Saturday 29 October 2011

Symphonica - Recaplet RAH II (Oct. 28)

The scene outside the Royal Albert Hall tonight, lots of smiling people standing around, happy that tonight's show was definitely happing, couldn't be more different than the scene on Wednesday.  

Then people were standing around in little groups, anxiously discussing the news amongst themselves: George Michael was ill and tonight's performance was cancelled. Everybody was looking bewildered, confused and very disappointed. I didn't see any angry faces though and I think that's remarkable, considering that cancelling/postponing a show like this come with a massive price-tag for all the fans. Some people flew in for just this one show, others like my wife and I booked a hotel for all RAH dates and were now wondering if George would cancel all his London dates. Thankfully, this was not the case.

The attitude of the fans was testament to how loyal most George Michael fans are! But we were all feeling a bit lost, and I think that went for the musicians as well. Henry Hey's tweet of later that night (to the pub? what to do) I thought summed up everyone's feelings perfectly.

But a lot can change in a few days and so George put on Tuesday's show on Friday. This must have been the triumphant homecoming he envisioned for himself on his first shownight back on English soil, in that most beautiful of venues, the Royal Albert Hall. With him on top of his game and the audience going crazy for him!

One sentence review: George is all better, things back to normal!

This is the English recaplet, a link for a longer Dutch review for all nights at RAH together will appear here when I am back home in the Netherlands again. You could always check for more updates on twitter (dutch_ada).

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Symphonica - Recaplet RAH I (Oct. 25)

First of all; the Royal Albert Hall is just amazing! What a beautiful building, it's like no other venue I've ever seen. I can't believe I've been inside a venue as great as the Arena di Verona and Royal Albert Hall within 2 months, with Royal Opera House still to come. Love it!

One sentence review: George is back home and loving it.

This is the English recaplet, a link for a longer Dutch review for all nights at RAH together will appear here when I am back home in the Netherlands again. You could always check for more updates on twitter (dutch_ada).

Tuesday 25 October 2011

Symphonica - Gig Report Rotterdam October 22

Well, we gave George Michael and the whole Symphonica gang a rousing send-off on the last night before they went home to dear old Blighty as they call it (English idiom is weird!). Everybody seemed more than ready to go (home) to England but I think they all enjoyed the last stopover before the Royal Albert Hall. Everything is in place, the show is now just like George envisioned it, or so he told us tonight.

I think it's safe to say George is ready to wow the home crowds, the long warm-up throughout mainland Europe is over. Backing vocalist Jay Henry asked us on twitter which of the pre-England shows were our favourites: for me it was the first night in Herning where George got so emotional, both nights in Verona, especially the second one where George was at his incredible best and of course the second night in Rotterdam where everything just clicked. Incredible memories!

One sentence review: Love is in the air for George and the Dutch Fans!

Please read on for more details of the night. If you prefer to read the Dutch in-depth review, a link for that will appear here as soon as it is ready. In the meantime I'll update you here.

Saturday 22 October 2011

Symphonica - Gig Report Rotterdam October 21

Today, on my way to Rotterdam, I was cleaning out my wallet, checking to see if I had brought all my train tickets. A little slip of paper that I hadn't seen in ages fell out. It was an old post-it, from last year. September/October 2010 to be precise. On the note was the address of Highpoint prison, I don't know why I'd written it down because after a few days I knew it by heart. I wrote George Michael every day (thought he might be in need of some fun stuff to read), telling him how much his music had meant to me over the years, sharing my best memories of 25Live with him. 

And now here we are, one year on. Symphonica is a big hit and I'm sharing my best memories of Symphonica with other ecstatic George Michael fans. If there's one thing being a GM-fan has taught me it is this: It's never too late, and there's always a possibility of another second chance (let's face it: he's had a few). It probably works best if you are as talented as George, have a voice like an angel and heaps of charisma! Still, I'd like to think that the principle applies to all of us and that thought gives me hope and inspires me.

Anyway, tonight it wasn't George that was given a second chance, it was us, the audience. Last week the crowd was very appreciative but it wasn't the all-out party the fans had hoped for. Köln and Verona beat us hands down and I didn't like it one little bit.

Tonight we got our revenge on all the other fantastic crowd. We all had a blast and even our lovely backing vocalists who'd confessed on twitter that they'd longed to go home were having so much fun. I loved every minute of this show and came away happy and grateful to be alive. What more can you ask for? Symphonica is the best non-chemical anti-depressant that nature has to offer.

One sentence review: Dutch Delight & a perfect dress rehearsal for RAH.



Pure emotion!

Please read on for more details of the night. Sorry, it's extra long again because it's a review of a Dutch Symphonica show. I promise RAH reviews will be shorter! If you prefer to read the Dutch review, a link for that will appear here as soon as it is ready. In the meantime I'll update you here.

Sunday 16 October 2011

Buying Symphonica tickets - part 1

I hate pre-sales for George Michael concerts with the passion of a thousand suns. Come to think of it, I hate buying George Michael tickets, period. It's very stressful, and because of my ptsd I don't handle stress well. At all! Buying tickets in a pre-sale or general sale gets filed under The things we do for George. And by "we" I mean "I"! Buying tickets is almost - but not quite - as bad as flying. Another thing I only do for George!

Now, with 7 concerts under my belt and a few more to come in Holland and the UK, I can hardly believe that I almost didn't buy any tickets for the Symphonica Tour. May - the month of the pre-sales -  was not a good time for me; I was seriously depressed and just starting on my journey of delayed grief. So when I read the email announcing the Symphonica Tour my initial thought was: "Not now, George! ".

Friday 14 October 2011

Symphonica - Dutch review Rotterdam (October 10)

This is the Dutch review for Rotterdam, October 10. The English review is over here.

Een paar maanden geleden beschreef ik mijn hoop dat George Michael na een paar zomers vol schandalen de aankomende herfst nu eindelijk eens om de juiste redenen (goede recensies voor Symphonica) in de kranten zou staan. Wel, hij staat in alle kranten, en de reviews van de afgelopen maanden zijn inderdaad overwegend positief tot zeer positief! Hoera voor George! Ik ben erg blij voor hem, het is hem na de afgelopen jaren van harte gegund.

Ik blijf me verbazen over die man. Hij is zo heerlijk recalcitrant. Je zou verwachten dat hij na alle ellende of met een langdurige radiostilte of met een knaller à la Outside op de proppen zou komen. Maar nee, zijn comeback is een ingetogen cover van True Faith, mét stemvervormer. Hij had van tevoren kunnen inschatten dat een behoorlijk deel van de fans daar problemen mee zou hebben. Zo dol op vernieuwing zijn we als fan community nu eenmaal niet. Nostalgie naar de eigen jeugd of tienerjaren is immers één van de pijlers (gelukkig niet de belangrijkste) van het succes van George. En daarbij is geen plaats voor autotune of vocoder. Ik moet bekennen dat ik zelf ook een huh?-reactie had bij de eerste kennismaking met True Faith, maar bij de tweede keer luisteren was ik verkocht. Schitterend! En toch een perfecte comeback single, omdat hij zo duidelijk een nieuwe muzikale periode van George inluidt. Want wat George verder ook moge zijn, bang om het gebaande en zeer succesvolle muzikale pad te verlaten is hij zeker niet.

En dan nu deze Symphonica Tour. Ook daarin toont George zich weer lekker dwars. Geen jaren tachtig party, geen Greatest Hits show, geen podium rekwisieten, geen wervelende show van mooie dansers, maar alleen die onvoorstelbaar mooie stem die centraal staat. Zo puur! En het moet gezegd, als George vol plezier en energie op het podium staat, is alleen die stem spetterende show genoeg!

Meer details na de jump!

Symphonica - Dutch Review Brussels (October 8)

This is the Dutch review for Brussels, October 8. The English review is over here.

Wat was ik blij dat ik op het allerlaatste moment toch nog kaartje had gekocht voor Brussel! Want George klonk weer ouderwets fantastisch! En eigenlijk nog belangrijker, hij stond weer in blij contact met de zaal. Maar wat had hij een haast! Mijn vrouw zei dat buiten op de gevel van Vorst Nationaal ook precies aangegeven stond dat het concert tot 22.30 zou duren! Er waren duidelijke afspraken over gemaakt!

De sfeer zat er in Brussel vanaf het allereerste begin lekker in. Nu is Vorst Nationaal een ronde zaal, dat hielp ook wel om het extra intiem te maken. Ik zat wéér recht voor George maar dit keer op rij 12, tussen twee grote kerels in, die allebei overduidelijk super fan waren. Leuk, mannelijke fans! Weer eens wat anders dan alle vriendinnenclubjes.

Meer details na de jump!

Symphonica - Dutch Review Antwerp (October 7)

This is the Dutch review for Antwerp, October 7. My review in English is over here.

Uit zeer welingelichte kringen (georgette van Planet George!) heb ik vernomen dat het Antwerpse publiek wel vaker wat lauw reageert op een concert. Helaas deden ze hun reputatie vrijdag alle eer aan, ik vond het publiek nogal gereserveerd. Nu scheelt het natuurlijk wel dat mijn laatste concert vóór Antwerpen dat superpubliek in Verona was. Na die heksenketel lijkt elk volgend publiek mat.

De rol van security
Ik zal me dit concert vooral herinneren als het concert waar ik me een rotje ben geschrokken! Ik kreeg een waarschuwing van een over-ijverige security medewerker dat ik niet mocht filmen. Eerlijk gezegd vind ik het nog steeds belachelijk. George was net begonnen aan Russian Roulette en ik zat me helemaal te verheugen op een goede opname, vanaf rij 2, pal voor zijn krukje. Komt er plotseling een mevrouw aanlopen vóór de eerste rij lang! Ze wringt zich min of meer voor de persoon die voor mij zat om tegen mij te sissen dat ik niet mocht filmen. Daar ging mijn kans op een goed filmpje! En ik vraag me af wat voor George nu precies een grotere afleiding was, mijn camera of zo'n mens dat midden in een nummer pal voor zijn neus gaat staan!
Overigens vond ik het nog hypocriet ook, want nog geen 10 minuten later haalde diezelfde vrouw halverwege Feeling Good een hele horde mensen, veelal met camera in de aanslag, naar voren.

Die trek naar voren begint namelijk steeds vroeger! Het is net als bij 25Live. In oktober 2006 kon je nog prima een plekje vooraan krijgen als je rond 16.00 aan kwam zetten, bij de laatste show in 2008 hebben mensen de hele nacht buiten geslapen om dat felbegeerde plekje aan het hek veilig te stellen. Dat wordt nog wat!

Meer details na de jump!

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Symphonica - Gig Report Brussels (October 8)

This weekend in Belgium I saw my 25th and 26th George Michael concert in 6 years and I've yet to hear George Michael give a bad vocal performance. He's consistently great!

So why is that then some shows are unforgettable while others are 'just' good or very good? I think that this nebulous quality called energy is a big part of it. When George is on top of his game, his energy completely fills the stage and we can all see that he loves his job: singing for us. The crowd always picks up on that and responds in kind. Because we all love our job of making George feel appreciated, loved even.
In Brussels George and the audience were feeding off of each other in a positive way right from the start, and I knew this show was going to be memorable.

Praying For Time

One sentence review: George loves Brussels and the feeling is mutual!

Please read on for more details of the night. If you prefer to read the Dutch in-depth review, that's over here.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Symphonica - Gig Report Rotterdam (October 10)

When George Michael announced the Symphonica Tour I was so pleased to see Rotterdam on the tour schedule. While George may not quite be King George over here, as he is in Denmark, the Dutch people have much love for George so he always has a good time here.

The first show sold out in minutes, and a second date was added. Demand was still high, so Team George Michael found a place for a third date in the already crowded schedule for October, funnily enough about two weeks before the other shows. So it was this third date crowd, comprised mostly of casual concert goers and only a few hard core George Michael fans, that won the prize of welcoming George to the Netherlands. Fortunately we all did a good job, I don't think George has a problem with coming back in 10 days time! But we didn't get an "I love you" so come on people, there's room for improvement!

The Stage in Rotterdam. Beautiful
One sentence review: George and the Symphonica Gang throw a Dutch party

Please read on for the rest of this extra long review. Sorry for the excessive length, but George is finally in my own country and I want to tell all!! If you prefer to read the Dutch review, that's over here.

Saturday 8 October 2011

Symphonica: Gig Report Antwerp (October 7)

For a while now, I've been closely monitoring the @GeorgeMichael tweets, reading the public messages my fellow GM-fans send to George.What's immediately apparent is this: George Michael is loved - deeply and truly loved - by his many fans. So many of us have invited George's music and George himself into our lives at a fairly young age, and have clearly rejoiced ever since in having him join us on our walk through life. So much so in fact, that judging from twitter, you'd think George went around performing miracles left and right. And in a way he is, just not the 'healing the sick' variety.

I've been privileged to see the effect George Michael has on his fans up close a few times and it's always a touching and somewhat humbling experience. Tonight was no exception.
In the seat next to me a woman all the way from Brazil saw her lifetime dream of seeing George Michael live come true. From time to time I glanced to the left to see how she was enjoying her very first George Michael concert. The rapturous, intense look on her face said it all. She was leaning forward in her seat, wanting to be even closer to him than she was in row 2, taking in his every word and gesture - and being completely oblivious to the rest of her surroundings. It was a wonderful sight.
To the right of me was a Dutch man, another big time fan. He was also getting his first taste of Symphonica and by the looks of it loving every minute of it. Tapping his feet to the beat, swaying in his seat during the ballads and whooping with delight after every song, he appeared to be having one of the best if not the best nights of 2011!

What must it be like to be George Michael, to know that you have the ability to affect people in this way? Changing people's life for the better, sometimes forever (as was the case for me because his courage inspired me to educate high school kids about diversity and gay rights), sometimes just for the duration of a concert, that is performing a miracle.

One sentence review: George wows "every other lovely in the world" (TM @TanteGeraldine) in Antwerp

Please read on for more details of the night. If you prefer to read the Dutch in-depth review, that's over here.