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Hi everybody,
after maybe 4 hours of sleep I just finished my breakfast at my hotel in
Linz (near Hoersching). Now I can't wait to tell you all about yesterdays
concert. This is going to be a long report, so take your time. I am doing it
in several parts so the individual emails are not too long.
Now fasten your seatbelts and be ready for the ride :-)
I took the train from Vienna to Linz (which was in fact Adolf Hitlers
hometown - spooky, huh?)
A 350 year old hotel right on the central market place was my place to stay.
And as you see they have even internet.
I checked in and went out to get me a bite to eat.
Shortly before 6 Colin from England arrived (he stayed at the same hotel)
and we took a taxi to Hoersching.
After arriving there (a 20 minute ride) we picked up our reserved tickets
(First row center!!!) and went to the Restaurant which is in the same
building. Colin had something to eat and I had just a coffee.
Around 7 I went to the artists dressing rooms to see if my help was needed
to sell her cds before and after the show. It WAS needed so I set up the
table and started selling to the first already arriving guests. Pretty soon
the foyer was filled with people - it was nearly sold out.
Its a very new building, elegantly designed and with all modern facilities.
The concert was presented by the local "Lions Club" and all the money from
that evening went into the fund of the "Lions Club".
Melanie's cds sold very well and around 8.30 they announced her.
I had the cds packed back in the boxes so I could take my seat.
Colin and I sat next to each other and we really had the best of all seats.
Melanie and Beau entered the stage (and now I forgot with which song they
started....- I am sitting here now for several minutes and I cant remember).
Well, sorry, maybe I remember later on...
She soon started taking requests and people were mostly asking for her old
songs. She did "Nickel song" and overheard this time my scream for "People
in the front row" - when I sit in the front row I expect of course to hear
this song :-)
During "Peace will come" she had the funny idea to shut off the stage lights
so she could sing to us in total darkness. They really did it and it was a
wonderful experience. You knew that she was there but you could not see her
- I think you listen more carefully and it gives the song a very intense
feel. (at least in my humble opinion). Well, as she went into the chorus
they put they lights back on.
Her strings broke again at one point and Beau had to run out to fix it. She
took Beaus guitar and continued by herself.
She did again her break to leave Beau alone to do his own compositions. This
time he did only 2 songs, a new song dedicated to his father Peter called
"The man she married" (an instrumental) and then his Malaguena-fantasy for
which he received a thunderous applause. Melanie came back on stage and was
so proud of him.
Sorry folks but I cant remember more of her set list - I only know that she
did a lot from "Paled" (she pointed out that "Make it work for me" was her
favorite song from that album).
When people asked for "Brand new key" she sort of ignored it, it looked like
she did not want to play it...
Yes, it was one of those nights that one remembers for the rest his life....
The Hoersching show was coming to an end after two hours.
But then we were treated with a surprise. Another brand new song (I think
composed by Beau) named "What else can be asked for". Beau did the lead
vocals and Mel did harmonies.
I wonder if it will be on Beau's next cd or on Melanie's. My guess is it
will be on Beau's.
Then she played her closing song "Look what...Ma" (this time without the
long story about the movie of her life). Just before that she had the light
man turn on the lights on the audience so Beau could take pictures of us
waving at them.
It was the last concert of her European tour so they wanted a souvenir. I
hope that we are going to see them some time.
I handed her my towel (she did not need it during her performance because
the venue had probably air-condition).
Then, before the encore I had to leave to be ready for the cd-sale. So I was
not able to catch what she did for the encore, She did probably 2 or 3 songs
before the masses streamed out of the hall right to the cd-table. Within 5
minutes dozens of cds were sold - a lot of people bought also Beaus
"Scrapbook".
Beau was first at the signing table next to me and started signing mainly
his own cds.
A few minutes later Melanie arrived. Since it was being announced that there
would be a signing-sessions it was quite a large crowd waiting for her.
So she started in her very own, warm and unique way to ask for their names
(oh, all these complicated German names like "Gertrud" or "Reinhard" or
Hans-Joachim"....) and listens to their little stories, has her picture
taken with her. A guy asked if he could kiss her and she graciously offered
him her cheek. I saw this guy trembling as he leaned over and her left as
one happy man...
It was almost midnight before she was finished, not one person left without
something. Then she spontaneously (oh my is that spelled right?) she took
her guitar and did "Someday I'll be a farmer". I was not sure if it was the
wish of a person from the audience or just her own idea. The foyer had a
great acoustic and it sounded just spectacular. (A bit like in a church).
Well, finally it looked like they were going to leave.
By the way: David Boldinger was filming the whole set again (with 3 cameras
at the same time) and I had the packed the few remaining cds back in the
cartons.
Then the miracle happened....
They asked me if I wanted to join them for a bite to eat in the restaurant.
I had no other appointment so I gladly accepted the invitation and asked if
I could bring Colin too (we wanted to share the ride back to our hotel).
They said "yes, of course" and so it was Mel and Beau, Dia, Olga from
Holland, Paul (her Hoersching organisator, David B. and his wife Liz, Colin
and myself who entered the cozy restaurant.
I helped Melanie a bit with the translation of the Menu. She understood most
of it though but some Austrian names for food are different from German.
She liked the food that was offered a lot and had a hard time to decide
because everything sounded so tempting.
She ended up ordering a beef-bouillon (clear beef-soup) with liver-dumpling,
a dish with little pork-fillets, mixed vegetables and Austrian soft noodles
(well, sort of...) served sizzling hot in a small iron frying pan. It is
sitting on a wooden plate so it does not burn the tablecloth.
Beau got a tomato-soup, then a large "Wiener Schnitzel" with
parsley-potatoes and veggies and also these soft Austrian noodles.
I was not hungry at all and just had a nice, big glass of cold white wine
mixed with a shot of mineral-water.
Most people had a full meal but it was nearly 1 a.m. before the food was on
the table.
Everybody was enjoying it a lot and Beau especially. He even looked for a
dessert and I recommended an Austrian specialty that I have had in Vienna. A
so-called "Palatschinken", a thin pancake filled with your choice of sweet
or spicy stuff. He chose vanilla ice-cream and chocolate-sauce and whipped
cream.
Boy, was he happy when it arrived and he saw this big plate with tons of
calories.
I have some exciting news!!! Rumor has it that "Rhino Records" will release
"Photograph" (!!!) in the very near future. Sorry, no definite month yet but
Melanie herself told it and seemed very confident.
I also asked her about the "Melanie-Fest" 2007 where we all should get
together for a 3-day-extravaganza.
She likes the idea!!!!!!!!!!
She wants it be somewhere where it is warm and she wants a full orchestra.
So now we have to figure out something. But she is definitely with us on
this.
I sat next to her at the table in the restaurant and I forgot of course most
of my questions that I always wanted to ask her.
But the atmosphere was so relaxed (she was probably very happy that she had
finished her tour and that she would be home soon).
Colin and I even got a ride back home to Linz. Lel, Beau and Dia stayed at a
different hotel in Linz, David and Liz and Olga went back to Vienna the same
night.
Colin and I went to my room for a little "nightcap". I had a bottle of red
wine with me so we sat there drinking and listening of course to "Paled" on
my laptop that I did bring with me. We could hardly believe what we had just
experienced.
It was also the night where the European summertime ended and we had to turn
the clocks back 1 hour. So we gained an hour and that meant a little more
sleep. Absolutely necessary because it was 3 a.m. (or 4 a.m. "normal" time)
before I finally went to bed.
But after maybe 4 hours I woke up and could not sleep again. SO I watched a
bit TV until it was 10 and I met Colin for breakfast.
He then went to the museum (it is raining today) and I am writing my report.
I think I said this before but just why you think you have had the best
Melanie-experience ever she is ready to surprise you again.
A midnight-dinner with Melanie. A fantasy, a dream and now a reality. I did
not wake up in the middle of it so I was not only dreaming. (And I can feel
a light headache from the wines I had last night).
So that was my magic weekend in Austria.
I had you all here with me in spirit. The table in the restaurant was huge
and the entire Melanie-List was sitting there breathing the same air as
Melanie.
I am one happy Michael..........
I almost forgot to tell you something from the Vienna concert that was so
exciting...
Melanie sang a brand-new song that night. She didn't say the title of it and
after the show I forgot to ask her. But last night in Hoersching I
remembered to ask her and she told me that it is called "Yeah baby".
An up-tempo-song witch a very catchy melody, I liked it a lot.
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