TEN YEARS AFTER at "Lagerhalle", Osnabrück
 
11 June 2005 

 

 


 





































Photos © B & D

 

Concert Review - TYA at "Lagerhalle Osnabrück", Germany:

On our way to this gig we picked up our good friend Reinhard Pieper who lives in the area. When we arrived at the venue the place was already full and the line for buying tickets was already overflowing out the door and people were gathered out in the street awaiting entry.

  Inside, as expected was crowded as well, trying to find the entrance to the backstage area was a little tricky, as they were three deep standing in front of the door. We met Leo and Barney, and soon after Joe, Ric and Chick entered the room. There wasn’t much time for hanging around and chatting, as they were due on stage in short order. Everyone knows his place and takes the proper position in line, to climb the three stairs and jump onto the stage. Upon seeing the band members the audience erupts into a friendly roar of approval and anticipation.

  There’s something special about this venue and the people in attendance. This is our second visit here and the happy vibe is still in full effect, just as it was on the first occasion. It’s a kind of mutual arrangement, with a communal atmosphere and nothing but the spirit of fun filling the air.

  The set kicks off perfectly and it’s full steam ahead for the rest of the evening. I stand alongside Barney, who half way through the show is using a video camera to capture some moments that I conclude may make its way into the long awaited for TYA-DVD.

I step outside the room to visit Tom who is managing the merchandise area out front. I kid around with Tom and ask him where my copy of the new “Roadworks” cd is hiding, his reply is it’s on its way, and will be available in a few weeks time, the shipment was due a few gigs down the road.

  Some folks wonder why it is that Ten Years After like to play Europe and especially Germany so very often, and the answer is simple, they’re loved and appreciated here. We have a whole network of Ten Years After friends and supporters  that keep track of their activities, follow their progress and come out to a concert to show their support in person. Such a simple and workable concept for band and audience. It’s so unlike my experience back in the States where many people come out looking for the nostalgia and spectacle aspect only, that they miss the real fun and spirit of the moment. They’re unable to see the forest through the trees syndrome as it were. Here in Germany, the people understand the value and significance and they respond with a deep rooted sincerity and reverence unlike anywhere else in the world.

This particular audience, venue and or location for some reason seems to reflect that exact feeling. 

 

The band is continuing on through their set, the audience is involved with every aspect of the performance and is responding in unison. Brigitte is just one amongst many other photographers standing in the front row and struggling to find the optimum  photographic position to be in. Between the enthusiastic wild dancers, the elbows of others to her left and right and all the other distractions of a crowd this size, she manages to get off some great and wonderful shots of the band in action. 

  Also in the crowd is another person we are looking forward to meeting, Hans Abry. Hans and I exchanged a few emails and made plans to attend this concert together and meet in person. He recognized Brigitte and after the concert we all joined in a lively friendly conversation to compare notes and exchange stories.

  After the band plays the obligatory “I’m Going Home” and after two or three encores the show is over.  Joe’s adrenaline level is sky high, Ric, Leo and Chick are soaked right through their clothes, but walk off the stage with the same calm, cool demeanour that they approach and end every gig with….seasoned professionals they are.  They towel off, clean up a little, change clothes and then head out to Tom’s special area to greet and meet their fans…up close and personal.

It’s a happy family affair and everyone leaves satisfied. 

 

We all file out of the backstage area and into the concert hall proper, which is now a vacant area of ticket stubs, cigarette butts, and empty beer bottles. What has just taken place here is no longer visible to the naked eye, but every person in attendance was a participant and eye witness and will carry with them the memory and experience to pass on to others along the way. 

   

 

Hans Abry, Reinhard Pieper, Dave, Wolfgang Pilgram

Our sincere thanks to Leo Lyons, Ric Lee, Chick Churchill, Joe Gooch, Tom Lyons, Wolfgang, Barney, Reinhard Pieper, Hans Abry, Carlo Korte - the organizer of this concert, and the great staff at the Lagerhalle in Osnabrück, Germany.  

Please also visit:    

Hans Abry's  Website  and his  Photo Gallery  of  TYA

 
Our Thanks to Carlo Korte for bringing TYA back again to Osnabrück 

Carlo's Konzerte Website

   



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