Martin and James – Magnet Club, Berlin; February 7th, 2012
They say love is the rope that lets you go
It’s everything you never know
It’s been three days since I have returned from this gig, three days in which I’ve finally gotten some sleep and had a chance to reminisce about the tour and all the wonderful things that have happened, the great people I’ve met, the nice chats I’ve had and the beautiful music, new songs and old. I laughed very hard at times, I sang and screamed so much that I lost my voice, I felt so much love and I was close to tears more than once. Now that I’ve had a chance to taste real life again for a few days, to sleep in my own bed and to just think back at everything that has happened so far, all the bottled up emotions break way and I’m crying, crying tears of joy, because life has treated me so well lately and because I am lucky to have discovered such an amazingly wonderful band. Can it really get better than this?
After getting home from Dortmund I knew if there was any way to make it to Berlin in time for the show I would. I checked train schedules and realized it was possible then hoped for a good night’s sleep, because I was way too exhausted to take yet another trip. When I woke up the morning of the show I felt somewhat rested and decided I had to go there. Bought a train ticket, booked a hotel and got a ticket. With he train I had originally planned taking it would be a very close call so I asked to leave work at 2:20 p.m. to catch an earlier train. My wish was granted. I had to hurry, but made it on time to catch the 2:48 p.m. train to Berlin. Yes!
I knew this was completely nuts, but it was one of these cases were I felt I just *had* to be there, no matter what. The long train ride gave me time to take a few notes about the Dortmund gig, tell people I was coming and rest a little.
Arrived in Berlin at 6:10 p.m., didn’t bother looking for my hotel and went straight to the venue. Got there after 6:30 to find only 5 people waiting, one of which was K., B. was just getting coffee. It wasn’t as cold as I had feared, more people arrived, one of them A. whom I hadn’t seen since last summer. I had totally forgotten to ask her if she’d come – was very happy to see her.
The opened the doors later than expected, but didn’t check our bags at all, so we got in quickly. We easily made it to the front of the rather small stage. The club was very dark, even when the stage lights were on. We got something to drink, chatted and waited. I realized it was going to be too dark to take good pictures so I decided to just enjoy being there instead of looking for the perfect photograph.
Jim started late. He had brought one additional musician (Dan Telander) this time who played drums to the songs. Jonas still supported him on guitar. Jim smiled at us when he saw us there again. Yep, we cannot get enough! I loved singing along to ‘If I’m born to late’, ‘Falling apart’, ‘The Jailer’ and all the others. I still don’t know the lyrics completely, but I’m getting better. K. was very happy to hear ‘Canary in a Coalmine’ again. There seemed to be quite a few of Jim’s fans around, singing along loudly. I loved it and Jim clearly enjoyed it too. 😀
Setlist
If I’m born too late
The Great Doomsday Story
Faling Apart
Memoires from the Afterlife
Ulysses
The Jailer
Guess that’s what the Gods said
Loser Street
Birthrights
Canary in the Coalmine
Before Jim had gotten on stage I spotted Martin and James walking in together with a much younger guy. I remembered James telling me that his brother was coming to visit so I assumed it was him.
There was no hurry for the guys to come on stage, but when they finally walked out a lot of cheers greeted them. The club was rather small but packed – almost a hometown gig. James saw me right away and gave me a really happy smile. That alone made the entire trip worthwhile. Martin saw me a bit later and smiled at me as well. <3
The audience was not the wildest I’ve seen on this tour, but somehow the atmosphere was just right and the guys clearly enjoyed being there. They were very energetic despite this being their 7th gig in a row. I find it really amazing how they deliver night after night. The setlist stayed the same, but it never gets boring. I just felt happy and elated, sang along, loving every minute of it from ‘She’s light guiding’ to ‘I have to fall’.
The new songs still get better every night and I got completely lost in the music several times. Slowly, but surely I am remembering the lyrics too and singing along makes it even better. I shared so many looks and smiles with the friends around me, laughed at Martin and James’ stories (even the ones I had already heard 5 times) and could not keep the huge smile off my face even for a minute. Still, I felt the underlying melancholia in the songs and it touched me very deeply.
The small stage hardly gave them room to move, but none of that mattered. They had as much fun as we did and when everyone was called back to stage for he last encore, their happy faces said it all. For the final bow, James called Ryan (their friend, driver, roadie,…) and his brother on stage as well, telling us “This is our family”. They left to great cheers.
I was a little dazed, but extremely happy I had made the decision to go to Berlin. It had been amazing this far and the night was not over yet. We hung out and waited for the guys. I chatted with Ryan and Jim for a bit, got Jim’s other (first) CD. When Martin and James finally came out all I wanted to do was hug them, because I felt so grateful for the wonderful music and concerts they have given me. I had to wait for the right moment then told Martin I really wanted to hug him and he did. It was a very nice hug too. James I didn’t even have to ask (and yes, that was another very nice hug). I thanked them both for everything, then let them go.
K. had already left, A. said goodbye too and B. and I stayed for a little longer, before walking to our hotel and saying goodnight. I didn’t get much sleep that night, but it was full of happy dreams.
6 concerts down, 2 to go. Next stop: Göttingen
Setlist
She’s light guiding
Turn it up
Maybe it’s time
Wheels
Wrong directions
One way forward
You’re a window
I was blind
Bad Dream
Live Wires
Love’s not a Fight
Cynical Skin
Hard to cry
Little bits of Light
Life’s a Show
The Rope
All over the News
Crashing into Love
Encore:
Somebody
I have to fall/Twist and Shout/ You shook me all night long