David Gray

All conversation about the February 8, 2010 show at Theater am Tanzbrunnen - Cologne, Germany can go into this thread. This includes presale inquiries, pre-concert meet ups and post concert conversations.

 

The presale for this gig has started, tickets can be bought in the shop here

 

Enjoy !

 

Marcel.

Oh, wow. What a night.

I so hoped that he would play "First Chance" sometime during the evening, and I believed to know that he had begun all concerts with "Fugitive" in the past few weeks. Therefore, it took me quite a while to realise that this time the opening song was "First Chance". What a surprise!

I had no idea how well known he is in Germany because I have known him for three months only, and therefore was pleasantly surprised at how enthusiastic the audience was. Many people clapped a lot, shouted and whistled, and some also sang along a bit. It was a fantastic atmosphere. I got the feeling that some people around me had never heard him live before but were really taken by how energetic he and his band come across.

"Now and Always" was new to me. What a brilliant song!

As an encore he played "The Other Side", "Nemesis" and "Please Forgive Me". "Nemesis" was even longer this time. Does anyone know what the lyrics were he included close to the end? I didn't recognise them.

If I didn't forget any songs, these are the ones he played (probably in a different order somewhere in the middle part):

First Chance
Sail Away
Draw the Line
Kathleen
World to Me
Be Mine
Harder
Now and Always
Jackdaw
Freedom
Fugitive
Slow Motion
This Year's Love
Babylon
The One I Love
The Other Side
Nemesis
Please Forgive Me

I forgot the pic I meant to post:

 

WOW  First Chance as the first song, he is mixing things up a little isn't he.

Thanks for your post, and great shot you got there. Well Done !

---

eyelean

I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason,
Bringing something we must learn.
We are led to those who help us most to grow,
If we let them. And we help them in return.

I think it's great for people like Rena who attend several concerts in a row not to get to listen to exactly the same songs in exactly the same order.

I realised at once that he didn't play "Fugitive", but it took me until he sang the refrain to grasp which song it was instead.

So now here I am again - weary after just having about two and a half hours of sleep: "looking tired, feeling old", to say it with David's words.

Oh my God, what a night. Thank you David and the band, and thank you, lovely Rena. All of you have made my day. It was a great night to remember, all the lovely people I met before and after the concert. And thanks to the unknown young man, who let me take a photo of the setlist afterwards. I will post it, together with some of the pics I've taken when I manage how to do it.

I arrived at about 6 pm at the Tanzbrunnen in Cologne and Rena was already waiting there. (Hope you could get back safe into the city!) While waiting they'd let us in we could listen to the soundcheck a little. They did not open the gates until it really was 7 pm and we were freezing in the cold. But finally we made it, thanks to Rena into the first row.

Phosphorescent was a special experiance, some of the songs he played weren't that bad, most I like "When I come Home", told Rena it's the song of good purposes. After that the crowd whistled and screamed David in because it was nearly 9 pm and they waited long enough for him in their opinion. The opener was First Chance, as already mentioned, followed by Sail Away, Draw The Line, Kathleen, World To Me, Be Mine, an extra-ordininary version of Now And Always (it made my heart stop and keep my mouth open I fear), Slow Motion, Freedom, Fugitive (yes, it was played) Harder, Babylon (unfortunatly the shorter version when they don't let the crowd sing on their own), This Years Love, Jackdaw and The One I Love. The encores were The Other Side, a really, really wonderful Nemesis, where there was that pin drop moment, when Dave did the last part of it with the new added lyrics, and finally Please Forgive Me. At The Other Side there was a funny moment, when David got confused by his lyrics as he sang "...into the time of haze ...", than stopped, laughed and said:"Well, may I do it again, it's got be..." and then continued with "into the haze of time recalled".

After the show the technicians gave away the setlists and some friendly young man let me take a photo of the one he got. Then going out with Rena she grabbed some piece of paper formed to a ball. As she unfolded it we saw it was a setlist! As it was my first D.G. concert she gave it to me and I hugged her for that. You made me so happy, thank you again, Rena! You are so sweet!

At the stage door we met up with some other grayheads, waiting for David to come out. Rena had to leave, so sorry, but she had to make it back into the city on foot. One of the security told us David had left on a car directly after the show, he would have gone to the hotel. I told the others this can't be true because he was so sweat through, he would catch his death if he did so. And by the way they will not stay in a hotel because they had to get to Hamburg last night. But the guy at the door kept saying he'd left the building. Then we discovered another building across the street where stuff-people went in and out and we thought: hey, let's take a look at that. After about another twenty or so minutes Neill came out. We kindly thanked him for the great show and asked him if Dave still was in there and he answered: "Yes, maybe still fifteen minutes to wait until he comes out". And everytime some of the stuff went in we told them to report to David that we were standing here and barely freezing in the cold; I couldn't feel my feet anymore. But in the end the waiting paid and we all got signed what we wanted to and got our photos with him. One of the girls gave him a kiss on his cheek and he was surprised, but somehow didn't really seem to like it. When it was my turn he first signed my Draw-The-Line-booklet and when I asked for the photo he said:"yes, certainly!" and as he wrapped his arm around me I told him so low that just he could hear me:"I think I'll flake out in a minute!" and he lifted his his left eyebrow and said:"You won't do that!" and I said:"Ok!" In the moment the picture was taken by some young lovely lady (I don't know her name) somebody in our back said something stupid but funny (can't remember who or what), so I got a real laugh of David on that photo, not only a smile.

So all of us went home happy. I arrived at home at bout 1.30 am, was in bed about half an hour later, but could not sleep. I wonder how Dave and the band can sleep, and even in a tour bus! I can't imagine getting used to it.

So all of you who will be going to see David tonight: enjoy it, have fun and give him one more big hug from me

 

Love, Birdie

Hey Birdie!

Wow, what a night! I get even more excited by reading your message! Tomorrow night will be my night. My first concert and I will have to go alone...my friends do not know him and my hubbi will watch the kid. But I surely will enjoy my time! Thanks for your info and pic...wait to see more!

Regards, Sabi

David was fantastic as always last night. Great first gig of the decade for me, and was lucky enough to meet David afterwards, which was the icing on the cake.

Particularly loved "Nemesis" live. I reckon it's one of David's best-ever compositions.

How wonderful, Birdie, that you got an autograph and a picture. Looking forward to your photos.

One of my favourite moments was when he started to play "Harder" and these silvery shreds suddenly rained down onto him and he had to laugh.

@geordie96: yeah funny, wasn't it?!? And he said :"what the f***..."

 

Love, Birdie

I missed that. :)

At one point he said something about a fucking fairy but I didn't get all of it as well.

Thanks for your reviews !

Glad to hear you had a fab time Birdie, and at least Neill was so nice to tell you david was still around 

 

Enjoy !

 

Marcel.

Sounds like you had a perfect night Birdie! How great for you that you got to meet Neill and David and got your pic taken. Can't wait to see it. That was very nice of Rena to give you the set list. I am glad you stuck around and didn't leave it was well worth waiting in the cold...yes.

---

If you think you'll lose,you've lost
For out in the world you find
Success begins with a person's will
It's all in your state of mind

Hello everybody,

oh I don't know where to begin. I hope my english is good enough for everybody to understand!

I'm still so excited about last evening and all that I've seen.

First I really got lucky that there wasn't any traffic jam on the motorway on my way from Düsseldorf to Cologne. So I arrived at around 06.00 pm at the Theatre where a few other people already have been waiting, too.

 As I heard later, Rena just stood right in front of me!! Thx Birdie for your information about that!!

I even got more excited when I finally got picked up my ticket to go in and had the chance to buy a mug and a really nice David Gray T-Shirt (which I got signed later after the show!!! :-))))).

I think David's friend (please excuse me, I just don't have his name on my mind right now) didn't play that bad. It was fantastic quite music where you can perfectly close your eyes to and forget all about your stress at work or at home.

But then, at about 09.00 pm David came on stage and I really got goosebumps all over!! From the very first moment I saw him that's when I knew, all the dreams I held in my heart and mind, had suddenly come true.

It has been my very first DG concert so I enjoyed every little second I could. He and his band really played absolutely fantastic and so it will be hard ever to forget his evening.

I had so muc fun after the show waiting with a few other people on the outside for David Gray to come and sign our prepared stuff. That was where I heard (as I know now, too) from Birdie that Rena just stood next to me waiting to get in before the show.

I couldn't believe it because I was guessing the whole evening if and where she might be and if I might get to know that this person is Rena.

My heart stopped for a second the moment David came out ready to leave for Hamburg. I knew there would be only seconds left until I got a shot with him! I'm so proud of it now and also my signed booklet from "draw the line" and all in all it was the most fantastic evening I had in the last years.

 

Thx to everyone I met and all other David Gray fans who also give so much experience to me with their feelings and thoughts. I love to share it with you.

 

All the best to you and many greetings from Kirchhellen,

 

Annabel

 

xxxx 

 

@Kari: so now you can see the photo with Dave at least in my new avatar!!!!

 

Love, Birdie