I went to see Our Lady Peace in Hamburg yesterday. It was awesome. The venue was really small, but the atmosphere was great. I can't wait to see them again and that might be pretty soon as they're talking about doing a European tour in November.
Full review:
Finally, after 2,5 years I got a chance to see Our Lady Peace again. We had to drive ten hours to do so, but it was worth every second. Because I don't have a driver's licence myself I asked my parents and aunt to come with me, and drive. We left our home in Holland in the morning and expected to be in Hamburg around two or three in the afternoon. It was a pretty straightforward drive, but I was still pleasantly surprised that we didn't take a wrong turn once.
When we arrived in Hamburg (after abour five hours) we parked underneath the train station and walked to the Logo. I had expected it to be a small venue, but it was even smaller. We were very early, but we wanted to make sure that we could get in. We didn't want to drive all the way there for nothing. I had reserved tickets through email, but they were a little vague, so I wasn't 100% sure. But I all worked out perfectly.
In the meanwhile we took a position across the street at a little restaurant, where we had something to drink and eat, while keeping a close eye on the Logo. As soon as I saw the roadies bring in the equipment I went to have a peek. I was allowed to come inside and watched them build up the set. I also got a sneak preview of the setlist. When it was time for the real sound check I was sent back outside. A little van arrived bringing evryone except Raine. They went in through the front door, where all the fans were waiting. And with all the fans I mean the 20 to 30 people that had showed up at that time.
The doors were supposed to open at 8 pm, but by them Raine still hadn't arrived. When he did, he didn't have a very promising look on his face. I don't think he expected the place to be that small. Neither had I. But although it was a tiny venue, it was a huge concert. They played very enthousiastically and the crowd was very excited.
The contrast with my first Our Lady Peace-experience was enormous. Back then, in February 2000, the Skyreach Centre in Edmonton was filled with thousands of people and I had a crappy seat somewhere at the back where I could hardly see anything. This time, I was stanidng on the front row, only inches away from Steve and even Jeremy was only a couple of feet in front of me. Sometimes Steve en Raine came so close, it ws even too close to take pictures. This brings me to another difference. We were allowed to bring camera's and take pictures, which is not very common at concerts.
Although they didn't play any songs of Happiness, my favorite album, I was still very pleased with the songs they picked, as they included most of my favorites (All For You, Bring Back The Sun, Whatever, Starseed). Despite the bad acoustics in the building and the small area they perfromed amazingly and got the place rocking.
Raine was glad people had actually showed up to come see them in Germany and promised to coem back in November for a real tour. Because the reception was so good, they even played an extra song, that wasn't on the setlist: Story About A Girl.
It was amazing to see them live. Although I love lsitening to their albums, nothing beats a live performance. Especially the intros for Naveed and Starseed were incredible. Jeremy's drumsolo before Starseed was impressive as well. After that song they left the stage and Jeremy tossed his drumsticks in the audience. I managed to catch one of them.
Of course they came back for an encore, which consisted of Somewhere Out There and 4AM. After the show we waited outside, hoping to catch them before they drove off and get an autograph, until onbe of the crew members told us that they were already signing stuff inside. I managed to get Raine, Steve, Duncan and Jeremy to sign my book (Mike had mysteriously disappeared). Raine smiled when he saw it was On The Road by Jack Kerouac and Duncan also noticed it.
It was great to 'meet' them. I know they're just normal people, but I still think it's special to get a chance to see the in person. They were all very nice and had a little chat with everyone. I asked Raine if they'd come to Holland in November and he said 'definitely', so I might be seeing them again in a short while. I took a picture of Raine with Moose and then we left. We got home at 4 am (coincidence?, I think not).
Setlist:
All For You
Do You Like It
Superman's Dead
Naveed
Not Enough
Bring Back The Sun
Whatever
Innocent
Clumsy
Are You Sad?
Story About A Girl
Starseed
Somewhere Out There
4AM