09/04/04 - ARENA D'COQUE, LUXEMBOURG

Review by Tiz:
Just 5 days after my trip to Zürich I was goin to be on the road yet again to see the guys. Went to the Trainstation at around 8 something to pick up fellow baddies and troobies and off we were towards Luxembourg. It was a long ,boring drive but we finally arrived at the venue at around 12.30. Other baddies were already there which I hadn´t seen since the may gigs last year so it was a nice and warm welcome. Security somehow didn´t seem to know what they were doing when they started to build up the gates as it took them ages and they changed it about 5 times. I think all they would have needed was a woman to tell em how to do it ;) At around 5 pm the place started to fill up and the space we had to move in the queue got smaller and smaller. At around 7 the doors were opened and a long run began...upstairs , downstairs, wrong exit til some helpful security hands finally guided my way.

I took a spot at the very right side which wasn´t good at all til I spotted my dear friend Nikki standing in the very middle just between Bryans and Keiths Microphones so I just walked up to her and took the spot next to her. There was no support act at all ( bless this, it should be always that way) and around 8.15 pm the guys hit the stage and kicked off with there will never be another tonight. We threw Heart shaped Balloons on stage but somehow Bryan never seems to appreciate anything we do as he just burst them by jumping onto them . (cheeky git) The usual show went on with 18 til I die and Let´s make a night to remember when I to call the old folks back in the UK of whom i knew they would be sitting there wondering how the gig went on so fellow troobie Chris was the lucky one who got a live Broadcast. Very much to my liking they played fits ya good just to be followed by I´m ready to my disliking (sorry, that´s just the very one song I can´t stand) and it took us ages to light the sparklers. At some stage i held up my terrorizing Troobies on Tour Flag and got some very funny faces from k-man ( don´t worry mate, your safe...til June ;)))) The crowd behind the first few rows couldn´t really get started to it was a very lame round of nanana in Cuts like a knife. Bryan didn´t seem to know in which language he should talk to us so we heard some english, french and german and learned our bits for the day. Then it was When you´re gone time and gosh Bryan really has a talent for picking out the weirdest gals around at the gigs I attend. Helen didn´t seem to understand a single word Bryan said and just talked about her Masa and her Fasa ( you should have had heard it and you´d be peeing your pants) and hmm was it just me or was Bryan taking the piss out of her *weg* Anyway while she tried to sing, and she really just tried and never got there we suddenly met the " Masa" as she was pushing forwards to our spots to take a million pictures. After she had finally walked off stage and her Masa had also given up and gone back where she came from we went on enjoying ourselves and Alex suddenly threw the Bag containing my Birthday present for Noa on stage which Mr Nice Guy "if it ain´t for me i don´t want it to be here" Adams just threw away so I doubt it ever got where it should have gotten. A couple of songs followed and we shouted our heads off to hear hearts on fire but our wish wasn´t to be granted that night. Therefore I got a Cheeky grin from ear to ear from k-man when one of them by now famous Give us a Grin :) banners appeard again. The show ended with Bryan playing two solos and short after 10 pm it was all over again. We made our way to the back entrance and watched the staff putting the stage into the trucks and saw the guys getting into a car and off they went without stopping. Since Bryan hadn´t been spotted yet we froze our asses off even longer since we didn´t want to believe that Security man who told us he had been gone long time ago so we waited and waited and waited and then finally gave in and rather headed towards Maccie D´s to stuff our heads.

I didn´t reach home until the next evening thanks to some very wrong map but as horrid that trip might have been, not horrid enough to stop me so I´ll see you in June ;)

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Review by Alex:
After two hours scenery drive - without any scenery, but lots of fog - luigi (the car) finds his way straight to the sunlit venue. we check the site, watch the trucks being unloaded and hurry to the hostel and back. we meet up with a couple of baddies (cheers to all of you, nice to see you again). security doesn´t want us to get bored, so they move us from one gate to the other, mixing us up several times and we start feeling like a herd of fenced sheep (määähhhhh !!!).
after a lot of freezing, much fun and complaining, the doors finally open and we start the longest run of this gigging week. cheering security is trying to lead the running crowd but badly misleads people (some even end up in the basement !). however, we are smart enough not to trust them anymore and make it to the first (alex), second (nikki) and third (miz tiz) row, directly in front of bryans mic J
we don´t mind that there´s no support band.
arriving on stage, our dudes don´t kick off their shoes, but make clear that there´d never be an other tonight. lux is rocking and it feels soooooooo right !!! while norman is trying to entertain us making funny faces, we do our very best to keep the guys in great spirit with stripping naked, table dancing (without tables), and other boring things like balloons, sparklers, different signs and banners.
nikki always told us never ever wanting to become a wyg-girl and surprises us getting veeery enthusiastic when bryan starts looking for a singer. but her shirt is not colourful enough L
we get to see a girl who isn´t sent from heaven but from her mosser and her fasser (behave yourself, bad man !). bryan does his best to encourage nervous helen and even manages to make her do something which could be meant like a kind of the butt thing. even if nikki didn´t make it on stage, to deliver some baddies present for little noa, we manage to catch keiths attention and finally hand it over by - ehm, well - throwing it on stage ;)
by the way: we´d like to let you know, that bryan is wearing a belt, so no chance to spot his calvin kleins. anyways: we love your butt, bryan !!!
while keith turner is playing several fabulous soli, bryan steps back to let him get the recognition he deserves. it´s a fantastic 5 piece band - all great musicians, who look like good team players. we all have an other night to remember. as always we just can´t get enough. thanks for the extra songs !!
besides the usual set list “this time” and “fits ya good” are played, again including the small soli of every band member (wow!). even though our demand for “hearts on fire” isn´t granted, we get to listen to “thought i´d died and gone to heaven”. we ain´t hard to please ;))) once more the show is ending with “straight from the heart” and “depend on me” as wonderful acoustic versions.
yes, we are waiting. yes, it is cold. no, we don´t meet them. some other time, some other place ....

waking up in our very cosy and comfy bunk beds today, we notice that our hostel is actually under construction - but safe and clean. to complete our trip, we explore historic lux and can only recommend to do so, whenever you travel for the guys !

5 hours later, lots of arguing, more laughing and almost having been thrown out of the restaurant, we finally finish this f...ing review now. You better enjoy it ;)

roll on june!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Review by Jason:
Hears goes for my review, I started my gig experience at 2.30 when i arrived at the Arena D'Coque and found the queue, there wasn't many there so i thought I’d have a walk round the outside of the building to see if i could find a place I may have been able to find Bryan to sign my CD after the show, i had an idea he would go to the back doors behind the stage but in the end he didn't show up.!!

Anyway I went and joined the queue once more but i thought that there would be a little community atmosphere among those queuing a way of killing the monotony of a long wait but nobody seemed to be talking to each other so i soon got cold and fed up (Very Windy Spot!!) so i went into the reception to warm up as the queue wasn't getting any longer and after circling around a couple of times i found my way into the arena itself WOW nobody said anything so i eventually worked my way stage side and perched on the ledge and watched as they set up the show and did al the sound checks ETC. Was pretty boring but warmer than outside! Pretty cool at 6.15 though as Keith, Mickey and Gary did a sound check then when people started coming in i hot footed it to the front of the crowd Great i was on the barrier for the first time i was thrilled.

After 3 laps of a queen CD the boys came out and Kicked the concert off in big style with "There will never be another tonight" That rocked and was great to hear it for 1st tome live, Then went 18 TID and then Let's Make A Night witch I also enjoyed for the first time Can's stop kicked butt and then did three unplugged hits Back to you, Fit's Ya Good (My Fave, budokan style) and I’m ready, then got the crowd rocking again with 69 and It's only Love with the help of Keith "Tina Turner" Scott this was the part of the show where you just watched Keith in awe as he stole the show with his great solo's. then out came the mobiles and sparklers for Everything i do witch he did a semi acoustic version of. a great version of Cuts with two long Na Na Na Na's which was cool. Then it was time for when your gone with the psychedelically Dressed Helen Schneider who had come from Cologne with her Mouser and farser though nobody could work out which was there!! Bryan teased her a few times but she enjoyed the night of her life.

Then he did a cool version of "heaven".

Then came they went off before the en-core and Mick’s drum stick flicked through my fingers i though I’d caught it but was sad to see it fly off into the crowd. Then the boys returned to lift us to new levels with back to back rocking versions of "Somebody","The Only Thing”,” cloud # 9" and "run to you" Then he did the “best of me” when he came to the crowd he played with the audience high five’ing them and the pulling his hand away! He made somebody’s day by taking their camera and taking a picture of him singing with her, must have made her night!

Then came a big treat as he played "Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven" that was really cool I was surprised that everyone knew the words and we made the most of a rarer song, I’d love him to play that in hull !!

Then it was time for the boys to finish with a jumping performasnce of "This time" end of a great show by the whole band.

After some encouragement Bryan came back out alone with his acoustic and told us he was surprised that so many of his older songs had lasted so long and how well we still knew them then played one of his oldest songs which he wrote at age 18(as y'all know!) a brilliant version of "Straight from the heart" and then finished with "Depend on me" which capped the night off nicely. All the boy's came back for the bow and you could see then as all through the show that they had really enjoyed their nights work. (Almost as much as we did!!)

Setlist:
There Will Never Be Another Tonight
18 Til I Die
Let's Make A Night To Remember
Can't Stop This Thing We Started
Back To You
Fits Ya Good
I'm Ready
Summer Of '69
It's Only Love
Everything I Do
cuts Like A Knife
When You're Gone
Heaven
Somebody
The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You
Cloud #9
Run To You
The Best Of Me
Thought I'd Died And Gone To Heaven
This Time
Straight From The Heart
Depend On Me

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Pictures by Tiz, and thanks to Dave for the setlist

BA rocks Luxembourg