Bob Geldof on tour in Germany

Before I can say anything about the concert I have to say something about Erfurt, and the place, and the organisation. First question: Who deserves to play in a "shit hole" like this "Gewerkschaftshaus"??? There are quite a few other places in Erfurt which might even have attracted a bigger audience. I'm quite concerned that some people who actually wanted to come, spontaneously didn't leave the house because of the weather - but also, I believe that many people just did not find the place !!! I was almost one of them. A girl with a dog walked me and my car there. Without her, I wouldn't have seen it.

Although being quite late, I was lucky enough to arrive at the same time with the band. They had to enter the place through the front door!!! There were not too many people around anyway, and really no one seemed to recognise them. But the guys recognised me... ***happy!*** !!! About 5 min later I went to the bar where two girls discussed if the man standing at the door was Bob. It was a man, but this was all he had in common with Bob. How can one believe that the singer plays the door man before his own show..., hu ???

The Gewerkschaftshaus used to be the building of the local labour union (back in the GDR), and is now used for concerts. I don't want to talk about me going to the toilet, but it was an experience - it brought back some memories and I was almost "disappointed" about the modern loo paper.

The whole place had a very communistic design and probably remained unchanged during the last 13 years. Still, you can almost smell it and pictures of banners and emblems came back to my mind. In day time you may still recognise their shadows on the walls...

Due to the former use of this building the stage was extremely small. There was no barrier between the audience and the stage at all. Here I already wish to mention this terrible press photographer who was always sneaking around me - during the whole show!!! I paid for my ticket - he definitely had free admission and will additionally be paid for his pics taken. It was a brashness how he behaved! Even Bob looked at him questioning what he was doing kneeing down there on the floor - it took this photographer 2 songs to exchange the batteries of his camera !!! So Bob, if you ever read this - now you know ;-)

Let's come back to the show. There won't be a song list, as Sabine wasn't there this time. But if I remember right, it was the same set as in Halle with the only difference that they have played Attitude Chicken instead of Someone's Looking At You.

They came on stage in time. Funnily they had to walk through the "hall" to get on stage! He wore a different shirt !!! What a surprise !!! A very very cool one with multi-colour stripes which was very fashionable and looked great on him. He was so close to me that I had to move 1-2 steps backwards, not to dislocate my neck. Later on, someone told me that I had stared at Bob the whole show and that I would adore him too much - guess this is my funny way of enjoying his performance. I did some dancing too, since I was in the mood. Good, cos it was freezing cold inside this little hall.

They played the first three songs of the set in a ok-manner, then Bob welcomed us with a hearty "Fuck all about Erfurt". He is so cool. Although the stage was so small he did his best to entertain us - I constantly worried he would fall over something, guess he was lucky not to! The main problem was that many people in the audience did not understand much English. Especially in the back rows I could hear some very impolite people talking and laughing all the time, while Bob spoke about very serious things. Also the sound wasn't very convincing, I sometimes could hardly hear him singing. Maybe I was too close ???? But they were all very good and handled the situation professionally, just gave their best to make up for all these oddities and it worked, it was a good and enjoyable show.

After they had played the Mondays the guy behind me shouted: Today is Monday! Bob: Is it ? Then Bob continued: It is a coincidence - today is Monday and we are in Erfurt! What is coincidence in German ? Another girl and me told him it's "Zufall" but he did not get it so quickly, so he said: ok,it's this! Then he spoke about the meaning of the song. He said he had been to the states when he heard about a shooting at a school for the very first time then. The girl who killed her fellow pupils and teachers was later asked why she did that, and her answer was simply: I don't like Mondays. I do hope that everyone who did not know this story yet, understood it. I believe that many Germans still consider this song to be about a lazy Monday morning mood. That we all remembered these things in Erfurt was very special and I think that I was not the only one who got some sad pictures in her mind. Creepy. Last row people - hope you listened and understood !!!

Before Soft Soil he told us the story of the 3 Russians who gave their lives for the freedom of Russia by stopping the tanks being on the way into Moscow with their bodies. He described again how big, fat, drunk, red-faced, ugly Yelzin was standing at their grave and said these beautiful words: "Let the soil be their soft pillow". Then he unfolded a little piece of paper. "Someone" had written him down the German words for it and he read carefully: "Lasst die Erde ihr sanftes Ruhekissen sein" and looked at us asking: Do you understand this ??! Of course we did - and he got a very big applause for that !!!

In the afternoon Bob had been to the city centre. He compared Erfurt to south Dublin, and to Sheffield. Well, even I have to admit that Erfurt in sunshine is not as bad as Sheffield!!! He's seen the Fishmarket and the "Krämerbrücke" which is the only bridge completely with houses on, and also people living in. It's a very traditional and beautiful place and used to be a part of former trading street via regia. It's the only of these bridges north of the Alps. He said Erfurt was like Sheffield, but Sheffield wouldn't have such a bridge with houses on...The only noticeable difference ?

As I said before there was only a little crowd that night - and some didn't seem to be much interested in what he was doing up there, some just stood still. When he performed the Room 19 he changed the words a little bit at the end he was singing: come on, try a little harder, try a little louder, I'm playing a concert for you !!! Isn't that sad ??? I remember another band I've seen this year - they had the same kind of sleepy audience: they shouted: "we are playing live and for money!" I wished he would have said that too !!! Although he had offered to play songs on request - no one requested anything.

Unfortunately the Mary story was much shorter than in Halle - and therefore less entertaining J, but he performed the song with the usual energy. Guess without having seen Stuttgart and Halle, I wouldn't have missed my favourite story so badly.

When he played his little German Schlager overture into the End Of The World he looked me in the eyes for a second and smiled. Guess he remembered how much I liked him doing this Schlager thing in Halle. Well, you see I'm a "good German"!

I do remember a lot of positive things about Erfurt. Of course my "pole position", but most of all him, the band, a few very cool people in the audience who got involved and brought a great spirit into it. Also to have them all so closely around (small stage - no barrier). It could have been a private party - but it wasn't cosy because of the "Gewerkschaftshaus" general atmosphere and the photographer and the talkative people of the last rows. Still, I'm glad I was there. I just find it hard to find some excited words, it was not about the band - they were sooooooo lovely !!! but it was about the rest. Fuck all about Erfurt!

All materials and content on this website © BoomtownRats.co.uk unless otherwise stated.
All photographs © BoomtownRats.co.uk unless otherwise stated.