I really love small venues. It's much more intensive. It's much more personal.
And you're sharing the room with so many great people - the guys in the bands and the ones in the crowd - just like you. And they are all there that night because of the same reasons as you are. To see some of your idols and to get to known more people that could become idols, too.
At least this is what happened to me last night in Hamburg. I went to the frnkiero andthe cellabration show in St. Pauli yesterday. Alone. Again. But just like a great girl I met there said: "When you're alone at a concert you get to know so many new people, whereas when you come with someone you only stay with them." And she was damn right. Every gig I went to on my own I met great people. The only bad thing about that is that most of them come from cities that are way too far away from your own (or even different countries). Luckily we have internet!
But back to my story about idols. I was looking forward to this gig for so long, because I just wanted to see fiatc play live in front of me, because Frank really is one of my idols. I can relate to his lyrics so much - and I'm sometimes kind of scared about this. I mean, Frank is such a nice guy and he smiles all the time, but then there are those dark and sad lyrics and when you listen to them you must think he really hates himself and this is really not okay.
But who was even more inspiring was Derek Zanetti - maybe better know as The Homeless Gospel Choir. He was the second support act and his performance was perfect in every way. I don't think I have ever laughed, cried or just felt those many emotions during one performance at a concert before. His songs and lyrics and those little speeches between songs made me so emotional - also because of feeling like every word he said was directly directed at me.
It may sound a little cliché-like but it really gave me hope standing there last night in this little pub in the middle of so many people, watching other people do what they love most - playing music and with that giving hope to people like me. People who need that.
Also, Derek's songs are protest songs. Protest songs about everything that is wrong with our world and society. They plead for a more open world - without prejudices, war, racism, homophobia, etc. Being the little queer trans* guy, those sentences really got to me and I have never been more glad to see the supporting acts at a show.
I also went to buy his record after the show and shook his hand. He asked me for my name and signed my vinyl. He also wrote "DON'T GIVE UP!" on it and I just love this guy so much and I hope he will come back to Hamburg some time.
The record ("I Used To Be So Young") is actually on repeat today and I kind of think that "Untitled" and "Armageddon" are my favourites.
But there's some thing that kind of concerned me: In "Untitled" there's the line "and I can stand up tall with pride to say that I haven't tried suicide in the last three years" but yesterday when he played this song he sang "eleven months" instead of "three years". And that really made me sad when I listened to the record today. I don't want him - or anyone else - to feel suicidal.
And last but not least the first support act: Axis Of! I hadn't heard of them before so I didn't know what to expect, but they were also fucking great. And when I bought their record I shook Ewen's hand and he told me to spread the world after I told him they were amazing!
So: EVERYONE LISTEN TO AXIS OF!!!!
Well, conclusion: Last night was one of the best nights I ever had. It felt so right being there and I really felt accepted, and that's thanks to Ewen, Ethan, Nail, Evan, Rob, Matt, Frank and most of all Derek! Thank you guys so much!
Oh, and of course thanks to the three awesome girls I met there, too! You're great!
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