You learn how to love, learn how to give, learn how to hurt, to heal and twist

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Jim Kroft and friends – Boat for Sara concert at bi nuu, Berlin; April 8th 2016

When Jim Kroft first announced he was going to play a fundraiser concert for refugees I knew I’d do everything in my power to be there, not only to support a good cause, but also to have a fun night. Luckily it took place on a Friday so going there was easy and so worth it. It was much more than I expected, because not only did Jim play with his full band for the first time in a long time, they also treated us to an extra long show. A belated beginning was followed by a fun night of dancing, singing and smiling with great vibes everywhere in the room and the feeling of being among one big family. This could not possibly have been better and I am glad I made my way to Berlin to be there.

For his Journeys project, Jim traveled to Lesvos and later Idomeni with friend and fellow photographer Bastian Fischer to see with their own eyes what the situation is for the refugees who arrive there. What was planned as a short stay on Lesvos turned into three weeks during which Jim and Bastian got involved with the rescue workers there. PROEM AID, rescue workers from Spain who help unpaid and on their own time, take care of refugees coming to Lesvos on overloaded boats every night. Jim decided to help them by raising money for a new boat of their own. He planned this concert, wrote songs and recorded an album in 48 hours with all the proceeds going towards buying said boat. He named his campaign boat for Sara after a little girl he helped saving one night. From the first day they started their journey towards Lesvos, I followed them on Instagram and Jim’s Blog, impressed with the work of everyone who helped there and deeply saddened by the fact that so many people feel they need to flee their homes and so many die in the process. When Jim announced his fundraiser it seemed the most natural thing to support. Having a concert was just an added bonus, if a very welcome one.

I was looking forward to seeing Jim live again, even more so when he announced he would play with his band for the first time in two years. He might have been even more excited about this fact than I was and with the timing of the concert I knew I’d see a lot of familiar faces on stage as well as in front.

We arrived less than an hour before the doors opened, had food and were still close to the front of the line. Said hello to everyone we knew and waited. It took a while before they let us in. The venue was bigger than I expected and we were not quite enough people to fill it. It was still some time until show start though and slowly the place filled a bit more. We spotted Jim and several other musicians that have played with him at different points in time. All the musicians in the room seemed to be buzzing with excitement while the audience gave off a vibe of not really knowing what was going to happen. It felt a bit strange, but as soon as somebody stepped on the stage, the mood and the attention in the room shifted.

Host for the night was musician Espin Meta, who has worked with refugees in Berlin for some time. He told us a little about the night’s purpose, but most of all he introduced four musicians to us: Alice Hills, Ben Barritt, Jonas Lieber and Eric Penny who were playing a brief support set each. First order of business was determining who would go first and it was decided by drawing numbers. Ben Barritt was first, followed by Eric Penny whom he supported on guitar. Jonas Lieber played songs of his band Arionce and finally Alice Hills sang for us. Each of them played two or three songs before handing over the microphone. It was a nice warm up and I enjoyed each performance.

Espin was back to announce Jim and his band consisting of George Moore (keyboards), Dan Telander (drums), Ben Barritt (guitar), Lucas Dietrich (bass) and several others who came and went during the course of the evening. It seemed Jim’s goal to have all of his friends on stage at one time or another. Thus, he turned the concert into one big family jam session. The happiness seen on stage was contagious and it did not take long for everyone in the room to be into the concert, move with the music and sing along.

I alternated between watching Jim and his friends on stage and looking at the audience. It was great o see so many happy faces and I saw my own positive feelings reflected everywhere. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and when it was time for a big sing along (or a few), everyone did so loudly and happily. Towards the end, when Jim asked all fellow musicians and friends on stage, some members of the audience went up there too, joining the big choir. There were a lot of friendly jokes going around, like Jim introducing Ondrej saying he wasn’t invited but came to play anyway or pulling a few people on stage who didn’t want to sing. There was a lot of love going around too and despite the rather sad cause there was joy in the air.

Of course between all the music there as some serious business to conduct too. somewhere at the beginning of the concert, Jim asked two members of PROEM AID to join him on stage. He explained briefly about the fundraiser again and told us the initial goal was met. He then used a map to write out a symbolic cheque over 15,000 € to PROEM AID. They gladly accepted it, thanked everyone and sang the next song with him.

The setlist was a perfect mixture of songs from Journeys and Jim’s three previous albums. The songs from Journeys included the songs just written and recorded before the concert. Hearing  the Journeys songs performed with the band was a great treat. They really brought them to life and made each of us feel he music. Each and every song that night was performed with so much passion, it was impossible not to be moved. I felt like I was witnessing something truly special. It as a magical night, where nothing could go wrong. The brand new songs, even though they may not have always been perfect in playing and lyrics, were so heartfelt that minor errors didn’t matter. It simply felt right to be there and sing along, cheer for the people on stage and be connected to everyone in the room.

We got to see many guest that night like Jakob Nebel of Livingston, many backup singers, some originally invited and some joining spontaneously and a few duets too. Alice Hills shared the microphone with Jim for a few songs and that was only one of many highlights. The energy in the room was unbelievable and there are not enough words to describe what was happening. you just had to be there! Everyone felt involved, anything seemed possible. I was singing along at the top of my lungs, smiling, sometimes crying too and right then and there life was good, the world was a better place for a while because of the music and the people who had brought us together.

Many little things made the night even nicer, hugs, friendship, beautiful words, spoken as well as sung. For a little boy, who had been sitting on the stage, watching intently, the special moment came when he stood up, walked over to Jim and asked if he could play with them. Jim sent him to Dan and he enthusiastically played drums for a while. The happy smile on his face lit up the entire room. 😀 Later, he got Jim’s attention again, telling him it was bedtime now. Thus, he got a big hug before he had to leave.

Overall it was a fantastic night that ended with an after party for anyone who wanted to stay. We briefly chatted with Jim before we left and thanked him for the evening. Thank you Jim and thanks to everyone else involved. I have not had so much fun in some time!

Musicians:

Espin Meta
Ben Barritt
Eric Penny
Jonas Lieber (Arionce)
Alice Hills
Jakob Nebel (Livingston)
Dan Telander
George Moore
Ondrej Homola
Lucas Dietrich
and many more

Setlist

Beyond the Bloodshed
I hope you know
Like a Human Heart
Guess that’s what the Gods say
The great Doomsday Story
Beautiful Ways
Threads
Try to reach the Earth
Kaleidoscopes collide
Memoirs from the Afterlife

with Alice Hills:
Borrow it
Beijing Morning
Redemption 2

Sara
The Jailer
See how the darkness grows
Children of the Moonlight
Let’s do this thing called Life
Cinema Head
Tell me
Through my Weakness

Waiting for the Gods
Waiting for a Healing
Shadowlands
God knows where

pictures of this concert

Hold on to your memories of sun dogs and rainbows

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Anneke van Giersbergen & Árstíðir – De Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam; March 29th, 2016

Dead tired and overly emotional I don’t even know how to put my feelings about the Verloren, Verleden concert in Amsterdam into words other than saying that the end of this tour was even more beautiful than its start almost one month before. It may not have been as surprising any more as that first show was, but it has really evolved from there and what was more like a loose collection of songs in the beginning became a tight performance where everyone knew their place and everything ran together smoothly. It was perfect from start to finish and even though the show gained perfection it did not lose its heart and soul in the process. The beauty of the venue alone was enough to create a lump in my throat and hearing all those wonderful songs one last time in such atmosphere was as heartbreaking as it was wonderful. Wonderful, because for this one last time the band gave us all they had and heartbreaking for the same reason: there was never going to be another show. It was a fitting closure to a great tour and I felt lucky to have been part of it. 🙂

The day before this last concert had been an off day that I spent relaxing and sightseeing in Amsterdam. It’s been long ago that I’ve had so much time on a tour to actually see the cities I was in. After a bitt over a week I felt I’d been to each and every corner of the Netherlands and most of the places I saw were rather pretty. Dreaded going home already, back to my off-tour life. Not yet though. Another day to see the city and another night to celebrate music. 🙂

Arrived at the venue way to early, waited, read a little, said hello to Gunnar who was hanging out with friends, met P. and A. as well as K. and A., briefly spoke to Daníel and Marjana and saw quite a few other familiar faces. The theater was a lot smaller than I had expected, but very beautiful, old with lots of red and gold and several balconies. My seat was at the very right of front row and other than the fact that it was a bit low compared to the stage the view was brilliant from there. P. and A. had scored the best seats in the house on the first balcony on the left – really close to the stage. I could easily see them from my seat and looked for them from time to time.

Mostly though, I was completely enthralled with what was happening on stage. From the moment the band walked out until they took their final bow and walked off, I was caught up in the magic and the beauty of their music. So much at times that I forgot to breathe. One would think that once I knew the setlist, the chatter and the jokes there was no room for any more surprises, that it might get a bit repetitive, boring even, but none of that was the case. Still I felt each and every song and like all the other times the jokes and stories made me laugh. Just watching them interact put a smile on my face. 🙂

For the last time I saw them all sitting and standing in the dark, coming into focus one by one when the stage lights illuminated them and they started playing. First, Karl’s lonely violin, setting the mood for the evening, soon to be joined by Guillaume’s cello. Daníel’s guitar, picking up the melody, soon to be joined by Gunnar’s baritone before Anneke’s voices sets in and is, last but not least supported by Ragnar’s piano. ‘Solveig’s Song’ is the perfect song for starting the show, because it introduces each and every instrument, slowly easing the audience into the concert, the music promising us we will be safe and carried by beautiful melodies for the next 90 minutes. Yet before anyone can get the idea that this might be serious business, the mood subtly changes with Anneke’s first story causing everyone to listen and smile. The audience in Amsterdam clearly lost to Sneek with not showing enough appreciation for the globe though. 😉

As always, ‘Everwake’ was one of my highlights. I’ve been loving the song ever since the tour with Pain of Salvation. It fits in well with the classical pieces, especially in this arrangement, yet it stands out at the same time – at least to me. There is a sense of longing in that song I find hard to resist. <3 ‘Russian Lullaby’ and ‘Het Dorp’ brought a sense of melancholia and again longing, for a home maybe, a place to belong. Yet especially ‘Het Dorp’ always brings a smile to my face, because mixed in with the melancholia is a sense of happiness and good memories one can fondly look back on. Once again, I loved the piano on ‘A Simple Song’, it really got to me that night. :´)

The banter and Icelandic lesson before ‘Þér ég unni’ was as funny as ever. Guillaume’s sign was back and people did a pretty good job with the pronunciation – until Gunnar threw the full sentence at us that is. The song, no matter how often I hear it, will always be beautiful to me. A love all of Árstíðir’s  a cappella pieces, but this one has always had a special place in my heart, because it is their own and Anneke’s voice fits perfectly harmonizing with the guys. This, paired with the beautifully arranged ‘When I am laid in earth’ and the powerful ‘Shades’ gave me goose bumps. For ‘Shades’, the one song where Anneke leaves the stage, Guillaume and Karl put on sun glasses. I have no clue how many people gut the joke, but I thought it was hilarious. 😀

Anneke was back for ‘Circles’ and ‘Four Years’ before ´she put her guitar away and the full band joined her again for ‘Danny Boy’. Like every night she told us about touring Mexico with The Gathering back in the late 90ies and how in a strange country, bonding over football, certain “national” songs can make you feel at home. she made a little poll of which songs could that be for the Dutchies and concluded that the Irish have such a song as well. She introduced ‘Lost in you’ by asking Karl if he could explain how to pronounce their band name. he countered “If you explain how to pronounce your last name”. She did and thus everyone learned that Árstíðir is just a combination of the English words “hours”, “teeth” and “ear” with rolled Rs. well if it is, how come nobody in Iceland recognized it when I say it like that and the guys keep laughing at me every time I do? 😛

A bit later Daníel asked her to sing the tea song. It turned out to be a Sam Brown song about liking tea. It was a funny intermission that got even funnier when Karl kept replaying bits and pieces of the song that he had sampled. 😀 It lead to funny stories from the pranks at the last gig of the Pain of Salvation tour. Apparently I was the only member of the audience who had been there and laughed at the memories. An amazing version of ‘Leaves’ followed, moving me to tears and ‘Bist Du bei mir’ closed the set.

“Two more” I thought and wanted those last songs to go on forever, did not even want them to walk out again so soon. Yet there was no way to stop it and I took a deep breath to prepare for the end of this show and the wonderful tour. However, when they gathered at the front of the stage, Árstíðir surprised Anneke and those in the audience who had already seen the show by breaking into ‘Góða veislu gjöra skal’ – it cheered me up instantly. 🙂 Soon after ‘Heyr, Himna Smiður’ rose to the ceiling and brought back thoughts of the first time I had heard it in Vilnius. Finally ‘Pavane’ brought the tears back to my eyes. When it was over I jumped up like everyone else, smiling at everyone, trying to show them just how much I had loved it.

There was no space in front of my seat and since I was on the outside of the row I could not sit back down or people would have had to climb over me. Not wanting to leave I sat down on the steps that led up to the stage for a while and waited there. Karl and Guillaume came out so I asked Guillaume if I could have his “i Flugvallarbygginguna” sign and he gladly handed it over. What a nice souvenir. 🙂 Outside I talked to Anneke, thanked her for the show and suggested to do something like this every few years. 😉 We spent a long time chatting after the show, I said goodbye to those who left and the evening ended at a music bar in Amsterdam. It was a great night and totally worth staying up for.

A final thank you goes out to Anneke for making this cooperation happen and to Árstíðir for rolling with it. It was amazing and I truly hope their will be more projects like this in the future. Whatever happens, these memories will stay with me. <3

Setlist

Solveig’s Song
Everwake
Russian Lullaby
Het Dorp
A Simple Song
Þér ég unni
When I am laid in earth
Shades
Circles
Four years
Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)
Lost in you
Tea
Leaves
Bist Du bei mir

Góða veislu gjöra skal
Heyr, Himna Smiður
Pavane

pictures of this concert

Verloren, Verleden tour: 12 concerts down, none to go. Final stop: home