) In case you were wondering what queueing is like....
(this one got captioned “Noel Gallagher’s Low Life Zombies” by Joyce) Ryan and Anna arrived a bit later, considering they only had the intention to meet Noel and then come back when the doors opened. Ryan was being his annoying (but sweet.. I gotta admit..) pun-maker, while Anna was just being the nice-but-bullying one. They seemed to like Joyce too, so I was pretty happy with that! Anyway, it was getting around 3 O’clock and Noel’s usually arriving around 4.. so Reanne was getting anxious. You see, the HMH is a really easy venue to meet people at, but the artist’s door is on the other side of the building and you can’t see them arrive. Reanne kept nagging us to go, and when Sandra thought it’d be the time to go too we basically rushed to the other side with an excited grin. (Also with excitement because it was tons warmer on the other side of the venue..) We settled down there and talked some more, when suddenly Reanne nudged us like “Isn’t that.... Tim!?”
(Yes, this is a bit of a creepy photo, but it’s there for the idea. Also I didn’t take it, so I’m fine.) He later returned, and we realized he had been on a coffee hunt considering he had coffee with him. He was talking with Sandra and we were sitting like 50 meters away, when Reanne was like.. “We should get a picture with him too!” (Reanne and I took this photo in London with Mike and we wanted another one.. but with Tim)
So Reanne and I shuffled awkwardly closer, not really wanting to disturb their conversation.. but we joined in a little anyway because it’s even worse when you’re not talking!! THEN TIM......... FUCKING INTRODUCED HIMSELF.... TO US....... Like, that’s weird for two reasons: - It’s the ‘rule’ that the one arriving introduces themselves to the one who was already there - IT’S TIM FUCKING SMITH!!!! I’ve known his name since the first gig where the people in queue taught me who was who!!
(Look, Reanne is so fucking adorable here!!) AND HE WAS SO KIND!!!!!!!!! But he left before Reanne and I could take a picture, so we’re keeping it at this now... But we are happy nonetheless! Really, Mike and Tim.. some of the kindest most laid-back people. Maybe it’s because not many people care about them or recognize them, but they just talk to you like people and all that. Before he left though, there was one magic phrase....... and it was Tim (or a roadie, one of the two, I was panicking too much..) saying Noel would be there in 10 MINUTES!! And that’s the moment you suddenly feel like you need to pee and puke and dance a samba and also be rooted to the ground and fuck. And there were only like... 10 people there? I’m not good at counting.. but not many!! And then there he fucking arrived.. In a dark Mercedes van...
(Again, not a stalker.. Reanne took this one and I’m adding this to illustrate that this is indeed a Mercedes van with probably a Noel inside rolling his eyes at us..) Then the door closed, and Ryan had two comments that NEED to be here.. “Its very typical that the moment he arrives the sun disappears....” “That’s a bit of an anti-climax. Door closed and gone he is.” He suddenly went very quiet when the door opened again though, HA! And then the funniest fucking thing happened, and I can’t really do it justice with just words. It was one of those “should’ve been there” moments. See, Joyce was standing at the door, leaning against the frame next to it with my record in her hand. (I had a spare one just in case, and she didn’t care about getting shit signed.. so she got mine signed.. Win win situation, huh?) She expected to be the last one addressed, and she was also falling a bit asleep, haha. So Noel walked out and it suddenly went really quiet. Like a teacher stepping into the class and the class just goes completely quiet. He paused next to her, and Joyce just jumped up when she realized and quickly gave him my record... Then he, still without saying, gestured that he needed a marker.. someone gave it to him, and then he forwarded it to Joyce so she could get the cap off.. And really, this reminded me of something else..
Anyway, after Joyce made her good first impression it was time for me!! And fuck I was panicking a little. It’s on video. I was talking but I saw he was distracted, so I basically spoke all these half-sentences.. I’m surprised I even got something out! He was entirely different compared to Brussels though, much more relaxed, still very introvert (but I didn’t expect anything else), but very cool too. He was just being very Noel, making you feel less like a number this time but more like an actual person. When I gave him the tea & monster munch he smiled a little..
Probably thinking.. what a loser!! But hey!! Then I made him sign my flag, and he was immediately distracted by Bono’s autograph.. We used the wall to hold it up against and I was holding it out for him expecting him to take it over and then sign, because that seemed easy in my right-handed brain.. but then I realized and remembered he was left-handed!! So he basically shuffled closer, put his arm under mine.. leaned into me a bit.. and he was so incredibly warm and smelled like his leather jacket and I could see the hair on the back of his hands and the ring and I was so fucking close.
And first he pointed at the signature like “Is that Bono!?”... all excited with the raised voice a bit.. And then he signed, paused for a bit thinking “I gotta add something..” (because Bono wrote “Shine like stars, the darkness is afraid of you”) and then he quickly added two little “x” under it. Not much, but hey.. Kisses from the Gallagher aka the guy I have the biggest fucking crush on.. (My heart was in my fucking THROAT!!!) .... I TAKE IT!!!! So then he was done and I landed... but I’m one to make.... welll....... noises... So I made this embarrassing little squeaky noise to Anna, and that made Noel look up with this amused little grin and OHMYGOD IM SO SORRY IM SUCH AN IDIOT IM SORRY NOEL.
So then Noel signed the rest of the stuff, and he was just taking more time and urgh it was so perfect compared to Brussels and I’m so happy most of my friends got to experience this. I mean, he isn’t Bono.. he isn’t as extroverted and easy-going, but the vibe was just so good. (Can you tell I’m smiling widely typing this??) We then went back to the line, huge grins on our faces.. Some people had joined the queue, but they had respected the territory I had laid down with my ugly green-blue-flower-patterned blanket, so we could still settle back at the place we were. There was one thing that could be the cherry on top... a setlist. It was my mission to get one and I had tried my damnedy-famnedy-damn hardest the gigs before.. So this was my last chance. In a moment of pure desperation I decided to make a sign, with the luck that Reanne had actually taken some white sheets with her... What the fuck but also YES! So I wrote down “Setlist” and folded it hoping so badly this would work. Then the doors opened for Amsterdam and it was chaos. I thought I was quick, but it turned out Sandra and Reanne + Joyce were quicker. And then I finally got the chance to stand next to Sandra! (We tried in Brussels, but there was no room anymore.. Urgh!) AND, BONUS!! next to Reanne too. I had hoped I could, because I wanted to hug her during The Masterplan (she played that song at her mom’s funeral) and I was determined to be her for her during that song. We were really fucking excited, basically. The gig happened and it was gooood. Maybe the best out of the 3, if I wasn’t so tired. I was slowly crashing and then you get those “I’d rather be at home... in bed...” moods. Which sucks, I had them during U2 too. You’re like “I want to enjoy this to the fullest!!!” but you can’t bring yourself to give 100%. So I gave 95%. Noel’s banter was on point as well. Someone threw a marker at the stage asking him to sign something, he signed something in the air and then said “Can’t you see I’m busy?”, he called a Man United scarf that someone threw on the stage a “nazi flag”, he joked he’d play Live Forever.. He even dedicated songs to people, one to a girl from Bolivia before The Mexican (because close enough) and one to Joyce (!) asking her if it was really the first time.. There was a moment of confusion there because Reanne and I thought he was talking to one of us, haha, but when we realized we got so excited! (And Joyce was having a little heart attack, staring in awe like “did he really.. just?”) Basically he was on fire. And then. Encore. And he came back. Without an acoustic. Was he going to play Record Machine or Freaky Teeth? And then he played Record Machine. And I fucking died on the spot. I got so excited I gave Tim these thumbs up with an excited grin and he smiled back at me.. I had to make sure they knew I fucking loved them even MORE at that moment!!!! I never had a tour debut with NGHFB!! (I did with U2, twice-ish.) Then after the gig I got really emotional, as did I during The Masterplan. (Second-hand sadness. I can’t stand people I care about being sad. My empathy levels sometimes!!) I didn’t cry, but I was on this high and missing them already at the same time.. And then the roadies came on and I held up the sign, made eye-contact with the long-haired sound roadie... AND HE GAVE ME ONE!! He have me a thumbs up, walked to the side.. then returned with a set-list, sat down at the front of the stage and gestured to a security guy to give it to me. I WAS SO HAPPY!! And Reanne got a pick from Tim himself which she asked for, which was really good. <3 Everything was just so incredibly perfect urgh.
From left to right: Reanne, Ryan, Joyce, Anna, me. A security guy took this pic and he got a scolding from his boss for doing so. Oops. But thank you!!!!! You took an awesome pic of the crew, security dude. Anyway, then the gig ended and we parted our ways, with Live Forever being sang loudly in front of the venue by some fans. But before we really did Ryan asked Joyce if she wanted to join our FB chat.. and I was so fucking excited... I don’t want to be sappy, but I love these people more than I love a lot of people, y’know? They’re so incredibly friendly, funny.. We like the same things... I’m so happy they all go along like this... and I’m so happy these amazing people had such a good time!! So yeah, the drive home... fucking awful. 1,5 hours of “I want to be home.. I want to be home... I want to be home...” I basically zigzagged over the empty road (when I could!!) and I was so glad I got back home. So yeah. In short. Fucking good time. I love every person I’ve met. .... and I couldn’t resist buying another ticket..... so see you in Berlin on the 13th of August Noely G!!
