It took me a while to write it, but here comes my fan report:
Mike Shinoda announced a European Tour!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
YEAH!
When?
March.
No. No. No.
No!
I had just accepted an assignment.
The shepherd of this farm has further education and needs a replacement for that time.
Taking over a flock of sheep during lambing season from middle of February to middle of April.
Lambing season means no time for anything else, at all.
No!
It cant be!
I seriously thought about quitting.
But I need the payment and it is something you just don’t do in my job.
But I could ask.
That I did and told the shepherd of the flock how important this is to me.
Please, at least one show, big blinker eyes.
She would look into it.
And she did it!
Asked the shepherd of the neighbour flock, that she would be on call for one evening. Just in case the apprentice would stumble in to problems he couldn’t handle.
Yeah, I could get to the Bremen Show, it was the nearest and earliest. Maybe the ewes weren’t that much in lambing mood then.
Oh, I would have loved to also go to Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover…
But stop that!
Be happy to see Mike Shinoda!
Yeah!
Just needed a ticket yet.
Looked up the internet.
No tickets on eventim.
Way not?
Were the shows already sold out?
Please, no!
But there, on viagogo, they had a few tickets left!
I started ordering. And the page really made a lot of pressure to hurry up to gave my dates.
To the ticket price 70 Euro extra as processing fee?
Really?
It didn’t matter, I needed this ticket!
I had already entered everything, including my bank data, just needed to click send.
Stop!
Anna, think for one moment!
And again I got to eventim.
0,60 Euro a call.
That’s a lot!
But I called.
And a nice salesman told me, that Mike Shinoda tickets weren’t on sale yet. That viagogo had also nothing. They would try later to bay the tickets from others and it wouldn’t even be sure I ever got mine. Not to forgot 70 bucks extra.
Best spend 0,60 Euro ever!
On the day the ticket sale started, I was online right on time.
Oh, so nervous.
And finally, I had a ticket!
Got a ticket, got a ticket, got a ticket!
Calm down!
Okay.
…
I would see Mike Shinoda!
Yeah!
Just four month to go.
December.
January.
February.
Middle of February.
Started to work on that sheep farm.
One to two lambs a day. The ewes were not really starting. They wobbled with big bellies.
Keep it that way! No lambing till after the concert!
End of February.
They started lambing.
But it was okay, no more than ten lambs a day.
Finally March.
The first.
The second.
Lots of preparatory work, so I could leave tomorrow at noon.
March, the third!
At last!
Ten new borne lambs right in the morning!
Damn it!
But we’ll get it done.
One o’clock in the afternoon, everything is in such an order, that I could leave the farm to the apprentice.
A quick shower, fresh clothes, ready to run.
One and a half hour drive to Bremen.
And I had to stop for something to eat. Had nothing till now, no time. But I had prepared myself with lots of drinking water. So I could later cut on it.
At four, I reached Bremen, quick bow in the direction of the Weser Stadion. And finally arrived at pier two.
I was here!
I was going to see Mike Shinoda!
I didn’t know what to expect, but the crowd wasn’t big yet. Maybe 60 people.
And the weather was terrible. Typical northern German winter, windy and rainy.
So I waited another half hour in the car.
More people arrived.
I got in search of a place to pee and joined the queue.
Just three more hours to go.
Or better to stand.
In miserable, cold weather.
And no drinking and no peeing.
Did anybody think I was miserable?
On the contrary!
I really enjoyed watching the crowd.
All this Linkin Park and Mike Shinoda fans.
Lots of normal people in an good, sympathetic way.
And I was listening.
Yea, eavesdropping isn’t a nice habit, but in an queue, I thought it is okay.
All were happy to see and meet each other, celebrated to be here and shared lots of war stories.
I learned that not everything in the Linkin Park family were sunshine and roses.
That made me a little bit sad, but on the other side, what did I expect?
Still loved it here.
Finally I worked up the nerve to ask the couple right next to me some questions and we started talking. What sweet people! Long, long time Linkin Park Fans with lots and lots of stories and willing to share with me newbie.
At six oh fife, I asked if it was okay, if I left for a moment and came back to this place in line.
No problem.
So I ran to my car, throw my jacked in, took an other pee and came back.
Now it was even colder, but the excitement made up for it.
At six thirty, the gates finally opened.
At that time I had a really dry throat. But what should I do? Inside getting in line for a drink? Just more pressure on the bladder.
Some wiser people had brought water bottles to the queue. You cant take this inside. So one was abandoned at the side. My chance, I took the bottle. Someone made the joke it could be pee.
But it wasn’t, so I took two small sips. No more, I told you way. I know, I have an old women bladder.
Now it was time to say goodbye and thank you to my queue mates and went inside.
It wasn’t a big concert hall and I loved it.
There weren’t many people in front of the stage yet and no one at the merchandise station. So I hurried there and got me a really beautiful tee.
Now, time to join the crowed in front.
There I was!
Probably the seventh row!
At a Mike Shinoda concert!
Yeah ha!
In front of me was a cluster of shorter women, best view for me.
Now another round of waiting.
More and more people arrived and the hall filled up.
It got tighter and warmer, time to knot the hoody around my waist. And wear my self made Linkin Park-Mike Shinoda Shirt with pride.
To the right, there were two smaller girls. I made room for them, so they could see better. Not a thing, cause I’m nearly 1,80m (5.9 feet or 70.8 inch).
Just before eight, the excitement rose immeasurably.
And there she came.
In one hand a bear, in the other a brezel. No jacket wound around her waist. Not thirsty, not hungry, no pressure on the bladder. Why not? She just bullies her way to the front. And she placed herself right in front of the smaller girls. Now, she had the best view. Totally ignorant to the girls. And she wased not small, even taller than me. She dismiss every complain and seemed oblivious to all the despise.
She wasn’t the last one.
It is so disgusting! To use your size and strength to get your own advantage on the cost of others.
Two guys pushed roughly past me. Then I closed ranks with the girl to the left. Their three buddies jostle hard to get past us, but we hold the line. As I turned and try to stop one, she jelled: “Don’t touch me!” Sure, and this from someone who just a moment ago elbowed me in the spine.
I turned back to the stage and hold the ranks closed. Behind us, they pushed and complained that they needed to be with their two buddies. Finally the guys behind the brute wrestled them away to get their view back.
Later after the show, I pass this guys, bitterly complaining that they were left behind by their two buddies. Friends who deserve each other.
But enough of that. I wrote it down and now I forget this Assholes and dive right into the concert.
The opening act started. The four guys rocked the stage and the crowd from the first moment on.
Wow! They were young, looked good and had hell of fun with their doing. I asked the people in front and next to me, who they were, but no one knew.
But it didn’t matter. I jumped and danced and held the hands high! So much fun. One girl behind me sang along every line. So I asked her: “Don Broco.” Never heard of. But for sure, I would look them up! Wiki describes “Their style has often been related to genres such as alternative rock, pop rock and post-hardcore…”
Jump! Jump! Jump!
I loved them, just the right sound for a warming up!
After they finished, I talked more to the Don Broco lyric singing girl. She told me, that they’ve already toured with Mike. And that she had fallen in love then. Saw them as main act and they were just great. They were from Britain and there they are really big, play the Wembley stadion.
Thank you!
And then finally, finally Mike.
He came on stage and my heart did a huge jump. Adrenalin and happiness crushed to my body. I was quite overwhelmed by my own reaction.
Mike started and the audiences got on fire.
We got on fire!
Jumped, danced, celebrated, sang along every line, yelled, laughed!
All hot, all sweaty, all happy!
I had high expectations and they were all exceeded!
And even more!
It was all so Mike Shinoda!
Just him!
And I loved it!
I had seen some of his shows on youTube. And sometimes the absence of Chester was like a big hole beside him.
A hole with frayed, bloody edges.
And Mike seemed lost, not sure of himself. Not sure, if it is okay what he did here. If it is okay do go on, to have fun, to sing with his own voice. And sadly, I could understand him, I’ve read some of this nasty, hateful, disgusting comments. Oh, why couldn’t all this haters just shut up!
But now, Mike seemed free of all this! He showed us is music, his presence, his fun and we celebrated with him. I had the feeling, that we held his back, we loved him.
In a quiet moment, I called just that: “We love you!”
And I so admire his fans. There are those like me. It is easy to follow, because I love Mikes diversity, his restlessness, always trying new things, developing. But there are also those who fell in love with Hybrid Theory and Meteora, are sure, that that’s the best and still stand behind Mike like rocks. Just for that, even when it is nearly 20 years later. Growing old like family. Oh, I admire that.
For me the hole show is so Mike, that I not once miss Linkin Park ore Chester.
I know, there were others with different feelings. I had my crying moment on the drive to Bremen. I listened to “In the End” and imagined to hear it, sung only by us without Chester, for Chester. And I was all choked up.
But now? No.
I just enjoyed Mike and us singing all along, partying.
So it was suitable that the Fan wish he played was „Prove You Wrong“.
First ever on stage!
So great!
So filling!
So fitting!
Sure I wish Linkin Park find a way to continue.
And sure as hell, I miss Chester.
But not this night!
Its Mike Shinoda night.
As he leaves the stage I am totally happy and satisfied.
I say thank you and goodbye to my neighbours in the pits and line up to have another look at the merchandise. There I meet two woman I jumped with in the pits. We talk for a moment and they say thank you to me. So sweet.
I cant stop myself from purchasing a Mike Shinoda hoody. So cool. Love it!
Don Broco is talking to fans and take pictures. I watch them, such great bunch of guys.
Finally, security clears the hall, time to leave. The traffic jam has dissolved, goodbye Bremen.
On the drive home I start dreaming. Maybe there isn’t that much lambing next week. Maybe I get out early. Maybe I can drive to Hanover and Hamburg. Oh! It would be so awesome! It would be okay to come last minute, I had my time in the front. Just a little more Mike Shinoda!
I girl can dream!
At one in the morning, I arrive at the farm.
As I open my car door, I hear ewes from the barn. In the middle of the night, that means problems. And sure, six newborns. And the sheep mothers need a little sorting help.
It is two when I find my way to bed.
No dreams of more concerts.
I am back in the barn at seven. 17 lambs for this day.
Work has me back.
But I have my memories!
Thank you all for reading!
if you wanna see I can search for the pic
