The Silbermond show in Kamenz, in retrospect, had so much potential for disaster, and yet somehow everything went off with insane perfection.
I arrived at the train station of this tiny, boring German town after nightfall. I called the local taxi service. Their one taxi was somewhere outside the city limits. No problem. I looked up and down the street. Two men ambled slowly through the darkness. I inquired in German if they knew the direction of Hutbergbühne. They pointed uphill and asked what I was there for. I told them I was planning on camping, resolutely declined their offers to stay with them, and tromped off.
The occasional promo poster looming out of the shadows confirmed I was on track. I eventually arrived at the amphitheater.
Now, another might have thought, "Berg Bühne... mountain stage? That sounds cold." But not me. I was optimistically prepared to sleep in the open, up on top of this blustery amphitheater, armed with my layers of clothing and a few handwarmers. I've suffered through cold pre-concert nights before with inadequate camping supplies, but I seem to be slow in grasping the lesson. I had not spent enough time on my freezing bench to fully explore the depths of this foolishness, when two security guards arrived to save me from myself.
It is for this reason, that I love attending concerts in Germany. Two American security guards would have certainly thrown me off the premises without further ado. But German secus are... chill. And most of them feel protective towards lone females.
In this way, I found myself invited down to the stage and given coffee. Hanging out ONSTAGE. Where my idols would perform in less than 24 hours.
In true German fashion, they skipped the small talk and went straight for world politics, history, my views on about every hefty sociopolitical topic I could think of. We chatted, time passed, and eventually they invited me into their car.
YES, sure, I know how it sounds - but my brain was sounding no alarms. When you've lived and traveled a certain amount, you gather a sense of people. You can be wrong, and maybe that one mistake is a serial killer or rapist. But I've never been mistaken yet, and I don't choose to live in fear. I didn't go with the men at the train station, but I had no hesitations to join the guards in their car.
We bundled into the car behind the stage, they cranked the heat, and put some rap tunes on. We started chatting German rap, Bushido, Sido, Aggro Berlin. Eventually they offered me a blanket and kindly let me sleep in the backseat while they kept an eye on the stage equipment.
When dawn approached, I thanked them profusely and headed back to the top of the amphitheater. No mishaps, and a frigid night avoided.
With my rescuers:
With sunrise came other fans, and a long, relaxed day getting to know each other and listening to the Silbermond discography.
Barring a tense entry instigated by the constant coming and going of trucks through the line-up area, everything went perfectly smoothly, and I snagged my prime spot at center stage on the barrier.
The atmosphere was amazing - such uplifting heights of catharsis through music. The band brought the crowd to the emotional warmth and unity of Coldplay, while simultaneously bringing the rockout vibe into the same galaxy as Green Day, if not quite on the same level.
"Krieger des Lichts" live - so beautiful.
After the show, we hung around for signing with the band. I was just going to say "Vielen Dank, geiles Konzert!" or something simple, but the girls I'd been with in line were like, You have to tell her/them where you'll from! She'll cry! So I told them I was from Seattle and their music had inspired me so much, and Stefanie that she was a heroine of mine. She didn't cry, but she was so touchingly touched. I would have thought they'd heard so many similar declarations that it wouldn't move them anymore, but they showed astonishing interest and appreciation, the guys complimented my German, and it was just beautiful.
After everything, while heading back to the train station, I scaled a wall and stole a nice big promo poster for my apartment. :)
I was so happy to have been able to see them. Phenomenal concert experience. <3
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