Martin and James – Bunker Ulmenwall, BIelefeld; April 9th, 2014
The day Martin and James played in Bielefeld was one of those were everything seemed to go wrong and by the time I arrived at the venue I felt I should have rather stayed home in bed. Yet after the show I knew that there is nothing a good concert can’t cure and that I would have missed something good if I had indeed decided to stay away. Despite fighting an oncoming cold, having had a boring day at work, a not too great hotel and feeling tired and shitty when I finally got to there, N., S. and J. who were already waiting soon cheered me up and the concert completely turned my mood around.
It was raining when I arrived, but luckily we had a roof over our heads and the waiting didn’t seem all that long. Since few people arrived early it was an easy front row. When we walked in, we could hardly believe what the stage looked like though. It was set lower than the floor and the audience stood around it on three sides. As if this weren’t enough there were mirrors high on the walls above the stage on each side so everyone could check out everyone there. We all sat down in front row, figuring that nobody would be able to see anything if we stood up. It felt quite comfortable, but I have to admit sitting on the floor got more difficult as the evening progressed.
Despite the sign at the door saying starting time was 8:30 they started earlier. They had the microphones facing each other so we could view them from the side. As soon as they had walked on stage they told us how weird that felt and how they had to drink “two bottles of Whiskey” to get up the guts to go on stage – it was the first of many laughs that night. The guys were visibly nervous though, only slowly getting into their routine.
They should not have worried. Despite a few technical difficulties with feedback they were doing just fine. The audience was into it as well and went along nicely. We certainly had a good time. Sitting on the floor made all more relaxed. It was a nice perspective and we didn’t like we were staring at the guys the entire time. After a while they relaxed too and made jokes about seeing each other’s “fat asses” in the mirror (say what?) or how weird it was to look at each other.
The setlist was still pretty much the same as in March and it worked out well. What made me happiest was that they were playing ‘What I’m searching for’ again. It made me smile that we were able to sing along to a song they announced as new and “most of you won’t know it”. Finally I know the newer songs well enough to sing along to those as well. 🙂 The place was packed and everyone looked like they were having a good time. Everyone, but one guy, who kept interrupting the concert, talking to the guys in German. I cannot recall exactly what he said, but it wasn’t nice. In the process I learned that James understands a lot more German than he admits – he even commented that “geil” means “great” as well as “horny” (right on!). Anyway, gotta hand it to the guys not to get annoyed by the heckler and managing to go on with the show. Kudos for handling that well.
Overall it was much fun though. I cannot remember why it was that I laughed so much, but it seemed there was always something to giggle about. It sure made me feel a lot better and a few songs into the concert I had forgotten all about feeling shitty beforehand and shared smiles with the others. I absolutely loved being there and would not have wanted to miss this. So many nice moments and some of my favorite songs reminded my why I fell in love with this music in the first place. Both of the guys told a lot of stories about the songs this time around. Sure, I’ve heard them before, but I always enjoy them. 🙂 Once, they clinked glasses and Martin noted “Did you look me in the eye? That’s seven years of bad sex!” – it caused some laughs. It was a fun night that ended way too soon. I could have listened to them much longer.
Setlist:
Maybe it’s time
Wheels
Tides
Cold Heart
My dog don’t like the rain
I have to fall
What I’m searching for
Cynical Skin
The Rope
Wrong Directions
Bad Dream
You’re a window
Little bits of light
Crashing into love
My last prayer
You’ll be gone and I’ll be here
Life’s a show
Matilda
Dream