Travel log part 4

08-14-2007

Bratislava August 12^th 2007 – done; Prague August 13^th 2007 – done.

The morning after…

…is tough. My head aches as if I have a hangover. Mixed emotions. The set list was exactly like yesterdays. The performance…some things he said last night, gestures…I can’t escape the thought that I watched a spectacle following by the letter a previously made scenario. It wouldn’t have occurred to me if I had seen just one show; but it happened so (not by chance of course;) that I saw 2 shows in a row; there were similarities.

NIИ and violence don’t mix. And there was a lot of violence coming from the audience. Surely you can enjoy a rock concert without molesting people in front of you. For Christ’s sake, they moved the barrier about a meter towards the stage! How long can you survive without breathing?! Poor security guards! They were very nice and polite, nothing like the Hulk mutants at the Bratislava concert. For about 2 songs I debated with myself whether my first row spot was worth the risk of losing an eye because of all the arms, elbows and fists around my face. I wasn’t enjoying the music the way I was and when “Me, I’m not” started I decided not to push my chances to the limit and left. I had to go all the way to the back of the hall because there wasn’t any other free space closer. And I felt absolutely fucked up.

As lame as it was I cried during “Hurt”. Happens every time.

Today I don’t want to speak with any NIИ fan, I don’t want to discuss the shows, I don’t want to hear anything about it.

Why do I feel like crying then?
As if I’ve lost something precious.

12 AM

Prague experience is a disaster so far. I started my walk a bit further from the centre-I wanted to see the people’s city, not the tourist’s Prague. I got lost at some point (so many little streets). The city is still beautiful but right now I couldn’t care less about it. The sad fact for me is that I care for nothing else either; not even for another concert. I am (to quote Lori) “in a desperate need of optimism”.

I’m not sorry even for one second for taking that trip. The experience I receive is very valuable. Waiting in line was dreadful by itself but contacts with people were very educational; they taught me a lot about people and me. And it came just when I thought I knew all there was to be learned about human nature. Of course (I almost forgot), I’m the biggest moron ever. There, I said it. Now what?
Duh.

I don’t feel intimidated in this city of Prague. And I certainly feel no less than any of the people I see no matter which far more developed than mine country they are from. I feel adequate and equal in intellect, attitude and appearance. I feel at place. I guess that means that I like myself better than I think I do. Hum.

1.30 PM

Damn pigeons! One of them just shat on me! Imagine the frustration-you’re in one of the prettiest European cities that’s crawling with tourists and there you are in the middle of it covered all over in bird’s poo! Swearing and cursing in every language known to me I found a quiet spot to check the seriousness of the situation (“We have a situation here!”; that’s what you get from watching stupid American action movies). To my relief damages were almost invisible and very easy to clean.

10.30 PM

That bird did bring me luck! I had the most amazing last day in Prague! And I surely don’t want to leave now. Nothing will be the same after that trip and that is a promise! All those people I met; total strangers sharing one passion that was bringing us closer than anything else could-it was fantastic and beyond my expectations! It certainly pays off to be nice to people. So many people I hope to see again. And why not? As long as there are NIИ concerts our paths will cross again:

Sonja from Finland;

Ivo, Poli, Vasko – Bulgarians, that I met by accident and filled my heart with warmth;

The Slovenian couple, friends of Sonja. Later on I found out that the Prague concert has been a part of their honeymoon. Now that’s what I call “a perfect mach”! (I definitely must visit Slovenia! All the Slovenians I’ve met so far are great-warm and friendly, with gentle souls and beautiful minds. And Bojo, Sun and Pips-I missed you!);

The guy that helped me in the Spiral line in Bratislava;

The French girl with the curly hair;

The two girls that I was on one plane with from Bratislava to Prague;

The blond German girl that goes to practically every European NIИ concert;

The French dad and his two daughters;

Slechmiinh from Sweden who gave me a hug from a Spiral member, that I exchange letters with, and her friends;

The little school girl from Berlin;

The absolutely awesome tall blond guy from Poland, a huge Depeche Mode fan (why do I drool like a teenager at every man wearing combat boots I don’t know);

I’m going to miss you so much!

And next time (oh, God, let there be a next time!; maybe instead of God I should address my boss) I’ll bring a pen and a note-book with me to write down the names of the people I meet.

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At 1 PM on August the 12^th I took a picture of the Spirales waiting at the entrance of the Incheba Expo Arena; some 8 hours before the concert-that’s why there were so very few of them.

The girl on the left with the curly hair is from France; at 9 AM earlier that day I passed her by-she was the first to come and wait at the entrance.

The girl next to her is a friend of hers; she was so quiet the whole time with such a sad smile on her face that I wanted to go to her and chat to cheer her up but I didn’t dare to because I had to respect her privacy; maybe I was wrong.

The guy in black is from France too; just a half an hour ago I met him and his girlfriend in my hotel at the reception and their reaction was so sweet that it knocked me off my feet. They gave me a farewell hug; I miss you both!

Now, the guy in the blue-red blouse is my friend for life! I don’t know his name, I even don’t which country he’s from ‘cause I was so stupid not to ask (silly me) but he did me a great favor that I haven’t even asked for. In the Spiral line there are unwritten rules which you don’t have to be told of because they are logical enough to be guessed. It’s the rule of “first come-first in” i.e. when Spiralers are to be let in the venue we form a line according to that rule. Later in the afternoon a group of 5 arrived (I’m not telling where they were from; that is irrelevant) who cared not about that rule at all and when a proper Spiral line was created they pushed me and Sonja back and stood before us although the two of us have waited much longer than them. I was furious but there was no way I was arguing with them; I couldn’t lower myself that much and ruin the experience. And then that guy, who was standing at the beginning of the line, came to me, addressed me using my Spiral name (how come he knew my nick-name? I feel so ashamed!) and said “You were here before them, right? Then come with me”. And he took me and Sonja to take the places that belonged to us by right. I swear, I want to go to more concerts not only for the shows but also to meet him again and have a chance to return the favor! NIИ fans are the best people I’ve ever known.

The blond girl and the one sleeping on her raincoat are known to follow the band from town to town across Europe. Ever since the first time I saw her in Amsterdam earlier this year I’ve always been somewhat afraid of her; her eyes are as if made of blue steel; she’s always very serious and looks very determined. But in Prague I happened to be next to her for more than 2 hours and she turned out to be very smart and very nice girl. Me and my fears-let this be a good lesson for me.

And then there was Sonja-the lovely red-haired china-fragile Sonja from Finland. Unfortunately she’s not on the picture. She had come to Bratislava alone, just like me. I kind of tried to take her under my wing; I hope she hasn’t found my attitude patronizing for that was not what I intended it to be like. I needed a friend, someone I could trust, and in her I found the best friend I could wish for. We waited together both days and the day after the Prague show we kept each other company for some 8-9 hours. It was wonderful. 5 minutes after we have parted I found myself in tears.

That was a day to remember! Now I can let go off my childish anger and truly appreciate the concerts.

And, oh, I’m glad to say that I definitely need more of Trent&Co :) Keep touring, please! Yeah, we fans are so selfish!